Agency as Leadership: How Great Agents Think, Speak and Show Up in an AI-Driven World
Agency disclosure isn’t something you hand over once and forget — it’s a commitment that shapes every conversation, every channel, and every decision for the rest of the transaction. This course covers every New York agency relationship, from seller and buyer to dual and designated, along with the fiduciary duties, consent requirements, and documentation that hold them together. You’ll script real-world agency conversations across email, text, social media, video, e-signature platforms, and AI tools — so disclosure sounds like leadership, not a compliance checkbox.
Course summary
This course examines New York agency relationships through the lens of leadership, communication,
and professional responsibility. The class is designed as a required agency course and focuses on how
licensees identify the parties they represent, explain agency choices, provide the New York State agency
disclosure form at the proper time, obtain acknowledgments when required, and carry fiduciary duties
forward throughout the transaction.
Participants will review seller agency, buyer agency, landlord agency, tenant agency, dual agency, dual
agency with designated sales agents, broker supervision, first substantive contact, informed consent,
confidentiality, loyalty, obedience, disclosure, accounting, reasonable care, and documentation. The
course will also address how agency duties apply when agents communicate through email, text,
websites, social media, video meetings, electronic signature platforms, online lead systems, and AI-
assisted tools.
Through scenario-based discussion and practical scripting, licensees will learn how to move agency from
a one-time disclosure form to ongoing client representation. Students will identify communication
practices that may create confusion, weaken client trust, or increase risk, and will practice leadership-
based communication that supports clear representation, fair and consistent service, and compliance
with New York State license law and professional standards.
Learning objectives
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Define agency relationships and fiduciary duties as they apply to New York real estate brokerage
practice. - Identify seller agency, buyer agency, landlord agency, tenant agency, subagency, dual agency, and
dual agency with designated sales agents. - Explain when the New York State agency disclosure form must be presented, discussed, signed,
acknowledged, and retained. - Describe first substantive contact in both in-person and virtual settings, including website inquiries,
email, text, social media messages, video meetings, and AI-supported chat or lead response tools. - Explain how agency responsibilities extend beyond disclosure to ongoing representation,
communication, confidentiality, loyalty, obedience, disclosure, accounting, and reasonable care. - Recognize conduct, language, online statements, and automated communication that may
unintentionally create confusion about who the licensee represents. - Apply leadership-based communication strategies when explaining representation, compensation,
client choices, confidentiality, and the limits of the licensee role. - Evaluate the use of technology and AI for agency-related tasks while maintaining licensee oversight,
accuracy, confidentiality, and professional judgment. - Document agency conversations, disclosure delivery, client instructions, and technology-assisted communication in a manner that supports risk management and required record retention.
- Demonstrate an understanding of ethical obligations under the REALTOR® Code of Ethics that support agency, client service, truthful communication, confidentiality, and professional conduct.
Your instructor — Shelley Hoffman
Shelley Hoffman works with small business owners, entrepreneurs, and real estate professionals to lay strong foundations, grow their business intentionally, and develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
Course Details
Instructor
Shelley Hoffman
Level
Intermediate
Duration
2 hours
Delivery
In-Person or via Zoom
Interested? Sign up to be notified when this course is available.
Other courses to consider
We Got You Covered!
With Shelley Hoffman & Shauna Teelin
Looking to complete your 22.5hrs of NYS’s continuing education requirement in one course? We Got You Covered!
What Does the Public Think? Agency & Ethics
With Shelley Hoffman
Make your businesses more productive while ensuring you meet the DOS requirements for Agency and the Code of Ethics. Review license law as it pertains to the virtual world.
3.5hrs of NYS CE.
Watch Your Language
With Shelley Hoffman
Identify types and styles of communication to better serve the needs of your clients, customers, professionals, and the public.
2hrs NYS CE.