Working with Buyers is one of the most rewarding aspects of our jobs as REALTORS®. We get to help individuals and families every day with one of the basic elements of the American Dream. We take great pride in assisting people to find their dream homes, invest in their future and build wealth through wise real estate decisions.
Working with a REALTOR® is always in your best interest when searching for a home. Sure, with today's technology, you can do limitless searches on the Internet on your own for homes in the area where you want to live. But finding a home is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to buying a home and the Internet, magazines and newspapers only offer limited information and really require the expertise of a licensed professional to get to the heart of the matter and protect your interests during the remainder of the process.
Working with a REALTOR® from the beginning of your search can provide you with focus, direction and sound advice to ensure your home search is conducted in an effective and efficient manner.
Thanks to BRRETA, Brokerage Relationships in Real Estate Transactions Act, passed by the Georgia Legislature in 1993 and effective January 1, 1994, our state clearly defines the role of Agent/Broker in a brokerage relationship with a client or customer.
In the past, all real estate agents essentially represented the Seller and was responsible for working on behalf of the Seller's best interests, regardless of who actually had the signed listing agreement with any particular Seller. This left Buyers completely in the cold, fending for themselves, often feeling like they had been taken for a ride.
Today, thanks to BRRETA, a real estate agent ONLY represents a client with a signed representation contract, either in the form of a Listing Agreement with the Seller or a Buyer's Representation contract with the Buyer. This means that a Buyer can seek representation from a real estate agent and be guaranteed that that agent is obligated only to that Buyer and no one else...be careful of Dual Agency (talk to us for more information on this!)
What's the difference between a client and a customer? According to BRRETA, a client is one who engages a Broker/Agent to assist them in their homebuying process. As a client, they have the right to a higher level of services from their real estate professional.
A real estate agent is obligated to offer a customer only honesty, fairness, accounting and reasonable skill and care. In this capacity, an agent can perform ministerial acts only, such as showing property, completing contracts and referring the customer to other resources to help them complete their transaction. The agent cannot offer any advice to a customer, cannot guarantee confidentiality, does not have to provide full-disclosure.
As a client, however, an agent can advise the Buyer throughout the homebuying process, assist with negotiations, offer full-disclosure of any material information, keep all information confidential, obey all legal instructions, and always act in the client's best interest above all else.
For more information on Client-vs-Customer services, please talk to your REALTOR® or contact any of our licensed professionals to assist you further.
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We are members of the Brunswick-Glynn Board of REALTORS®. This means that we have access to information on all properties for sales on the Multiple Listing Service and can show you any property inside the MLS. We never limit our searches to our own company listings. We can even help you if you're looking at a For Sale by Owner!
Call us and find out how it's in your best interest to have a client relationship with a REALTOR® even when working with a For Sale by Owner! |
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