Pre-license: 90 hours (60 Fundamentals + 30 Practices)
Before you read
Test yourself first: 5 questions
Question 1 of 5
In Washington, which duty is owed by a broker to ALL parties in a transaction, whether they are clients or customers?
Answer: A. Washington agency law sets out duties owed to all parties, including honesty and good faith and disclosure of material facts the broker knows. Heightened fiduciary-style duties such as loyalty and confidentiality are owed only to the broker's principal (client), not to a customer.
Question 2 of 5
Which of the following is a duty Washington law requires a broker to owe specifically to the broker's PRINCIPAL (client) that is NOT owed to a customer?
Answer: A. Loyalty, which requires the broker not to act adversely to the principal and to put the principal's interests first within the bounds of the law, is owed only to the client. Honesty, good faith, disclosure of known material facts, and accounting are duties owed broadly, including to customers.
Question 3 of 5
A Washington broker shows homes to a prospective buyer who has signed no representation agreement and to whom the broker owes only the general statutory duties. This person is BEST classified as a:
Answer: A. A customer is a party to whom the broker owes only the general duties (such as honesty, good faith, and disclosure of known material facts) but not the full client-level duties like loyalty and confidentiality. A client/principal is a party the broker has agreed to represent.
Question 4 of 5
When a Washington broker acts as a dual agent with the written consent of both parties, which duty is the broker NOT able to fully perform for either party?
Answer: B. A dual agent owes both parties the statutory duties (good faith, confidentiality, accounting, reasonable care, disclosure of material facts), but a dual agent cannot advocate for one party against the other. The duty to advance one party's interests to the detriment of the other is suspended because the broker now serves both sides neutrally.
Question 5 of 5
Under Washington's agency law, which of the following is a duty that a broker owes to ALL parties in a transaction, regardless of whom the broker represents?
Answer: B. RCW 18.86 lists duties owed to ALL parties, including dealing honestly and in good faith and disclosing all existing material facts known by the broker and not apparent or readily ascertainable to a party. Advocacy and confidentiality of negotiating position are owed only to the broker's own client, not to all parties.
Keep the streak going with more questions like these, each with a full rationale.
Must-know rules
- Regulator: Washington Department of Licensing (DOL)
- Pre-license: 90 hours (60 Fundamentals + 30 Practices)
- Entry license = 'Broker' (supervisor = Managing Broker)
- Community property state
- Form 17 Seller Disclosure Statement
- Broker works under a managing broker
Washington (DOL) — Key Facts: FAQs
Is Washington (DOL) — Key Facts on the real estate exam?
Yes. State License Law is a scored domain on the Washington real estate licensing exam, and this topic appears in the state license-law portion.
Is this cheat sheet free?
Yes — every page on Cinna RE's resource library is free to read, print and share. The app adds practice questions, mock exams and a readiness score.
Does Washington test this differently?
Washington applies its own license law on top of the national portion. This page covers the Washington rules specifically, which is what the state section of your exam tests.
