I received another call yesterday from a frustrated home buyer.
This young man had been working with a real estate agent from one of the big five firms here and he really felt he wasn’t getting his questions answered. He wasn’t even sure he knew what questions he should be asking.
He did make sure to tell me he didn’t have any written agreement with her so he wanted me to know he didn’t have an obligation. I found that interesting because he told me she was being his “buyer agent.”
Here is the thing:
The big offices in our market don’t allow buyer agency. They only offer dual/designated agency services.
And they can’t be designated buyer agents without a written contract.
So he was told she was “on his side” but she wasn’t. In fact she was being a seller’s agent or a dual agent every step of the way.
Did the agent even know the difference?
It doesn’t matter, the broker should know the difference. And some brokerages in our market seem to routinely ignore the legal requirements to the peril of the consumer. And our local association and our state association seem to even encourage this behavior.
That is unfortunate, but at least in this one case, the buyer will now be helped by the Ann Arbor real estate company who will treat them honestly and advocate in their best interests.
If you are looking to buy a home and you want a real estate company that will always be on your side, in your corner, and looking out for you, call us.
734-662-6240
Jon Boyd Broker/Manager
The Home Buyer’s Agent of Ann Arbor, Inc.
1908 W. Stadium Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
We serve the Ann Arbor – Brighton – Plymouth – Novi – Canton – Ypsilanti areas in Southeastern Michigan.
And we can guarantee that you will never be stuck with designated agency, dual agency, or non-agency.