CntryBoy777 - The Lazy A** Acres Adventures

Senile_Texas_Aggie

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But, a different licensed agent at a desk right across the room from the buyer's agent can represent the seller...all within the same real estate company. (in Texas anyway)

Mr. @greybeard is right -- at least in Texas, one agent can represent the buyer and one can represent the seller and they both work in the same real estate office. The fiduciary responsibility still applies to both. The broker of the office must then remain neutral. Realistically, both agents want the transaction to go through -- that is how both normally get paid -- so they will work to make both parties happy. But the buyer's representative cannot divulge to the seller's representative something like the buyers' financial position (assets, income, etc.) without the buyers' permission. Neither can the sellers' agent divulge to the buyers' agent the financial position of the sellers, such as that the sellers are desperate to sell, without the sellers' permission.

That is why I strongly encourage folks working with a real estate agent to sign a buyer's representation agreement. She then becomes a fiduciary to the buyers and is legally accountable to hold the buyers' best interest at heart. An example of the benefit of signing such an agreement is that the buyers can ask the agent to provide a history of the property, such as how many times it has been listed for sale, when, etc., from the MLS service of which she will most likely be a member. (Of course, nowadays many web sites such as Zillow can sometimes provide this information as well.) When we bought our house in Texas in 2000, I wasn't a licensed real estate agent at the time, and after we bought the house I learned that the sellers had listed it with a previous agent and it had not sold, and had listed it with a new agent only 6 days prior to when we first looked at it. Had known that at the time, then we have been able to negotiate a better price.

Sorry to go on and on like this, @CntryBoy777, but I happened to think about this and thought I ought to advise you to seek out a real estate agent who would represent you, not the seller.

Senile Texas Aggie
 

B&B Happy goats

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How did y’all fare with the stormy weather yesterday/overnight? I saw on the news, there was some wind damage in central Florida. I hope you and @B&B Happy goats are okay! :hugs


Ok here, lost power for awhile but that happens often, some branches down...heard a transformer blow somewhere, but we had power...alls good in our hood !
 

Bruce

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She then becomes a fiduciary to the buyers and is legally accountable to hold the buyers' best interest at heart.
Yep. Here if you just snag a RE agent and have them show you houses they are representing the seller even if they have never met the person. A buyer's broker legally represents the buyer, not the seller. The former case has no reason to get the best price for the buyer, just a sale so they get their commission. In fact, a higher selling price is to their advantage, more commission money.
 

greybeard

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Yep. Here if you just snag a RE agent and have them show you houses they are representing the seller even if they have never met the person. A buyer's broker legally represents the buyer, not the seller. The former case has no reason to get the best price for the buyer, just a sale so they get their commission. In fact, a higher selling price is to their advantage, more commission money.
That's the difference between being a realtor's walk-in customer vs being a client of the realtor. Since there is no contract (yet) that agent has no privacy obligation regarding anything you may tell them about yourself either.
 
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