A general agent is authorized to represent the principal in a broad range of matters related to a specific business or activity. In this scenario, the broker is empowered to perform a continuous series of acts, including advertising, leasing, and overall management of multiple properties. This ongoing and broad authority within the specific business of property management is the hallmark of a general agency relationship. The authority is not limited to a single transaction but encompasses all aspects of managing the properties for a period.

A. special agent: A special agent is authorized to perform only a specific act or transaction, such as finding a buyer for a single property, not ongoing management duties.

C. universal agent: A universal agent has the authority to transact all business of any kind for the principal, typically granted through a broad power of attorney, which is not the case here.

D. ostensible agent: This refers to an agency created by the principal's conduct that leads a third party to believe an agency exists, not the scope of authority in an established relationship.

1. North Carolina Real Estate Commission. (2023-2024). North Carolina Real Estate Manual. Chapter 8, "Basic Agency Relationships and Duties," Section: "Types of Agency Authority," pp. 8-5 to 8-6. The manual defines a general agent as one authorized to represent the principal in a broad range of matters, citing a property manager as a prime example.

2. Jennings, M. M. (2017). Real Estate Law (11th ed.). Cengage Learning. Chapter 5, "The Agency Relationship in Real Estate," Section 5-2b, "General Agent." This university-level textbook states, "A general agent is one who has broad authority to act for the principal in a series of transactions... Property managers are general agents for the owners."

3. Brown, G. R., & Bierschbach, R. A. (2020). Agency. In Examples & Explanations for The Law of Agency, Partnership, and Limited Liability Companies (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer. Chapter 2, "Actual Authority," pp. 15-16. This legal education text distinguishes between special agents (authorized for a single transaction) and general agents (authorized for a series of transactions over a period of time).