Michigan Real Estate Agency Relationships

The subject of real estate agency relationships is confusing and often misunderstood, even by many real estate licensees themselves. Fellow National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (NAEBA) Member Jon Boyd of The Home Buyer's Agent in Ann Arbor has produced an informative video explaining the six different types of services available to homebuyers in Michigan, including seller agency, buyer agency, exclusive buyer agency, dual agency, designated buyer agency, and transaction brokerage.

Six different bypes of services available to homebuyers from real estate licensees in Michigan? No wonder consumers are confused! Are you familiar with the Syms clothing store slogan, "An educated consumer is our best customer"? Unfortunately, uneducated customers are far more profitable for the entrenched real estate establishment. I challenge the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the Michigan Association of Realtors (MAR) to do something, anything, to help educate the public when it comes to choices regarding real estate agency relationships.

Unfortunately, instead of trying to educate and inform consumers, MAR has been scrambling to try and enact minimum agency services legislation in Michigan under the guise of "consumer protection". This anti-consumer, anti-competitive legislation is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to keep flat-fee or discount brokers off of the MLS. Shame, shame, shame!