There is always some confusion as to how Realtors work for their clients. There are different types of representation.

The one you want is of course the “Single Party Broker”. This means that your Realtor is working only for you to get you the very best deal that they possibly can, with the law of course. Some Realtors always work as single party. Normally the only time that that would change is if the Realtor has both the seller and the buyer then the Realtor becomes a Transaction Broker. This means they are working to make the deal come together smoothly. Now of course there are differences in each state so please check with your local Real Estate Commission.

The Realtor working for sellers assists the sellers in marketing their property and selling it for the highest possible price under the best terms. When acting as a Buyer’s Agent with a signed agreement (or, in many cases, verbal agreement, although a broker may not be legally entitled to his commission unless the agreement is in writing), they assist buyers by helping them purchase property for the lowest possible price under the best terms. Without a signed agreement, brokers may assist buyers in the acquisition of property but still represent the seller and the seller’s interests. So it pays when you are a buyer to have a written agreement with your Realtor to assure that you’ll have the commitment and service you want.