Q: A bank has contacted me (a sales associate) and wants me to perform broker price opinions on its bank-owned properties. May I be paid directly for performing BPOs?
A: No. If a sales associate is performing a BPO for compensation, this is real estate licensed activity that a sales associate may perform only through his or her registered broker. In addition, Section 475.42(1)(d), Florida Statutes, provides that it’s a violation of real estate licensing law for a sales associate to collect "any money in connection with any real estate brokerage transaction, whether as a commission, deposit, payment, rental, or otherwise, except in the name of the employer and with the express consent on the employer."