Real Estate Exam Prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The crucial distinction between a Title Commitment (a promise before closing) and a Title Policy (protection after closing). - Why payment for the owner's title policy is always a negotiable item in the Texas sales contract, regardless of local customs. - The three survey options available to the buyer and seller i...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The buyer's unrestricted right to terminate during the negotiated option period. - That an "as-is" provision does not waive the seller's legal duty to disclose known material defects. - That sellers are not obligated to agree to any repair requests from the buyer. - What happens if repair negotiations fail before t...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The Option Period is a buyer's unilateral right to terminate a contract for any reason, unique to Texas real estate. - The Option Fee is a non-refundable payment to the seller in exchange for the right to terminate during the option period. - Earnest Money is a separate, good-faith deposit that i...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The amount of earnest money is negotiable and not a legally mandated percentage in Texas. - Earnest money must be delivered to the escrow agent, typically a title company, within 3 days of the contract's effective date. - If a buyer defaults without a valid contingency, the seller is generally entitled to k...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Why a street address alone is an insufficient and invalid property description on the TREC contract. - The critical importance of listing items in Paragraph 2D (Exclusions) to avoid them conveying with the property. - How to correctly calculate and verify the sales price formula in Paragraph 3 (Cash + Financing = Sales Price). ...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The logical flow of the One to Four Family contract from parties and property to closing procedures. - How the exam tests key sections like Property Condition (Paragraph 7) and the "as is" clause. - The critical distinction between what can and cannot be written in Special Provisions (Paragraph 11). - Common exam t...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - That licensees are only permitted to fill in the blanks of TREC-promulgated forms with factual statements and business details. - How to properly use the Special Provisions (Paragraph 11) section without engaging in the unauthorized practice of law. - That altering, striking through, or adding legal language to the pre-printed text of a...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The Broker-Lawyer Committee consists of 13 members: 6 brokers appointed by TREC, 6 lawyers appointed by the State Bar president, and 1 public member appointed by the governor. - The committee's sole purpose is to draft and revise standardized contract forms for use by real estate licensees. - This committee acts only in an advisory r...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Why TREC's primary goal with promulgated forms is public protection and preventing the unauthorized practice of law. - The critical difference between an addendum (used before signing) and an amendment (used after signing). - That using promulgated forms is mandatory for Texas license holders whenever a relevant form exists for the t...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - An agent’s independent duty to disclose known material facts overrides a seller's instructions. - The specific requirements for the federal lead-based paint disclosure for all homes built before 1978. - The consequences for failing to provide a Municipal Utility District (MUD) notice before a contract is signed. - Key disclosure rules for...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The seven major categories of transactions exempt from the Seller's Disclosure Notice in Texas. - The critical distinction between a property sold 'as-is' and a seller who is legally exempt from disclosure. - That an agent's duty to disclose known material facts persists even when the seller is exempt. - How s...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - When the Texas Seller's Disclosure Notice is required for 1-4 unit residential properties and the key exceptions tested on the exam, such as new homes and foreclosures. - That sellers must disclose all known material defects, even if a defect has been previously repaired, and that an 'as is' clause does n...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The key difference between an exclusive and non-exclusive buyer representation agreement and how it impacts commission. - The essential elements required for a buyer representation agreement to be valid and enforceable in Texas. - How broker compensation is structured within the agreement, including who pays and what happens when commissions differ. ...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - With an Exclusive Right to Sell listing, the broker earns a commission regardless of who finds the buyer. - An Exclusive Agency listing allows the seller to find their own buyer without having to pay a commission. - An Open Listing is a non-exclusive agreement where only the broker who is t...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - An intermediary broker with appointments must remain neutral and cannot provide advice to the buyer or seller. - Appointed agents are permitted to provide advice and opinions to the party they are appointed to represent. - Acting as an intermediary requires written consent from both parties, followed by written notice of t...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Intermediary is the Texas-specific alternative to dual agency, applying when one brokerage represents both buyer and seller. - Acting as an intermediary is only legal with explicit written consent from both parties, typically found in representation agreements. - An intermediary broker must remain neutral, facilitating the transaction without providing advice or o...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - When you must provide the IABS form (at the first substantive dialogue, not first contact). - The definition of a "substantive dialogue" with a practical open house example. - The key exemptions from the IABS requirement, including leases under one year and open houses. - Common exam traps, such as placing a...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - In Texas, a single agency relationship means an agent owes fiduciary duties, remembered by the acronym OLDCAR, exclusively to their client (either the seller or the buyer). - The duties owed to a customer (the other party) are limited to honesty, fairness, and the disclosure of all known material facts about t...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The six fiduciary duties defined by the acronym OLD CAR: Obedience, Loyalty, Disclosure, Confidentiality, Accounting, and Reasonable Care. - How the duty of Obedience is strictly limited to lawful instructions, a common exam trap. - Why the duty of Confidentiality extends forever and survives the termination of the agency relationship in T...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The key differences between an active, inactive, and expired license status. - The specific late renewal window of up to six months and the consequences of missing it. - What immediately happens to sponsored agents if their broker's license becomes suspended, revoked, or inactive. - The process for reactivating an inactive l...