Letter to a 'Listing Agent Only' buyer: by SMSmith

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Real Estate

Occasionally I run into a buyer who only wants to have the listing agent show them their properties. There are many problems with that and I will list a few in this blog.

As a full service REALTOR who has active listings, I have written the offer for 26% of the buyers who have purchased my listings. I happen to be very good at this process and have received great reviews from both buyers and sellers.

However, and that's a BIG HOWEVER, buyers need to be aware of some issues involved with a 'listing agent only' approach to house hunting.

The following is a sample of an email that I have sent to inform a 'listing agent only' buyer to be aware of the potential downside of this approach.

"I always encourage buyers to choose an agent with much experience in the area they are looking into. Reading their reviews and exploring their web presence is also a wise move. You want to share your wish list with an experienced Realtor who can guide you through the process, to write the offer for you and to get you to closing. Be cautious. We have many licensed Realtors with very little experience and a lack of understanding of the contract that you'll be signing to purchase a home.


Here's something else that you should understand about the rules of real estateWhoever shows you the property can sue for commission if you buy the property with a different agent writing the offer for you. With that said, my advice to you is be willing to be okay with the listing agent that is showing you the house you decide to buy OR pick one agent to show you all of the properties that you are considering - prior to viewing any of them.


One of the tough things about lining up a variety of properties in a day, each with different agents, is getting to the next appointment on time.  Many sellers struggle to prepare their home and leave for showings.  Please keep this in mind if it looks like you may be running late for a showing."

I hope that you will take this information to heart and find a REALTOR that you will trust to help you from your first thought of purchasing or selling through to the end of the day of closing. Hopefully by that time you've gained a trusted friend for life.

Steve Martin Smith is a Top 1% REALTOR who specializes in Residential New Construction and Resale in Sarasota County, including Venice and The West Villages.
SteveMartinHomes.com is the GO-TO Real Estate site for Sarasota, Charlotte and Manatee Counties.