Mr. & Mrs. Buyer, your friend is giving you some bad advice . . . . . .

Mrs. Buyer, when we first met 3 weeks ago and you wanted to see a house my office has listed, you said you were not working with an agent. You liked the house and wanted your husband to see it. We chatted and I learned a lot about you and you said you wanted to work with me.

Yesterday your husband and a whole band of other people came to see the house. No problem, it's vacant and there is plenty of room for everyone.

You and your husband said you hoped that the seller would be "negotiable" on price. I let you know that a recent appraisal came in very close to the listed price and asked what you had in mind. You gave me a price that was $30,000 under the appraised value.

"Well, I'll write the offer and present it for you, but based on my discussions with the seller, that probably won't fly. But we can try it." Your friend now pipes in that you can get another realtor to negotiate your offer. Well, dear Seller's friend, you may have just hurt your friend's ability to get the price they are aiming for on this property.

In California, real estate professionals can engage in a dual agency role with buyers and sellers. We have a very limited scope of wiggle room when we're in that position -- there is a lot that we cannot say or do when we are dual agents -- that protects you in the process. If, Mr. & Mrs. Buyer, you decide to work with another office to write an offer, well, then I'm obligated to share everything I know about you with my seller -- I am now only representing the seller and you, Mr. & Mrs. Buyer, have just lost critical ground in the negotiation process.

Mr. & Mrs. Buyer, your friends are not licensed and educated in our profession. You trusted me to work with you when we started our business relationship -- unfortuantely we no longer have a business relationship. I'll work to get my seller the highest price possible for their property. And I have everything I need to make that happen for them.