Which of the following statements regarding the proper handling of multiple offers in North Carolina is TRUE?

Under North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC) rules, a broker has a fiduciary duty to present all offers to their seller-client as soon as is practical, and this duty continues until the transaction is closed. Even after a seller has accepted an offer and the property is under contract, the listing broker must continue to present any subsequent offers received. The seller may wish to consider these as potential backup offers in case the primary contract fails to close.

A. Disclosing the specific terms of one buyer's offer to another is a breach of confidentiality and is prohibited without the express authority of the offering buyer.

C. A listing broker may only disclose the existence of multiple offers with the seller's permission; it is not a mandatory, unilateral action.

D. A broker must present all offers objectively to the seller. Prioritizing any offer, even the highest, violates the duty to allow the seller to make an informed decision on all terms.

1. North Carolina Real Estate Commission. North Carolina Real Estate Manual (2023-2024 ed.). Chapter 8, Agency Contracts and Practices, Section: "Duties and Liabilities of Brokers," pp. 8-20, 8-24. The manual clarifies that the duty to convey all offers to a client continues until closing.

2. North Carolina Real Estate Commission. "Handling Multiple Offers: A Guide for Brokers." Real Estate Bulletin, vol. 42, no. 1, Spring 2011, p. 5. This publication explicitly states, "A listing agent’s duty to present all offers to the seller continues until the property is sold (the transaction is closed)."

3. North Carolina Real Estate Commission. "Q&A: Offers and Contracts." NCREC.gov. This resource clarifies broker responsibilities, stating, "With the seller’s approval, the listing agent may disclose the existence of the offers. However, a listing agent is not permitted to disclose the price or other material terms contained in a buyer’s offer to a competing buyer without the express authority of the offering buyer." This directly refutes options A and C.