Posted by John Merchant on May 11, 2007 at 09:17:18:
BTI is dead right here.
While your REA might want you to think you must go through him/her, as a non-licensee (if you have no written contract with your REA) you have NO legal obligation to do so and can knock on any door, talk to any seller or other REA just as you choose…you can do most anything you want to make contact with a seller, even if your only knowledge about a property is from an agent’s signage in front of the house.
Your REA could not do this as he/she must go through the listing agent and he/she has no such right to just call or knock on the door of the seller…if the MLS listing says any REA wanting to show the house must call the listing agent first, his/failure to do so might cost him/her a hefty fine or license suspension or worse.
Now, of course, if you do learn about a house for sale from such a sign, and know the house is listed with some REA, and you were then to do a purchase of it, the seller would owe the REA a commission.
And beating the REA out of his commission is not something you want to participate (collaborate?) in, as when (not if, but when) that REA learns you did buy it and he didn’t get paid, he’ll SUE YOU along with that dishonest seller.