Buying a home should not be scary for first time home buyers or others....

Long ago it was customary for all agents in a transaction to represent the sellers.

In Ohio at the first appointment you should be provided with an Agency Guide to Relationships by the real estate agent. It provides their brokerages agency policy. 

It is a disclosure.

If you contact the listing agent, you know of course that they are representing the seller.  No surprise there, right?  If you visit a builder the builders representative  is looking out for the builder's interest. 

You have the right to have someone respresent your interest in purchasing a home, that would be your "buyers agent."

You've got choices!  You can choose to not be represented in a transaction.  You can choose to work with the listing agent directly where the listing agent is a disclosed dual agent.  That is legal in Ohio.

The Frankenstein Monster here is representing buyer brokerage... the custom in the Columbus area has been since sometime in the early 1990's for many buyers to be represented in transactions... someone in the industry told me buyer brokerage started in our market in 1989.  I moved to Columbus from Dayton Ohio in 1990.... I remember the Columbus Board of Realtors (CBR) MLS (Multiple Listing Service)  information about  Buyer Brokerage and the Dayton Area Board of Realtors MLS did not yet.

The Polaroid photo was created for an agent to agent kind of post on ActiveRain, the Real Estate Network, When were buyers agents created in your market? real estate is local.   Customs vary by market.  Real estate laws vary by state.

More about buying a home

No Time To Waste On Short Sales Buy Something You Can Close in 30 Days

Buying a home; It's about time

First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit - Income Limits

Maureen McCabe Real Living HER Worthington Office