Form Guide

1. Available Forms Overview

Realform ships with two VIC-compliant selling agency authority forms. Both are formatted to the ADL (Australian Document Library) specification and are legally recognised for Victorian property transactions. Each form includes pre-configured fields for auto-fill, signature placement, and commission calculations.

Exclusive Selling Agency Authority AUVICREPS001

The standard form when your agency is appointed as the sole agent for the sale of a property. Under this agreement, only your agency is entitled to commission if the property sells during the authority period — regardless of who introduces the buyer.

Sole selling rights granted to your agency
Fixed commission structure with defined fee percentages
Marketing and advertising cost breakdown
GST calculated on commission and fees automatically
Agent details, property address, and vendor information
Signature fields for vendor(s) and agent

General Selling Agency Authority AUVICREPS003

Used when the vendor engages your agency on a non-exclusive basis. The vendor may appoint multiple agencies, and commission is only payable to the agency that secures the buyer. Best suited for vendors who prefer to cast a wider net or who may sell the property privately.

Non-exclusive — vendor can engage multiple agencies
Commission only earned by the agency that introduces the buyer
Vendor may sell privately without owing commission
Full GST and fee breakdown included
Same field types as the Exclusive form with adjusted terms
Signature fields for vendor(s) and agent

2. When to Use Each Form Type

Exclusive Authority — recommended for most listings

Use the Exclusive Selling Agency Authority when you've secured a listing and want certainty that your agency will earn commission. This is the standard arrangement across Victorian agencies. It gives your agency confidence to invest in marketing, photography, and open for inspections knowing your commission is protected.

General Authority — for high-net-worth or multi-agency situations

Choose the General Selling Agency Authority when:

The vendor specifically requests a non-exclusive arrangement
The property is unique or niche and the vendor wants multiple agencies marketing it
The vendor is considering private sale and wants to keep options open
You're confident your agency's marketing will still attract the buyer despite competition

Tip: Most agencies default to the Exclusive form. If a vendor pushes back, explain that an exclusive appointment allows you to invest more in their property's marketing campaign. Switch to the General form only when both parties agree it's the right approach.

3. Field Types Explained

Realform supports a range of field types designed for real estate forms. Each field type behaves differently during filling and signing.

Text Type: input

Free-form text entry. Used for names, addresses, descriptions, and any other alphanumeric content. Supports multi-line where needed.

Number Type: input

Numeric-only fields for quantities, area sizes, number of bedrooms, days on market, and other whole or decimal numbers.

Currency Type: input

Dollar-amount fields with automatic formatting. Includes commission amounts, fees, marketing costs, and total payable values. Always prefixed with "$" and formatted to 2 decimal places.

Date Type: input

Calendar-based date picker. Used for authority start/end dates, signature dates, and other time-sensitive fields. Format follows Australian standard (DD/MM/YYYY).

Select Type: dropdown

Dropdown menu with predefined options. Used for property type (house, apartment, land), GST treatment (inclusive/exclusive), and other constrained choices.

Signature Type: draw/type

Signature capture fields. Signers can draw their signature with a mouse/finger, type a stylised version, or upload an image of their signature. Each signature is bound to the signer's verified identity.

Calculated Type: auto

Read-only fields computed from other values. Examples include GST amounts (10% of commission), total fees (commission + marketing), and pro-rata adjustments. These update in real-time as source fields change.

Checkbox Type: toggle

Binary yes/no fields. Used for optional inclusions, consent checkboxes, and terms acceptance. When checked, can reveal or hide additional sections of the form.

4. Auto-Calculated Fields

One of Realform's most powerful features is automatic field calculation. Enter a commission rate and sale price — the system computes totals, GST, and net amounts instantly. No spreadsheets, no manual math, no errors.

GST Calculation

Any dollar amount entered in a commission or fee field automatically has its GST component calculated and displayed. The system uses the standard Australian GST rate of 10%.

Base amount (excl. GST): the entered value
GST: base amount × 10%
Total (incl. GST): base amount + GST

Example: Commission of $15,000 → GST = $1,500 → Total = $16,500

Commission Formulas

Realform supports multiple commission calculation methods, configurable per form template:

Fixed percentage — e.g., 2.5% of the sale price
Fixed fee — e.g., a flat $10,000 commission
Tiered / sliding scale — different rates for different price brackets
Minimum guarantee — the greater of a percentage or a minimum floor amount

When a commission type is selected, the form automatically populates the calculated amount in the commission field. Changes to the sale price instantly recalculate all dependent fields.

Marketing & Advertising Fee Breakdown

Forms include line items for marketing costs (photography, copywriting, listing portals, signboard, open for inspection materials). Each cost entry is a currency field with automatic GST calculation. A Total Marketing field sums all line items (incl. GST) for a complete picture.

Why This Matters

Incorrect GST calculations on authority forms are a common source of compliance risk. Realform eliminates this by computing every value consistently from a single source of truth. The audit trail also records the calculation inputs and outputs, providing full transparency.

5. Multi-Page Form Support

Both the Exclusive and General Authority forms span multiple pages. Realform handles multi-page documents seamlessly.

