Will the agent tell my spouse what I say?

Sale facts go to both

You're both my client. If you tell me something that affects the sale, like a leak you just found, a date you can't make or a reason you'd take a lower offer, your spouse is going to hear about it from me. A seller's agent owes the seller care, loyalty and disclosure of conflicts under ORS 696.805, and here the seller is both of you. I can't serve one co-owner by keeping the other in the dark about the house they own together.

So assume it's shared. That's the safe rule. If you're unsure whether something counts as a sale fact, ask me before you tell me, and I'll be honest about whether I'd have to pass it on.

What I won't carry

I won't pass along messages that aren't about the sale. If you want your spouse to know how you feel about the divorce, the kids or the furniture, that's for the two of you, your attorneys or a mediator. I also won't act as anyone's negotiator against the other. If you ask me to push your spouse to accept a price, I'll tell you I can't, and I'll offer to put the question to both of you in the same email. If something I hear sounds like it could become a legal issue, I'll suggest you raise it with your attorney before you raise it with me.

That isn't me being cold. It's the only way both of you can trust what I say. Your spouse gets the same treatment, so anything they try to route through me about you gets the same polite no.

What stays private

ORS 696.805 includes a confidentiality duty that lasts even after the agency ends. In practice, I don't share your situation with buyers, buyer's agents or anyone outside the sale, and the page on what to tell buyers about why you're selling explains how I keep that quiet. Between the two of you, though, the sale is an open book. Buyers don't need your story. Neither do the neighbors. If something is truly private and not about the house, tell your attorney. If you're not speaking at all, read can we communicate only through the agent for how updates still reach you both.