sellinghomes

Your real estate agent has your back whether you're a buyer or a seller. Agents have what's known as a "fiduciary" responsibility to their clients. They legally obligated to put their clients' best interests first.

This duty imparts a very high standard for confidentiality. As a buyer, do you really, really want to turn over your most intimate financial details to a FSBO seller who's under no legal obligation to keep the information confidential? The same goes for turning any and all information over to the seller's agent, who has no fiduciary responsibility to you but only to the seller. Your selling homes own agent would know whether any information the other agent is requesting from you is reasonable.

You do have recourse if you're the buyer and the seller's agent has lied to you, misled you, or disclosed confidential information. You can report it to the agent's professional association, such as the National Association of Realtors. But again, this assumes that the seller has an agent. You'll have far fewer options if the property is FSBO.