[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by gomoho

Bonanza - I think the difference is in some states i.e. North Carolina we act as a buyer's agent and have a fiduciary responsibility to our client. I was very surprised when we came to Florida and my REALTOR said they didn't have buyer's agency in this state. Still basically operating on a "buyer beware" philosophy.

Thank you for your comment. To explain further . . .

Yes, we DO have buyer's agency in this state. Was your sales person an agent or a Realtor?
I find that many Villages' agents have never worked for an MLS office and are not Realtors, so they do not abide by the Code of Ethics that Realtors must follow.
They have never worked under the structure of National Assn. of Realtors and have no clue what it's like to work in a general real estate office. They also do not compensate or cooperate with outside brokers in any way whatsoever.

Being a buyer's agent in Florida is a choice of a broker for their office, or an individual agent with a broker's permission, I assume.
I'm not really sure because I have never worked as one.

Everyone in my office is/was a transaction agent (Realtor) which is what you will find the majority of in Florida.
As a transaction agent we must treat the buyer and seller as equals with a fiduciary relationship to both.
That may surprise you if you've never been in that position, but in Florida, it has worked out well.