find or obtain a buyer or is a broker who acts in cooperation with that broker to find and obtain a buyer.

The provisions of this article relating sale transactions of residential real property comprising one to four dwelling units apply with equal force to leases of that property that include an option to purchase, ground leases of land on which one to four dwelling units have been constructed, or real property sales contracts, as defined in Section 2985, for that property.

The standard of care owed by a broker under this article is the degree of care that a reasonably prudent real estate licensee would exercise and is measured by the degree of knowledge through education, experience, and examination, required to obtain a license under Division 4 (commencing with Section 10000) of the Business and Professions Code.

and Safety Code, and property subject to Chapter 7.5 (commencing with Section 2621) of Division 2 of the Public Resources Code, the seller or broker is not required to provide information additional to that contained in the booklet concerning home energy ratings, and the information in the booklet shall be deemed to be adequate to inform the buyer about the existence of a statewide home energy rating program.

contain, in not less than 8-point type, a notice as specified in paragraph (1), (2), or (3).

Notice: The California Department of Justice, sheriff’s departments, police departments serving jurisdictions of 200,000 or more, and many other local law enforcement authorities maintain for public access a database of the locations of persons required to register pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 290.4 of the Penal Code. The database is updated on a quarterly basis and is a source of information about the presence of these individuals in any neighborhood. The Department of Justice also maintains a Sex Offender Identification Line through which inquiries about individuals may be made. This is a “900” telephone service. Callers shall have specific information about

individuals they are checking. Information regarding neighborhoods is not available through the “900” telephone service.

Notice: Pursuant to Section 290.46 of the Penal Code, information about specified registered sex offenders is made available to the public via an Internet Web site maintained by the Department of Justice at www.meganslaw.ca.gov. Depending on an offender’s criminal history, this information will include either the address at which the offender resides or the community of residence and ZIP Code in which the offender

resides.

broker under this article, or the duties of a seller or broker under Article 1.5 (commencing with Section 1102) of Chapter 2 of Title 4 of Part 4 of Division 2.

Earthquake Safety, published pursuant to Section 10149 of the Business and Professions Code, shall be made available to the public at cost and for reproduction at no cost to any vendor who wishes to publish the guide, provided the vendor agrees to submit the guide to the commission prior to publication for content approval.

90. It is not the intent of the Legislature to modify or restrict existing duties owed by real estate licensees.

As used in this section and Sections 2079.7 and 2079.14 to 2079.24, inclusive, the following terms have the following meanings:

The agent in the real property transaction bears responsibility for that agent’s salespersons or broker associates who perform as agents of the agent. When a salesperson or broker associate owes a duty to any principal, or to any buyer or seller

who is not a principal, in a real property transaction, that duty is equivalent to the duty owed to that party by the broker for whom the salesperson or broker associate functions.

799.29.

property through the seller’s agent.

the Health and Safety Code, when offered for sale or sold through an agent pursuant to the authority contained in Section 10131.6 of the Business and Professions Code.

vendor and a lessor of real property.

In any circumstance in which the seller or buyer refuses to sign an acknowledgment of receipt pursuant to Section 2079.14, the agent shall set forth, sign, and date a written declaration of the facts of the refusal.

The disclosure form required by Section 2079.14 shall have Sections 2079.13 to 2079.24, inclusive, excluding this section, printed on the back, and on the front of the disclosure form the following shall appear:

When you enter into a discussion with a real estate agent regarding a real estate transaction, you should from the outset understand what type of agency relationship or representation you wish to have with the agent in the transaction.

A Seller’s agent under a listing agreement with the Seller acts as the agent for the Seller only. A Seller’s

agent or a subagent of that agent has the following affirmative obligations:To the Seller:

A fiduciary duty of utmost care, integrity, honesty, and loyalty in dealings with the Seller.To the Buyer and the Seller:

An agent is not obligated to reveal to either party any confidential information obtained from the other party that does not involve the affirmative duties set forth

above.

