Imagine a situation where Mark and Sarah are looking to buy their first home in Kingston. They meet a real estate agent, Lisa, who offers to help them find a home. Lisa is a member of the Jamaica MLS, which means she has access to many property listings, including one owned by John, a seller she’s also representing. John listed his home on the MLS, and Lisa is trying to help him sell it.
Now, Mark and Sarah really like John’s house and decide they want to make an offer. Here’s where the conflict of interest and dual agency problem arises. Lisa is representing both the buyers (Mark and Sarah) and the seller (John). On one hand, she’s supposed to help Mark and Sarah get the best price for the home, but on the other hand, she’s also trying to get John the most money for his sale. This creates a conflict because she can’t fully look out for both sides’ best interests at the same time.
In this case, dual agency means Lisa is acting as the agent for both the buyer and the seller in the same t…
