Question:
“When my agent shows me homes, is she allowed to ask the seller what price they’ll take?”
Answer:
Nope.
It would be a clear violation of the Realtor® Code Of Ethics, Standard of Practice 16-13:
All dealings concerning property exclusively listed, or with buyer/tenants who are subject to an exclusive agreement shall be carried on with the client’s representative or broker, and not with the client, except with the consent of the client’s representative or broker or except where such dealings are initiated by the client.
A buyer’s agent is prohibited from asking a seller (whose home is listed) such questions or doing anything resembling negotiating directly with them.
This rule is often broken, so homesellers should be on guard for agents unethically trying to get them to share information that puts them at a disadvantage.
