Luke Rummell

Exclusive Buyer Agents

Home Buyer Alert: Working with an exclusive buyer agent is the only way to make sure you're getting 100-percent dedicated, loyal representation.

All REALTORS are not created equal. This is not a value judgment or an assessment of character. It's simply an acknowledgement that there are different ways REALTORS can work with customers.

Most REALTORS are not in a good position to give effective real estate representation to home buyers. Again, this says nothing about conduct or intent. It's just recognizing that the type of relationship an agent has with a home buying client makes a big difference.

The best type of REALTOR to engage when buying a home? An exclusive buyer agent or EBA. Although rare and home buyers are free to engage any type of agency they choose (plus, finding a true EBA will take some diligence and probing questions), this is the only type of relationship that doesn't split the REALTOR's loyalties between home buyer and seller.

Muddying things up even more: An agency may not be a true EBA just because it says it will represent home buyers as well as sellers. But there is a way to tell when agents are stretching the truth. Thanks to the clear meaning of the word "exclusive," you don't have to work very hard to weed out agencies who ever list homes for sale. If they do, they may not fairly call themselves exclusive buyer agents.