Dual Agent

Dual agency is when a single agent, or sometimes one brokerage, represents both the buyer and the seller in the same transaction. It usually comes up when a buyer wants to purchase a home that the same agent has listed. Because the two sides have opposite goals on price, a dual agent cannot fully advocate for either party the way a buyer's agent or listing agent normally would. For that reason, dual agency requires written disclosure and the informed consent of both parties before it can proceed, and the agent must stay neutral, keep each side's confidential information private, and not advise one party against the other. Rules vary by state, so ask how it is handled in Rhode Island or Massachusetts before agreeing.