This should go without saying but we still receive many real estate E&O insurance claims revolving around conflicts of interest. Always be mindful of, and avoid at all costs, actual or potential conflicts of interest. You have a fiduciary duty to your client. Courts have held that a seller’s agent has a fiduciary duty to act with utmost good faith, fidelity, and loyalty in all dealings with the seller. There is no quicker way to embroil yourself in a lawsuit or grievance than acting in your own best interest to the detriment of your client (or in one client’s best interest to the detriment of another client’s interests).
Sometimes, the appearance of a conflict of interest is enough to instigate an adverse action. Thus, it is necessary to be vigilant about any potential conflicts which may arise and tell your client immediately in the event a conflict of interest arises. If the conflict of interest cannot be waived, withdraw promptly in the manner least detrimental to your client.
*McCune, Daniel R., Perdue, Kimberly and Charlton-Perrin, Gawain, “Top Ten Tips for Real Estate Agents to Avoid Getting Sued,” Hanover Insurance Group, August 2016.