while shopping for a home. In addition, they will help you find a suitable level of financing. During the shopping-for-a-home period, you’ll probably meet with your agent for tours of homes in which you might be interested. They will give your insight into the floor plans, the home’s pertinent selling points, and the overall crime rate of that neighborhood. They will also give you the rundown for cultural activities, work centers, shopping centers, and schools nearby. Your agent is responsible for ensuring inspections of the homes are complete, as well as the disclosures therein. They’re also in charge of ensuring coordination and completion is done through the roof inspector, attorneys, lenders, and all other professionals involved with the purchase of the home. If bargains need to be made over the price, you won’t have to negotiate yourself. Your buyer’s agent will do that for you, along with signing the final closing documents. They will be present whenever documents you need to go through and sign any document. DUAL AGENCY: THE BASICS A “dual agency” relationship occurs when a buyer is being represented by a brokerage firm that controls the listing. Once an agent represents both the seller and the buyer within the same transaction, the situation is known as “dual agency.” In multiple states, this is illegal because of the conflicts of interest that can arise regarding the broker. All agents hold the same responsibility, which is to inform their clients of all potential risks that could arise due to conflicts of interest. Legally, agents are not allowed to work on both sides of any transaction without consent from the clients. For example, if you’re selling your home, and you don’t want an agent to be working with the buyer, it’s your right to say so in the listing agreement. This is also true for the buyers. A buyer can get out of a buyer’s agency agreement, but only if their agent has a listing in which the buyer is interested.
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