If you are looking to buy or sell a house, major changes took effect this weekend that will change the way you work with realtors before you even see a house because of a recent lawsuit.
Before, potential homeowners could call up any agent, say they’re interested in buying a home, and in minutes an agent could meet them and show them several homes.
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Now, as a result of the lawsuit, prospective buyers will have to sign on with an agent before they ever walk through the front door of a home.
A real estate broker with Round Table Realty, Howard Flaschen, told Action News Jax Shanila Kabir that’s because prospective homeowners have taken advantage of realtors for years, using their expertise and then turning around and deciding to buy a home without an agent.
He says that’s how homeowners believe they’ll save money. Realtors are left burned out and with no paycheck.
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Flaschen says this change will require homeowners to prove their loyalty to one real estate agent — and they can’t see homes without doing so.