Personal Services Agreements
Area V is published as a range — 4 to 6 of the 60 broker items — and is carried here at its midpoint of 5. Its printed subtopics are listings, property management, and buyer representation.
What a personal services contract is
AS 08.88.695(5), repeated for the whole chapter by 12 AAC 64.990(d), defines a personal services contract as a listing, a fee agreement between brokers and sellers, buyers, lessors or lessees, a management contract with property owners, or any other agreement by which a broker agrees to perform a duty with respect to real estate for an agreed fee or commission. It is the agreement between broker and client, not the contract between buyer and seller. 12 AAC 64.990(b)(8) defines a listing as the agreement in which the listing licensee agrees to find, locate, secure or promote obtaining a buyer or tenant for a specific property at a certain price and terms. Entering a personal services contract is itself "specific assistance" under AS 08.88.695(8)(A)(iv), which triggers the pamphlet and relationship disclosure duties of AS 08.88.615.
Listings and when the commission is earned
AS 08.88.341 requires the writing, the signatures, and a definite expiration date on exclusive agreements. AS 08.88.361 then decides when the money is owed in a single sentence: "A commission is earned when the real estate broker fulfills the terms of a written personal services contract." Alaska therefore looks to the contract rather than to a common-law ready, willing and able buyer test. AS 08.88.655(c) and (d) require the licensee to disclose which party is anticipated to pay compensation and to state in the purchase or lease contract which party is paying it.
Property management and buyer representation agreements
12 AAC 64.550(b) forbids property management for another person without a prior written contract and sets its minimum content: the manager's specific responsibilities, the authority and powers granted by the owner, the period of the agreement, and the management fee. 12 AAC 64.550(d) requires the sale or exchange of a managed property to be authorized either by specific language in the management contract or by a separate listing agreement. For buyer representation, AS 08.88.620 imposes duties of loyalty, timely conflict disclosure, referral to expert advice, confidentiality that survives termination, and a good faith and continuous effort to find property — but AS 08.88.620(6)(B) removes any obligation to show property for which there is no written agreement to pay the licensee. AS 08.88.660 governs when the relationship begins and ends.
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State-specific details
State exam facts
- State regulator
- Alaska Real Estate Commission (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing)
- Exam vendor
- Pearson VUE
- Prelicensing education
- 30 hours of Alaska broker training education
- Passing score
- Scaled score of 75
- Scored questions
- 140
- Time limit
- 240 minutes
Who regulates real estate brokers in Alaska?
The Alaska Real Estate Commission, within the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, licenses real estate brokers, associate brokers, and salespersons. The Commission contracts with Pearson VUE to develop, administer, and score both the national and the Alaska state law portions of the licensing exam.
What experience do I need before the Alaska broker exam?
Alaska broker applicants must be at least 22 years old (12 AAC 64.059) and must have had at least 36 months of active and continuous experience as a real estate licensee within the 60 months immediately preceding application (AS 08.88.171(a)). "Active and continuous" is defined in 12 AAC 64.990(a) as holding a current active license with no single break of more than 30 days caused by failing to affiliate with an employing broker and file the application — so it is not quite the same as 36 unbroken months. Applicants must also complete 30 hours of commission-approved broker training education within the 18 months immediately preceding application, and file the license application within six months of passing the exam.
How is the Alaska broker exam structured?
The Alaska broker exam is one four-hour session covering two portions: a national/general portion of 80 scored items plus 5 pretest items, and an Alaska state law portion of 60 scored items plus 5 to 10 pretest items. Results are reported as a scaled score from 0 to 100 and a scaled score of 75 is required to pass, so the number reported is neither the count nor the percentage of questions answered correctly.
Sources: https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/professionallicensing/realestatecommission.aspx, https://www.pearsonvue.com/content/dam/VUE/vue/en/documents/publications/092200.pdf
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