Summary: Appellate Division, 1st Department Case, discussing whether the absence of an agency disclosure from precludes a real estate agent from receiving her commission. The issue was side-stepped by the Court, which holds that a dual agency relationship didn't exist so we are left to speculate whether a commission could be earned if such a relationship had existed.
Advice: Get your agency disclosure forms signed on the first point of substantive contact because the question remains open whether you can collect a commission if you fail to get the disclosure completed. Additionally, its required by real estate license law to get an agency disclosure form completed; so to keep your license in good standing, you must get this done.
---
Case Analysis:
Claim: Real estate brokerage sought $70K brokerage commission.
Facts: Tretters, Mr. Tretter being an attorney, retained Douglas Elliman to sell their cooperative apartment. Douglas Elliman's agent, Lockwood, met prospective purchaser Zeitzer at an open house and showed approximately 5 other apartments to Zeitzer, her "customers". Zeitzer contracted to purchase Tretter's property. Contract price was $1.4 million with a 5% commission to the brokerage company. Sellers were solely responsible for the brokerage commission pursuant to the contract.
Finding of Fact: Lockwood did not act as a dual agent. While she had a signed exclusive agency agreement with the Tretters, she did not with the purchasers and she received no monies from them.
Dissent: There is an issue of fact whether Lockwood was a dual agent because Lockwood acknowledged in depositions that the was the "buyers' agent" among other facts such as their attorney referring to her as a dual agent.
As the Department of State says: Be Wary of Dual Agency
