A real estate agent discovers that a property they are marketing has a significant structural defect that the vendor has not disclosed. Under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008, what must the agent do?

Option A: Continue marketing without disclosure as it's the vendor's responsibility

This is incorrect because it misunderstands the agent's independent professional obligations. While vendors have disclosure duties, agents cannot simply defer responsibility when they become aware of material defects. The Real Estate Agents Act 2008 creates specific duties for agents that cannot be avoided by claiming it's solely the vendor's responsibility.

Option B: Immediately withdraw the property from the market

Withdrawing the property is unnecessarily extreme and doesn't fulfill the agent's duty to promote all parties' interests. The Act requires disclosure of material facts, not withdrawal from marketing. This approach would harm the vendor's legitimate interests without serving the transparency objectives of the legislation.

Option D: Only disclose if specifically asked by a purchaser

This reactive approach fails to meet the proactive disclosure requirements under the Act. Agents must disclose material information regardless of whether purchasers specifically inquire about it. Waiting for specific questions about structural defects would breach the duty of care and could constitute misleading conduct by omission.