Definition of "Dual listing"

Danny  Skelly  real estate agent

Written by

Danny Skelly elite badge icon

Orson Hill Realty

When you sign a Listing Agreement with a real estate broker or agent, he or she has a fiduciary responsibility to represent your interests exclusively. However, should another client of the real estate broker or agent want to make an offer on your house, the agent/broker would then find himself in a Dual Listing.

But how can he do his/her job of representing my interests exclusively if the home buyer is also his/her client? you ask.

Well, he can’t. Only if you (and the home buyer) agree so. A dual listing occurring without the knowledge of both the home seller and the home buyer violates the principal fiduciary relationship and therefore is illegal. So, whenever an agent/broker notices this conflict of interests happening, the first thing he/she needs to do is warn both clients. If both of them aren’t bothered by that… then game on!

Real Estate Secrets:

Dual Listing is yet another Listing Agreement ramification. Check out others like Net Listings, Open Listings, Option Listing and much more in our Glossary terms.

If that feels too advanced for you, go back to basics and try our Listings 101: What you need to know when you hire a Real Estate Agent or a Broker blog post.

Want no such thing? We’ll give you the TL;DR version: find a real estate agent and let him/her do all the heavy lifting.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Taken out on property to replace or repair it if it malfunctions. It covers parts and/or service. An example is a warranty a homeowner takes out on a stove, refrigerator, or dishwasher. It ...

Same as term trust; An agreement in which the trustee takes title of the property ( called corpus) owned by the grantor (donor) to protect or conserve it for either the grantor or the ...

Geographic area that is attractive to prospective tenants. Square footage in an office building or apartment house that may be rented by a tenant. ...

City apartment building that is overcrowded, poorly constructed or maintained, and generally part of a slum. In law, a tenement also refers to possessions of an individual that are ...

(1) Written statement by a responsible individual or entity of the correctness and reliability of something. (2) Written permission to do something, such as receiving a real estate ...

If you’re an owner of a property that needs to be accounted for in your return on investment or used to calculate your capital gains and losses, then the cost basis will help you ...

Land and any existing tenements that are part of a conveyance. For example, upon closing a real estate sale. The seller deeds the premises to the purchaser. ...

The accelerated cost recovery system is a depreciation system for tax purposes mandated by the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981. In 1986 the Accelerated Cost Recovery System (ACRS) was ...

Number of small holes in a wall allowing water to drain from it. This makes the walls able to withstand water pressure. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions