Who is considered a customer in real estate practice?

In real estate practice, a customer is defined as a party not represented by an agent. This distinction is important because it differentiates between clients and customers in the context of agency relationships. A client is someone who has engaged an agent to represent their interests, whereas a customer is an individual who may be looking to buy or sell property but has not entered into a formal agency agreement with an agent.

In practice, this means that a customer may seek assistance from a real estate professional, but the professional has a fiduciary responsibility only to their client. Therefore, the real estate agent must treat the customer fairly and honestly but is not obligated to represent them in the same capacity as a client. This understanding is crucial for real estate professionals when engaging with various parties in a transaction and ensures they uphold the duties owed to their clients while also providing a basic level of service to customers.