Many buyers wonder if the listing agent of a home they are interested in will show the home to them. The answer is "yes", as the listing agent is obligated to show his or her client’s home. A listing agent is hired by the seller to work 100% for the seller’s best interests.  

Additionally some buyers wonder if they can save some money by going directly to that seller's agent to buy the home. On the surface, the thought of cutting out the "middleman (a buyer's agent)" may sound like a way to save time and money. While it may save time, the buyer will NOT save money on that specific purchase transaction.  

What many potential buyers DO NOT realize is that the buyer’s agent commission is determined by the seller. The listing-side AND buyer-side commission is set once a property is listed with an agent. The seller negotiates the total commission they will pay for the home to be sold which includes the portion to be paid to another "buyer's agent" if he/she represents the buyer in the transaction.  

Sharing of commission is called cooperating, or a co-op commission. This is a practice which is somewhat unique to the real estate industry, which actually encourages competing salespeople to cooperate and share commission to consummate transactions.  

If the listing agent also represents the buyer on the same transaction, he or she will get both sides of the commission. This means the agent will receive both the listing side of the commission and the buying side of the commission (also known as double-ending). In addition to the contractual obligation to the seller to show a prospective buyer the home, the listing agent also stands to experience an financial windfall from the prospective buyer.

If a buyer signs an exclusive agreement to work with the listing agent under dual agency capacity, he/she may be obligated to purchase the home through that agent. Additionally the listing agent will have a fiduciary duty to both the buyer and to the seller.