A Buyer’s agent can, with a Buyer’s consent, agree to act as agent for the Buyer only. This includes a Buyer’s agent under a buyer-broker representation agreement with the Buyer. In these situations, the agent is not the Seller’s agent, even if by agreement the agent may receive compensation for services rendered, either in full or in part from the Seller. An agent acting only for a Buyer has the following affirmative obligations:To the Buyer:

A fiduciary duty of utmost care, integrity, honesty, and loyalty in dealings with the Buyer.To the Buyer and the Seller:

A real estate agent, either acting directly or through one or more salespersons and broker associates, can legally be the agent of both the Seller and the Buyer in a transaction, but only with the knowledge and consent of both the Seller and the Buyer.

In a dual agency situation, the agent has the following affirmative obligations to both the Seller and the Buyer:

In representing both Seller and Buyer, a dual agent may not, without the express permission of the respective party, disclose to the other party confidential information, including, but not limited to, facts relating to either the Buyer’s or Seller’s financial position, motivations, bargaining position, or other personal information that may impact price, including the Seller’s willingness to accept a price less than the listing price or the Buyer’s willingness to pay a price greater than the price offered.

Either the purchase agreement or a separate document will contain a confirmation of which agent is representing you and whether that agent is representing you exclusively in the transaction or acting as a dual agent. Please pay attention to that confirmation to make sure it accurately reflects your understanding of your agent’s role.

The above duties of the agent in a real estate transaction do not relieve a Seller or Buyer from the responsibility to protect their own interests. You should carefully read all agreements to assure that they adequately express your understanding of the transaction. A real estate agent is a person qualified to advise about real estate. If legal or tax advice is desired, consult a competent professional.

If you are a Buyer, you have the duty to exercise reasonable care to protect yourself, including as to those facts about the property which are known to

you or within your diligent attention and observation.

Both Sellers and Buyers should strongly consider obtaining tax advice from a competent professional because the federal and state tax consequences of a transaction can be complex and subject to change.

Throughout your real property transaction you may receive more than one disclosure form, depending upon the number of agents assisting in the transaction. The law requires each agent with whom you have more than a casual relationship to present you with this disclosure form. You should read its contents each time it is presented to you, considering the relationship between you and the real estate agent in your specific transaction.

This disclosure form includes the provisions of Sections 2079.13 to 2079.24, inclusive, of the Civil Code set forth on the reverse hereof. Read it carefully.

agent prior to or coincident with execution of that contract by the buyer and the seller, respectively.

The payment of compensation or the obligation to pay compensation to an agent by the seller or buyer is not necessarily determinative of a particular agency relationship between an agent and the seller or buyer. A listing agent and a selling agent may agree to share any compensation or commission paid, or any right to any compensation or commission for which an obligation arises as the result of a real estate transaction, and the terms of any such agreement shall not necessarily be determinative of a particular relationship.

Nothing in this article prevents an agent from selecting, as a condition of the agent’s employment, a specific form of agency relationship not specifically prohibited by this article if the requirements of Section 2079.14 and Section 2079.17 are complied with.

Nothing in this article precludes a seller’s agent from also being a buyer’s agent. If a seller or buyer in a transaction chooses to not be represented by an agent, that does not, of itself, make that agent a dual agent.

transaction of real property subject to this part, including validating the sales price, shall not require, as a condition of receiving the lender’s approval of the transaction, the homeowner or listing agent to defend or indemnify the lender or auction company from any liability alleged to result from the actions of the lender or auction company. Any clause, provision, covenant, or agreement purporting to impose an obligation to defend or indemnify a lender or an auction company in violation of this subdivision is against public policy, void, and unenforceable.

Nothing in this article shall be construed to either diminish the duty of disclosure owed buyers and sellers by agents and their associate licensees, subagents, and employees or to relieve agents and their associate licensees, subagents, and employees from liability for their conduct in connection with acts governed by this article or for any breach of a fiduciary duty or a duty of disclosure.

The provisions of subdivision (d) of Section 1102.1 shall apply to this article.