I stared down at the paper in lost disbelief. I reluctantly raised my hand and asked if we could use notes. He grunted his response, “whatever.” Unfortunately, I didn’t have any notes so it was really irrelevant to me anyway.

The rest of the year was much like the first week. I had no idea what we were doing. I always picked the letter “C” on the quizzes and I ended up with a solid B in the class. I was ecstatic and thought I must have had a knack for math after all — until I got to college and had to hire three different tutors, after taking Math 50 (commonly referred to as “dumbbell” math) to make it through Algebra 101. Either way, Mr. Roberts did anything but meet the minimum requirements for a ninth grade algebra teacher.

Speaking of minimum requirements, Realtors have them too. While these might not involve cleaning out the fridge, wrangling pets or pulling weeds (see last week’s article for those gems), they do include basic courtesies — like turning off lights and locking doors after a showing. Especially when there are clear signs on both exterior doors with instructions to do just that. Needless to say, this one’s a fresh frustration of mine.

Section 5.1 of the Exclusive Buyer Broker Agreement and Agency Disclosure states, “As agents for the Buyer, the Buyer’s Agent and Broker have fiduciary duties to the Buyer that include loyalty, obedience, full disclosure, confidentiality, reasonable care, and any other duties required by law.” In other words, no throwing sand in the sand box. Let’s break it down a little further.

According to Oxford, the word loyalty can be defined to mean, “A strong feeling of support or allegiance.” This means your agent is working for you, not the other side. This is the equivalent of a very serious, non-negotiable, scouts honor. While we are at it, since your agent is working for you, and you alone, this means they must be obedient (within the bounds of the law). This means if you want to make an embarrassingly low offer on a house, after they advise you of their concerns over such an action, they must go ahead and write it up, even if they disagree with it. Not only that, but they must also send it over to the seller’s agent and communicate that it was sent. In turn, just for the record, the seller’s agent MUST present all offers, even the lowball ones, to their seller unless directed otherwise.

Also, your agent shouldn’t be keeping secrets from you, unless it is about their personal lives, much of which probably should be kept a secret, depending on who they are. However, if they are aware of any hidden defect in the home, then the proverbial tea must be spilled. No excuses or surprises.

Speaking of secrets, although your agent should be fully transparent with you, they must be quite the opposite about you, especially to the other side. Blabbing on about budget, motivation or desperation is not going to help you. They are in charge of keeping your cards close to their chest.

The next fiduciary duty, “reasonable care,” addresses the very issue at the core of all real estate transactions. It should instead read, “Don’t be clueless.” This should not be an exercise in the blind leading the blind. Your agent has the obligation of being competent and able. They should guide you through the process without making rookie mistakes, or at least compensating you if they do. We have probably all bought a refrigerator or two at the beginning of our careers. The duties of a buyer’s agent certainly don’t end there (again, referring to last week’s article). Anything else required by law and beyond are included in those fiduciary duties.

Real estate might not be rocket science (though I’m still holding Mr. Roberts accountable for my lack of algebra skills), but it’s definitely a science. And when it comes to guiding a buyer, the amount of care, expertise and experience an agent brings to the table should be nothing short of meticulous — far more than what Mr. Roberts ever demonstrated in the classroom. In the end, I figured it out. A-20=4-3A: A=6. Mic drop.

Jen Fischer is an associate broker and Realtor. She can be reached at 801-645-2134 or jen@jen-fischer.com.