Washington Agency
Practice Questions & Answers (2026)
Agency law is one of the most tested subjects on the Washington real estate exam, and it's also one of the most misunderstood. The Washington Department of Licensing expects licensees to understand the legal duties owed to clients vs. customers, and the specific timing of required disclosures under Washington law. As a community property state, Washington also tests how agency relationships are affected when spouses are both parties to a transaction. Study these questions carefully — candidates who rely on national agency frameworks and don't account for WA-specific rules are among the most common failures on the state portion.
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Washington Agency — Practice Questions & Answers
110 questions on Agency from the Washington real estate question bank. First 10 are free — sign up to unlock all 110.
Q1. In Washington State, the law governing agency relationships in real estate is found in:
Explanation
Washington's real estate agency relationships are governed by RCW 18.86, the Law of Real Estate Agency, which specifies duties owed to clients and customers.
Q2. Under Washington's Law of Real Estate Agency (RCW 18.86), a real estate broker owes all clients the duty of:
Explanation
RCW 18.86 requires all brokers to exercise reasonable care, deal honestly, and promptly account for all funds. These duties apply regardless of which party the broker represents.
Q3. In Washington, a buyer's agent owes the buyer the duty of:
Explanation
Under RCW 18.86, a buyer's agent owes the buyer fiduciary duties including loyalty, disclosure of all material facts, confidentiality, obedience to lawful instructions, reasonable care, and accounting.
Q4. Washington's agency disclosure pamphlet 'The Law of Real Estate Agency' must be provided to buyers and sellers:
Explanation
Washington brokers must provide the agency disclosure pamphlet at or before the first substantive contact with a prospective buyer or seller, before any confidential information is exchanged.
Q5. In Washington, a dual agent must:
Explanation
Washington permits dual agency only with written informed consent from all parties. The dual agent provides limited representation and cannot disclose confidential information of either party to the other.
Q6. An agency relationship in Washington is typically terminated by all of the following EXCEPT:
Explanation
Agency relationships are terminated by completion of the transaction, mutual agreement, death or incapacity of the principal, expiration, or revocation. Submitting an offer is part of the agent's duties, not a termination event.
Q7. Under RCW 18.86, which of the following is a duty owed exclusively to a seller-client (not to a buyer-customer)?
Explanation
Under RCW 18.86, duties like reasonable care, honesty, and accounting for funds are owed to all parties. Confidentiality of the client's motivations (such as urgency to sell) is an exclusive duty owed to the client.
Q8. A Washington buyer's broker shows the buyer a property listed by the same brokerage. If the brokerage represents both parties, this is:
Explanation
When the same brokerage represents both the buyer and seller in a transaction, dual agency exists in Washington. Written informed consent from both the buyer and seller is required before the dual agency can proceed.
Q9. In Washington, a selling broker who has no written buyer representation agreement with the buyer is most likely acting as:
Explanation
Without a written buyer representation agreement, a cooperating broker assisting a buyer is generally treated as a subagent of the seller under Washington's agency law, owing fiduciary duties to the seller.
Q10. In Washington, a listing broker's duty to disclose adverse material facts applies to:
Explanation
Washington's RCW 18.86 requires a broker to disclose all adverse material facts actually known or that should have been known to the broker, even if the seller has not disclosed them.
Q11. The Washington agency pamphlet 'The Law of Real Estate Agency' must be provided before:
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