Page Navigation

When viewing a multi-page form in the editor or signing interface, each page is displayed individually with clear page indicators (e.g., "Page 2 of 6"). Navigate forward and backward without losing field data.

Field Placement Across Pages

Fields can be positioned on any page of the form. The field editor shows a page selector so you can choose which page to work on. Common patterns:

Page 1: Agency and property details, vendor information
Pages 2-3: Commission structure, marketing fees, total payable
Page 4: Terms and conditions, special conditions
Page 5: Signature blocks for vendor(s)
Page 6: Agent signature and date

Field Continuity

A field defined on page 1 can still reference values from page 4. Calculated fields work across page boundaries — for example, a total on page 3 can sum values entered on pages 1 and 2.

Best Practice: Keep related fields together on the same page where possible. This reduces form-filling friction and makes the document easier for vendors to follow.

6. Signature Placement

Signature fields are a critical part of any authority form. Realform supports robust signature placement and capture.

Signature Field Types

Full signature — the signer's full name and signature drawn/typed
Initials — smaller field for initialling pages or amendments
Date signed — automatically populated with the date of signing
Witness signature — optional field for witness countersignature

Per-Form Signature Layout

Each form template comes with pre-placed signature fields. You can reposition them using the field positioning editor, or add new ones where needed.

Exclusive Authority (AUVICREPS001)

Pre-configured with:

1-2 vendor signature blocks (supports joint ownership)
1 agent / agency representative signature block
Date signed fields for each party

General Authority (AUVICREPS003)

Pre-configured with:

1-2 vendor signature blocks
1 agent signature block
Date signed fields for each party

Signature Identity Verification

When a signer receives a form, they verify their identity via a one-time passcode (OTP) sent to their email or phone. Once verified, their signature is cryptographically bound to their verified identity. This ensures the electronic signature is admissible under Australian law (Electronic Transactions Act).

7. Template Versioning

Form templates evolve — new regulations, updated fee structures, or improved layouts. Realform tracks every version of your templates so you never lose history.

How Versioning Works

Each template has a version number (e.g., v1, v2, v3)
When you create a new form from a template, it's locked to the current version at that moment
Existing in-progress forms continue using the version they were created with
Only new forms pick up the latest template version

Viewing Version History

From the template editor, you can view all previous versions, compare changes side-by-side, and roll back to an earlier version if needed. This is particularly useful for compliance audits where you need to confirm which version of a form was in use on a specific date.

Versioning Best Practices

Create a new version when regulations change (e.g., updated ADL specification)
Create a new version when your commission structure or fee schedule changes
Keep release notes for each version so your team knows what changed
Test new versions by sending a sample form to yourself before rolling out to clients

8. Custom PDF Upload Guide

Need to use a form that isn't in our standard library? Realform supports custom PDF uploads. Any properly formatted property form PDF can be turned into a fillable, signable template.

How to Upload a Custom PDF

Navigate to Templates → Upload PDF in your agency dashboard
Select a PDF file from your computer (must be a single file, not a zip)
Give your template a name and select the form type (if applicable)
The system will render the PDF and open the field positioning editor
Place fields on each page where information needs to be entered
Save the template — it's now available for use

PDF Requirements

File format: PDF only (no scanned images or Word docs)
Maximum file size: 20 MB
Page orientation: Portrait preferred (landscape supported)
No password protection or encryption
Text must be vector (not rasterised) for best field positioning accuracy

After Upload

Once uploaded, the PDF becomes a template just like the built-in forms. You can assign it to your team members, version it, and send it out for signing. Note that auto-calculations (like GST) need to be set up manually on custom forms using calculated fields.

9. Field Positioning Best Practices

Well-positioned fields make forms easy to fill and reduce errors. Follow these guidelines when placing fields on your templates.

Alignment & Whitespace

Left-align labels with their input fields for scannability
Keep consistent spacing between fields — aim for 8-12px vertical gap
Avoid overcrowding — if a page has more than 15-20 fields, consider splitting across pages
Group related fields (e.g., all vendor details, all commission fields) visually close together

Field Sizing

Text fields should be wide enough for the expected input (e.g., street address wider than suburb)
Currency fields standard width of 120px (accommodates $999,999.99)
Date fields compact (100px) since the format is fixed at DD/MM/YYYY
Signature fields need at least 250px × 80px for a comfortable signature

PDF Overlay Placement

When placing fields on a PDF background:

Line up with existing guide lines on the PDF where possible
Use the grid toggle in the editor to align fields precisely
Preview on multiple screen sizes — fields should align correctly on desktop and tablet
Check overlap — no field should overlap another or cover important text
Test with sample data — fill out the form with realistic values to verify positioning

Signature Placement Guidelines

Position signature fields on a dedicated signature page at the end of the document
Include a visible signature line for guidance — signers expect to see where to sign
Add "Sign here" or "Signature of Vendor" labels adjacent to the field
Allow adequate space for joint vendors to sign separately (don't crowd them)

Important: Always test your template by sending it to yourself before using it with a client. Verify that every field is reachable, readable, and positioned correctly across all pages and devices.

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