Washington REALTORS®

Annie Fitzsimmons, Washington Realtors Legal Hotline Lawyer, is back with another installment of "You Are Practicing Law: Is It Authorized?"

This series explores the 1985 Washington State Supreme Court case, Cultum vs. Heritage House, a cornerstone for understanding the legal boundaries of real estate brokers' authority to draft contracts. Annie explains the limitations of your authority to draft Purchase and Sale Agreements considering that brokers can only select forms and draft Purchase and Sale Agreements when the need arises from providing real estate brokerage services as defined by the Washington State Supreme Court in the 1985 Cultum vs. Heritage House case.

Starring Annie Fitzsimmons (WR's Legal Hotline Lawyer)

Disclaimer: Legal Hotline services, including videos, articles, and access to the Hotline, are a Washington REALTOR® member-only educational benefit and do not constitute legal counsel. If you’re a primary member in good standing, visit warealtor.org with your M1 ID and password to access more features.

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Copyright © 2025 Washington REALTORS®.

Please contact Washington REALTORS® (1-800-562-6024)

before using this video outside of YouTube.

Annie Fitzsimmons, Washington Realtors Legal Hotline Lawyer, is back with another installment of "You Are Practicing Law: Is It Authorized?"

This series explores the 1985 Washington State Supreme Court case, Cultum vs. Heritage House, a cornerstone for understanding the legal boundaries of real estate brokers' authority to draft contracts. Annie explains the limitations of your authority to draft a purchase and sale agreements based on the fact that you are only permitted to complete simple, printed, standardized real estate forms that are approved by a lawyer as defined by the Washington State Supreme Court in the 1985 cult and Versus Heritage House case.

Starring Annie Fitzsimmons (WR's Legal Hotline Lawyer)

Disclaimer: Legal Hotline services, including videos, articles, and access to the Hotline, are a Washington REALTOR® member-only educational benefit and do not constitute legal counsel. If you’re a primary member in good standing, visit warealtor.org with your M1 ID and password to access more features.

--------------------------

Copyright © 2025 Washington REALTORS®.

Please contact Washington REALTORS® (1-800-562-6024)

before using this video outside of YouTube.

Annie Fitzsimmons, Washington Realtors Legal Hotline Lawyer, is back with another installment of "You Are Practicing Law: Is It Authorized?"

This series explores the 1985 Washington State Supreme Court case, Cultum vs. Heritage House, a cornerstone for understanding the legal boundaries of real estate brokers' authority to draft contracts. Annie explains the limitations of your authority to draft a purchase and sale agreement, select forms, and draft the language in the Purchase and Sale agreement as defined by the Washington State Supreme Court in the 1985 cult and Versus Heritage House case.

Starring Annie Fitzsimmons (WR's Legal Hotline Lawyer)

Disclaimer: Legal Hotline services, including videos, articles, and access to the Hotline, are a Washington REALTOR® member-only educational benefit and do not constitute legal counsel. If you’re a primary member in good standing, visit warealtor.org with your M1 ID and password to access more features.

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Copyright © 2025 Washington REALTORS®.

Please contact Washington REALTORS® (1-800-562-6024)

before using this video outside of YouTube.

Welcome to another installment of our Designated Broker Video Series: DBrief! This series is dedicated to keeping our Designated Broker/ Owners and industry leaders well-informed and providing you with ongoing support from the association.

Tune in today as WR's Government Affairs Director, Mary Hull-Drury, and our 2025 Washington REALTORS® president, John Blom, provide our legislative priorities for the 2025 session. Learn about our association’s legislative goals, challenges, and opportunities in the upcoming biennium session and get the inside scoop on our legislative agenda for 2025.

We would also like to invite our members to attend this year's Legislative Days in the state capital on January 29 and 30th.

You can register here: warealtor.org/legislativedays

If you'd like more information about our legislative priorities or have a question for our government affairs team, visit our Government Affairs page at warealtor.org

For more information on Washington REALTORS®, visit warealtor.org

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Copyright © 2024 Washington REALTORS®.

Please contact Washington REALTORS® (1-800-562-6024)

before using this video outside of YouTube.

Annie Fitzsimmons, Washington Realtors Legal Hotline Lawyer, kicks off a deep-dive series titled "You Are Practicing Law: Is It Authorized?"

This series explores the 1985 Washington State Supreme Court case, Cultum vs. Heritage House, a cornerstone for understanding the legal boundaries of real estate brokers' authority to draft contracts. Annie explains how brokers can legally select and complete standardized real estate forms within the limited authority granted by the court—and why staying within these boundaries is crucial.

Starring Annie Fitzsimmons (WR's Legal Hotline Lawyer)

Disclaimer: Legal Hotline services, including videos, articles, and access to the Hotline, are a Washington REALTOR® member-only educational benefit and do not constitute legal counsel. If you’re a primary member in good standing, visit warealtor.org with your M1 ID and password to access more features.

