Can a Winston-Salem buyer’s agent rely on the representations made by a listing agent?

Recently, a buyer agent was reprimanded because they failed to verify information about high-speed internet access that was advertised in the MLS by the listing agent.

Does that mean that buyer agents now have a duty to verify everything stated in an MLS listing?

ANSWER: It does not.

The general rule is that a buyer agent is not expected to personally verify the accuracy of information provided by the listing agent in most instances.

However, there are circumstances where a buyer agent is expected to verify information advertised by the listing agent.

First, the Commission states that if a buyer agent reasonably suspects that the information provided by the listing agent might be inaccurate

A second exception is where a client has identified something as being material to them - such as “we have to have a home with high speed internet”

There is a qualified exception when it comes to square footage. In most instances, a buyer agent may rely on the square footage from the listing agent, except in instances where an error in square footage should be obvious.