"Procuring cause" is a real estate term which agents, brokers and sometimes buyers use to determine who will receive the commission on a house sale. It is widely identified by the specific tasks performed by a real estate agent which lead to an accepted purchase contract and successful sale of real estate.  

In many cases, the "procuring cause" task could be identified as the first showing of a house by a real estate agent which a buyer purchases. "Procuring cause" could also be construed to mean the task of writing and negotiating the purchase offer. Since there is no hard and fast rule as to what specifically triggers "procuring cause", its easy to see how this situation can get tricky.

When you speak to an agent at an open house, call an agent for more information about a house, or ask an agent to show you a home, you might be opening a can of worms for yourself if you don't intend to buy a home through any of these agents. Don't make the mistake of leading an agent on, even unintentionally, because it can come back to bite you.

The real estate agent and brokerage who have a home listed for sale represent the seller and that person's best interests. The listing agent is contractually obligated to report to the seller all activity & material facts they learn about the local market and potential buyers. 

When you visit a public open house and an agent asks you to sign the "sign-in sheet" what should you say? What should you write down? What are the rules for who can represent you if you decide that the Open House is, in fact, your future Dream House? 

Many times the agent holding the open house states the seller is requiring a list of everyone who walked through the house as a measurement of interest and to get feedback on the price and condition of the property. Some agents state that their company policy, brokerage and/or seller require the list of visitors for security reasons in case something ends up missing from the house.  

While these are legitimate reasons, if you have ever provided your real contact information at an open house, you have probably experienced being contacted for something other than the explained reason. Most likely you were solicited to see if you wanted an agent to show you a different house or if you needed pre-approved for a mortgage.