A Minnesota buyer contacts licensee Tom directly after seeing a for-sale-by-owner property. Tom agrees to assist the buyer in making an offer but tells the buyer he will not be representing him. Tom also contacts the seller to coordinate the transaction but tells the seller he is not representing her either. Tom has given both parties a written disclosure of his role. What agency role is Tom most likely performing?
Correct Answer
C) Facilitator, because he has disclosed he is not representing either party
Tom is acting as a facilitator under Minn. Stat. Ch. 82. He has disclosed in writing that he is not representing either party, which is the defining characteristic of the facilitator role. A facilitator assists both parties in completing a transaction without creating an agency relationship with either one.
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Related Topics & Key Terms
Key Terms:
Related Concepts
A practice where the agent or brokerage represents only one party in a transaction — either the buyer or the seller, but never both.
A relationship where a listing broker authorizes other brokers to act as agents of the seller, extending the seller's agency relationship to cooperating brokers.
A non-agency relationship where the broker facilitates a real estate transaction without representing either party, owing limited duties of honesty, fairness, and competence to both.
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