the agreement is for the developer or real estate office to promote/market the services of the mortgage or title company for a fee. with a marketing agreement in place, buyers will be the focus. the goal is to make the process of purchasing a home run smoothly and in a timely manner while remaining convenient for everyone involved. regardless of this, an msa can be created and structured to be in compliance with the real estate settlement procedures act (respa), which prohibits the exchanging, giving, or receiving anything of value for referring a settlement service. do be aware of respa’s allowance of payments for services performed by a broker only when the actual services have been performed and only if the fee charged for the services is the fair market value.