Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123
In Florida, real estate agents can represent the buyer or the seller, but not both. Dual agents are illegal. An agent can be a transactional agent, but only with the written consent of the seller. As a seller, I would not provide this consent. That is the law. As a seller, all agents who show my house or receive part of the commission that I pay at closing would be representing me, the seller. If a buyer wants an agent to represent them, they would need to pay for that representation.
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And the way they get away with this, is that both "agents" are employees of the Villages Realty -- as is the listing service, the title company, and the bank that holds the escrow money. If you want to buy a VLS house, that's just the way it works. You walk into it under the assumption that the Villages is a respectable organization that would never engage in petty thievery, and you fork over an absurd deposit on that assumption. The problem is that the people involved are making a ridiculous percentage on the deal, and they know they hold all the cards. In our case, even the Sheriff's office was in on the act -- no, they didn't get a cut, but they sure as hell know who butters their bread in Sumter County. They literally refused arrest a thief I encountered in my own living room, stealing my TV, rather than get involved in a VLS transaction. I couldn't believe my ears.
We live in a company town. There are lots of benefits to that, or we wouldn't be here. It's by and large a well-run place, because of that fact. But the other side of it is, the moment you get between a VLS agent and his commission, you're on your own. I didn't get my chair, end table, or bedroom TV back. You won't get your window fixed. In the grand scheme, it's a pretty trivial complaint. Deal with it.