What is it?
The buyer’s agent in the transaction represents the buyer, and the listing agent represents the seller. In Washington, agents’ legally licensed title is Broker, while their managers are title Managing Broker or Designated Broker (depending on the brokerage’s structure). The agent has strict fiduciary responsibilities to their client as outlined by Washington State Law, including the Law of Agency and real estate laws. Most agents are also Realtors and must abide by the National Association of Realtors’ Code of Ethics, and attend 30 hours ethics training every other year.
Who is the Selling Agent?
If the terminology of agents wasn’t already confusing enough, you may hear the terms “Selling Agent” or “Selling Office". They are both actually the buyer’s agent, despite sounding like they would be the sellers agent. This is because the listing agent is considered to have listed the home, and the selling agent is considered to be selling the home to their buyer.