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Should I use the selling agent only to purchase a home, or should I get my own real estate agent to purchase?

I found a house that I want to put an offer in on. I talked to the listing agent, but I do not have an agent that I have selected. Is there any negatives to using the listing agent as my agent also? Are there any positives? It is a short sale home if that makes a difference.

Public Comments

1. Having the same agent represent a buyer and a seller creates a conflict of interest that usually favors the seller. Never put an offer on a house with your agent being the same person as the seller's agent. I made that mistake once and it was a very difficult transaction. The seller retained the agent first. So, the agent has a certain obligation to represent the seller's best interest over mine as a buyer with the same agent. And, there were a number of concessions that the agent convinced me to give up, contending that the seller would not let the deal go through unless those concessions were given. If I had my own agent, he would have seen that these requests by the seller were unreasonable and we would have had to negotiate more, which would have been to my advantage.