The Team Assistant Who Answers Pricing Questions
Pat is the qualifying broker at Summit Realty. Kim leads a team called "The Home Squad." Jordan is Kim's assistant and holds no real estate license. Jordan schedules showings, gives lockbox codes to buyers' agents, posts on social media, "Just listed by The Home Squad, 3 bed ranch, call Jordan for details," and tells a caller, "The seller will take $310,000." Jordan also fills in blanks on a purchase contract using information Kim supplies, and Kim reviews it before sending. The Instagram ad does not mention Summit Realty. Pat has never approved the team name in writing and has no written policy on assistant duties. A competing brokerage complains to the Ohio division that Summit is operating an unlicensed team.
1. Classify Jordan's activities. Which ones require a license or closer broker supervision?
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Jordan may perform clerical and administrative tasks: scheduling appointments, transmitting documents, and relaying messages. Giving lockbox codes and coordinating access edges into facilitating showings and should be tightly controlled by the broker. Quoting "the seller will take $310,000" is negotiating a price and requires a license. Posting a listing ad without the brokerage name is an advertising violation even if the post is clerical in form. Filling in blanks on a contract can be clerical only when Jordan is copying facts supplied by Kim, exercising no discretion, and Kim reviews before delivery; if Jordan selects or explains terms, that is licensed activity. The broker should separate the functions in writing and remove price discussions and contract advice from Jordan's role.
2. What is wrong with the Instagram ad and the team name under Ohio advertising and supervision rules?
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The ad must identify the brokerage, Summit Realty, not just the team. A team name can be used only under the broker's supervision and must not imply that the team is a separate brokerage. Pat has not approved the name in writing, which weakens supervision and creates confusion about who is responsible for the advertisement. The social media post is advertising, so it must be accurate, include the brokerage name, and not mislead consumers about who will represent them. The fix is to revise the ad to include Summit Realty, adopt written team-advertising rules, require broker review of social posts and team branding, and document the approval of The Home Squad as a team under Summit.
3. What supervisory and disciplinary exposure does Pat face, and what corrective steps should the brokerage take now?
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Pat is responsible for supervising licensees and unlicensed staff. Allowing an unlicensed assistant to quote price and potentially negotiate, while ads omit the brokerage name, creates exposure for the brokerage as well as for Kim. The corrective steps are: stop Jordan from discussing price, terms, or contract advice; revise all advertising to include Summit Realty; adopt a written unlicensed-assistant policy; approve or reject the team name in writing; log the complaint and the corrective action; and train the team on agency, advertising, and contract handling. Pat should also review recent communications to see whether Jordan's statements reached consumers and whether any correction or disclosure is needed. The goal is not just to fix the Instagram post but to show ongoing broker supervision.