Dual agents are legally prevented from negotiating price or terms (two of the most important reasons consumers hire Realtors). And perhaps the biggest problem with this betrayal is that it usually presents itself with little warning to the client - it is a bait and switch. The broker could be acting in the client's best interests all the way up to finding the house that creates a dual agency. At that point the buyer or seller are on their own.

In a dual agency, brokers don't have to share the commission with other brokers so they make twice as much money. They profit greatly from this practice. Realtors, who typically have no understanding of the legal ramifications of their own fiduciary relationship with their clients, often illegally counsel their clients of the so-called "benefits" of dual agency. We're here to tell you that there are NO benefits and that you should NEVER agree to dual agency. Find a small brokerage firm with highly qualified real estate agents and demand that they not engage in dual agency. The likelihood of dual agency arising with a smaller firm is far less than with a large firm. For more on this topic click here.