I am a realtor who has a buyer that wants to lease to own one of my listings, so duel agency. Curious....How and when do I get paid? They would put 5 - 10 % down which in this case would be 11000 or 22000. Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

It's not "Dual (or duel!) Agency" UNLESS you also have a Buyer Representation Agreement with that particular Buyer.


It depends on how you write it up. Personally, I'd grab for all of the Commission being taken out of the Down Payment at Closing . . . . but many Lessor/Sellers object to that.

One technique I've used successfully, is to take a few thousand dollars out of the Down Payment, and then have the 1st year's rent payable to me instead of the Seller. That gives me the opportunity to make sure that the Lessee/Buyer gets off on the right foot and develops good payment habits that 1st year.

It also gives me an opportunity to earn that remaining Commission, and deliver a good Lessee to the Seller after the first 12 months . . . . a Lessee/Buyer who has a history of paying.

If they screw up during the 1st 12 months (and some will), I'm still in the mix . . . . and can try to pull the deal back together; or set things in motion early to find a replacement Buyer.

And save the "Duel Agency" for those really adversarial relationships !

You may find the article titled "Lease Options are Back: Proceed Carefully" by Bob Hunt of interest at the following website.

http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20070913_leaseoptions.htm