Duties of the Sellers Agent

As you walk through an open house, it is natural to converse with the agent about your interests, what you like or dislike about the home, what areas you are interested in knowing more about, how long you have been looking, whether or not your current home is actively listed and perhaps even already under contract, what your desired close date is, and maybe even what you can afford.

If you and your agent were to later enter into a negotiation with this particular seller, it is the seller agent’s responsibility to share any information you told him or her that may help the seller’s negotiating position.

For example: Let’s say you have been waiting for a home on this particular street for a while and now here it is! You love it and your search is over. Doesn’t it make sense that the seller, knowing this, is less likely to be as negotiable?

It is for this reason that agents who are hosting open house are required to disclose to you when you enter the home that they are representing the seller’s interests. It is your right to also be represented and to keep confidential any information about your interests that you feel would harm your negotiating position.