__________________

Copyright © 2025 Washington REALTORS®.

Please contact Washington REALTORS® (1-800-562-6024)

before using this video outside of YouTube.

Annie Fitzsimmons, Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline Lawyer, discusses The survival clause in the Form 22A Financing Contingency and how this provision allows the buyer to retain their earnest money even after a failure to close the transaction occurs.

Disclaimer: Legal Hotline services, including videos, articles, and access to the Hotline, are a Washington REALTOR® member-only educational benefit and do not constitute legal counsel. If you’re a primary member in good standing, visit warealtor.org with your M1 ID and password to access more features.

--------------------------

Copyright © 2025 Washington REALTORS®.

Please contact Washington REALTORS® (1-800-562-6024)

before using this video outside of YouTube.

Annie Fitzsimmons, Washington Realtors Legal Hotline lawyer, explains the proper use of Form 35R, the response form to the inspection contingency addendum (Form 35). This video breaks down the distinctions between notices and contract amendments, clarifies signature requirements, and highlights the built-in key on the form for accurate usage.

Don't forget to share with other agents and subscribe!

Starring Annie Fitzsimmons (WR's Legal Hotline Lawyer)

For more information on Washington REALTORS®, visit warealtor.org

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Legal Hotline Video featuring Annie Fitzsimmons, Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline Lawyer - The Legal Hotline is a Washington REALTOR®Member-only benefit. These videos are intended for Washington REALTOR® members. If you have questions and are a primary member in good standing with Washington REALTORS®, visit www.warealtor.org to contact the Legal Hotline Lawyer. You will need your NRDS ID and password to inquire with the Legal Hotline or search the database.

Copyright © 2024 Washington REALTORS®.

Please contact Washington REALTORS® (1-800-562-6024)

before using this video outside of YouTube.

This week, Annie Fitzsimmons, Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline lawyer, explores common questions about handling Buyer Brokerage Services Agreements when a buyer sign contracts with multiple brokers. This video clarifies key legal and contractual issues for brokers, including negotiating terms for the second broker, resolving disputes, and managing compensation claims.

Don't forget to share with other agents and subscribe!

Starring Annie Fitzsimmons (WR's Legal Hotline Lawyer)

For more information on Washington REALTORS®, visit warealtor.org

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Legal Hotline Video featuring Annie Fitzsimmons, Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline Lawyer - The Legal Hotline is a Washington REALTOR®Member-only benefit. These videos are intended for Washington REALTOR® members. If you have questions and are a primary member in good standing with Washington REALTORS®, visit www.warealtor.org to contact the Legal Hotline Lawyer. You will need your NRDS ID and password to inquire with the Legal Hotline or search the database.

Copyright © 2024 Washington REALTORS®.

Please contact Washington REALTORS® (1-800-562-6024)

before using this video outside of YouTube.

This week, Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline Lawyer Annie Fitzsimmons walks you through what brokers should do when Paragraph 17b is left blank by the buyer’s broker. Please don’t take it upon yourself to fix this situation. Tune in to learn the best practices that all listing brokers should know.

Don't forget to share with other agents and subscribe!

Starring Annie Fitzsimmons (WR's Legal Hotline Lawyer)

For more information on Washington REALTORS®, visit warealtor.org

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Legal Hotline Video featuring Annie Fitzsimmons, Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline Lawyer - The Legal Hotline is a Washington REALTOR®Member-only benefit. These videos are intended for Washington REALTOR® members. If you have questions and are a primary member in good standing with Washington REALTORS®, visit www.warealtor.org to contact the Legal Hotline Lawyer. You will need your NRDS ID and password to inquire with the Legal Hotline or search the database.

Copyright © 2024 Washington REALTORS®.

Please contact Washington REALTORS® (1-800-562-6024)

before using this video outside of YouTube.

It’s time for the 2024 Computation of Time Challenge! Join Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline Lawyer Annie Fitzsimmons she walks you through the fact patterns for this year’s challenge. You’ll be provided with all the facts to figure out when the buyer's inspection contingency (where the buyer must either terminate, reach agreement with the seller, or have their inspection contingency deemed waived by 9 p.m.) will end if the parties had reached mutual acceptance on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.

Follow along to see if your computation of time is spot on!

Don't forget to share with other agents and subscribe!

For more information on Washington REALTORS®, visit warealtor.org

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Legal Hotline Video featuring Annie Fitzsimmons, Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline Lawyer - The Legal Hotline is a Washington REALTOR®Member-only benefit. These videos are intended for Washington REALTOR® members. If you have questions and are a primary member in good standing with Washington REALTORS®, visit www.warealtor.org to contact the Legal Hotline Lawyer. You will need your NRDS ID and password to inquire with the Legal Hotline or search the database.

Copyright © 2024 Washington REALTORS®.

Please contact Washington REALTORS® (1-800-562-6024)

before using this video outside of YouTube.