Final answer:
A broker can add clauses to the Contract to Buy and Sell Real Estate that limit their zoning confirmation responsibilities, require the property to be professionally cleaned, or mandate maintenance such as furnace servicing prior to closing, ensuring transparency and reassurance for the buyer.
Step-by-step explanation:
Real Estate Contract Provisions and Broker Responsibilities
When drafting the Contract to Buy and Sell Real Estate, a broker might include several types of clauses in the additional provisions section. However, not all clauses are always appropriate or enforceable. Clauses that can be added might address the broker's scope, such as limiting the broker's ability for confirming zoning, which can be significant due to the implications of zoning regulations. Zoning determines how properties can be used and thus affects property value.
Other possible and common additional provisions include requirements for the property's condition, such as requiring the seller to provide the property in professionally clean condition at closing, or ensuring the maintenance and servicing of home systems, such as requiring the seller to have a professional clean and service the furnace prior to closing. These latter two requirements, apart from keeping the property appealing, also serve as a form of reassurance to the buyer who might have imperfect information about the home's condition.
To further reassure buyers, sellers may offer warranties and the option to purchase service contracts, which promise to fix or replace certain parts of the home within a specific time period. Clauses that emphasize property condition or maintenance obligations are examples of ways a broker can aid in providing transparency and security in real estate transactions.