Most  agents spend their days in pursuit of the real estate holy grail – double dipping or getting both sides of a sale, also called dual agency.

Dual Agency in Louisiana

I know that in some states, it’s considered dual agency if a buyer purchases a home listed by any agent that works for the same brokerage as their buyer’s agent. In other states, dual agency is flat out not allowed.

In Louisiana, it’s considered dual agency if one agent represents both the buyer and seller in the same transaction.

Why Crescent City Living Doesn’t Practice Dual Agency

Putting our client’s best interests first cannot happen if we are attempting to do the best thing for people on the opposite sides of a transaction. It’s kind of like hiring the same divorce attorney that represents your spouse – you shouldn’t do it. Now, there are buyers who think they will get a better deal if they use the listing agent instead of their own buyer’s agent. I’ll admit to being stumped as to why they think this, since the commission has already been agreed upon in the contract between the listing agent and the seller and most agents are not in the habit of cutting their paycheck just because you want to buy their listing.

There are also buyers who think that the listing agent has secret information that they won’t get if they use a buyer’s agent. The thing is, agents are required to disclose any material defects they know about on a property. And, they are also required to keep the seller’s confidential information (stuff like…maybe, I don’t know…their bottom line?) confidential. If it’s truly secret information and it’s not illegal to keep it a secret, you aren’t going to hear about it, no matter who your agent is.

Are there agents out there that can handle dual agency while being completely fair to both sides? It’s possible.

But do you want to risk the negotiation of your home being compromised? We don’t.