Real Estate Maryland-Real-Estate-Salesperson - Maryland Real Estate Salesperson Examination

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that results from the decay of uranium found in soil, rock, and groundwater. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless and can accumulate in enclosed spaces, such as basements and homes.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies radon exposure as a leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers.

In Maryland, the pre-licensing course emphasizes that while radon testing is not mandatory, sellers and licensees have a duty to disclose known environmental hazards to buyers.

Appraisers generally employ three approaches to value: the Sales Comparison Approach (market data), the Cost Approach (replacement/reproduction cost minus depreciation plus land value), and the Income Approach (capitalizing net operating income). Maryland’s pre-licensing curriculum teaches all three as standard methodology, with applicability depending on property type and data availability.

Within the Agency/Fiduciary Duties portion of the course, self-dealing is identified as a breach of fiduciary duty that occurs when a licensee has a personal interest in a transaction and fails to disclose it fully and obtain informed consent. Examples include purchasing a client’s property for oneself (or through an undisclosed third party), steering a client to a business in which the licensee has a hidden financial stake, or otherwise placing personal gain ahead of the client’s interests without disclosure. Maryland law requires full disclosure of material interests and adherence to fiduciary duties of loyalty, disclosure, and obedience.

Under Maryland Agency Law (Business Occupations and Professions Article, Title 17, Subtitle 5), a listing agent represents the seller and owes the seller the fiduciary duties of loyalty, obedience, disclosure, confidentiality, reasonable care, and accounting.

A primary fiduciary obligation is to promote the interests of the client at all times during the transaction, as outlined in the Maryland Real Estate Commission’s Agency Disclosure materials.

While the listing agent must disclose all material facts to all parties (facts that affect value or desirability), the agent’s duty of loyalty and advocacy is owed to the seller client.

Therefore, the correct answer is that a listing agent must promote the client’s interests throughout the entire transaction.

Amortization is the process of systematically paying down a loan balance over time through periodic payments that cover interest and principal, according to an amortization schedule.

Installment refers to a single periodic payment, not the full process.

Loan is the debt itself.

Mortgage is the security instrument (lien) that pledges property as collateral for the loan.

References (Maryland Pre-Licensing Core Content):

Maryland 60-Hour Course: “Real Estate Financing” (amortization schedules; principal vs. interest; fully vs. partially amortized loans).

Basic finance terminology as standardized across pre-licensing materials.

Real property is real estate (land and improvements) plus the bundle of rights (interests, benefits, and rights inherent in ownership), such as possession, control, enjoyment, exclusion, and disposition.

Land refers to the earth’s surface, subsurface, and airspace (naturally occurring).

An estate is a degree, quantity, nature, or extent of interest in real property (e.g., fee simple, life estate).

Personal property (chattel) is movable and not affixed to real estate.

References (Pre-Licensing Core Content):

Maryland 60-Hour Pre-Licensing Course: “Real Property and the Law” (definitions of land, real estate, real property, personal property; bundle of rights).

Common-law property definitions widely adopted in real estate education.

In the closing/title section of the pre-licensing course, learners are taught that a title policy contains Schedules—most notably Schedule A (coverage basics) and Schedule B (exceptions). Schedule B—Exceptions lists specific matters found of record prior to the policy’s effective date (e.g., recorded easements, covenants, restrictions, prior-of-record liens, and taxes/assessments) that are excluded from coverage unless affirmatively insured over or removed.

While policies also include standard exceptions (which can address certain unrecorded matters), the items “generally” shown on the schedule of exceptions are the recorded encumbrances discovered in the title search that predate the policy.

A license is a personal, revocable privilege to perform some act on another person’s land without any possessory right or ownership interest. Unlike an easement, a license does not transfer with the land and can be revoked at any time by the licensor. Examples include permission to hunt, park, or attend an event on private property.

In Maryland’s pre-licensing course, this concept is taught under “Interests in Real Estate” as a type of encumbrance that affects property use but not ownership.

A listing agreement is a legally binding contract between a seller and a licensed real estate broker that establishes the broker’s authority to market the property and represent the seller’s interests in finding a ready, willing, and able buyer.

It outlines the terms of representation, including price, commission, duration, and the duties of both parties.

The agreement does not guarantee a sale; rather, it ensures mutual understanding of responsibilities and compensation should a sale occur.

This principle is covered in the Listing Agreements and Buyer Representation module.

Reference (Maryland Source):

– Maryland 60-Hour Principles and Practices Course, Listing Agreements and Brokerage Contracts section.

– Business Occupations and Professions Article §17-534.

The principle of regression states that a property of higher value may decrease in worth when located near or among lower-quality properties. Conversely, the principle of progression means a lower-valued property can gain value by proximity to higher-quality ones.

This concept is emphasized in the Maryland pre-licensing module “Real Estate Appraisal and Valuation” to explain how neighborhood characteristics influence market value.