[Logo: Homes and Communities: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development]
[Vea la versión en español de esta página] [Contact Us] [Display the text version of this page] [Search/Index]
 

Housing
About Housing
Contact us
Keywords
 - Single Family
 - - Audience groups
 - - Buying a home
 - - Events & training
 - - FHA insured loans
 - - Common questions
 - - Housing counseling
 - - HUD homes/ REO
 - - Owning a home
 - - Reference guide
 - - Regulatory programs
Hospitals
Multifamily
GSE Regulatory Oversight
OAHP
Reading room
Online forums
Work online

HUD news

Homes

Resources

Communities

Working with HUD

Tools
Webcasts
Mailing lists
RSS Feeds
Help

[The U.S. government's official web portal]  

II. Buying and Financing a Home

 Information by State
 Esta página en español
 Print version
 

Disclaimer

A. Role of the Real Estate Broker

Frequently, the first person you consult about buying a home is a real estate agent or broker. Although real estate brokers provide helpful advice on many aspects of home buying, they may serve the interests of the seller, and not your interests as the buyer. The most common practice is for the seller to hire the broker to find someone who will be willing to buy the home on terms and conditions that are acceptable to the seller. Therefore, the real estate broker you are dealing with may also represent the seller. However, you can hire your own real estate broker, known as a buyer’s broker, to represent your interests. Also, in some states, agents and brokers are allowed to represent both buyer and seller.

Even if the real estate broker represents the seller, state real estate licensing laws usually require that the broker treat you fairly. If you have any questions concerning the behavior of an agent or broker, you should contact your State’s Real Estate Commission or licensing department.

Sometimes, the real estate broker will offer to help you obtain a mortgage loan. He or she may also recommend that you deal with a particular lender, title company, attorney or settlement/closing agent. You are not required to follow the real estate broker’s recommendation. You should compare the costs and services offered by other providers with those recommended by the real estate broker.

 
  Follow this link to go  Back to top   
----------
FOIA Privacy Web Policies and Important Links  Home [logo: Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity]
[Logo: HUD seal] U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street S.W., Washington, DC 20410
Telephone: (202) 708-1112   TTY: (202) 708-1455
Find the address of a HUD office near you