In an effort to save money on the price of a home a buyer might choose to contact the sellers listing agent on their own. The idea for the buyer behind this is that there is only one real estate agent involved in the transaction. The buyers school of thought is that this agent, the sellers agent didn’t have to do much to secure the buyer so this equates to lowering the price. Actually that’s the only thing the sellers agent will not have done for you as an unrepresented buyer. You will have found the house on your own. In a perfect world you may already be pre-qualified for a loan. There is a lot of paperwork and follow up involved in a real estate transaction.

What is an unrepresented buyer?  Unrepresented buyers are their own agent in that they have located the property on their own. Unrepresented buyers have not signed a buyers agency  contract with a real estate agent or possibly an attorney to find and  represent them in the purchase of a property.  Real estate agents are people who can locate properties based on the needs and desires of their clients. They provide specific information that can help a person in the process of finding and purchasing a  place to call home.

If you want to be an unrepresented buyer do not sign any buyer agency contracts with real estate agents when trying to see homes / properties for sale. Use the sellers listing agent. Most of the time the sellers will allow this. There are specifics in their listing contracts for them to represent buyers this way. Ask the listing agent when calling if they can work with unrepresented buyers on the listing.

Buyers, including unrepresented buyers have access to the internet and the means to review homes listed for sale them selves through various websites. The best site in Utah for accurate information on homes currently available for sale is Utahrealestate.com. You will need to sign up for property lists. Going through a reputable site such as this will help to avoid the circumstances of fraud which is sadly rampant in todays world.

Listing agents are required to treat unrepresented buyers honestly and fairly. Listing agents have specific fiduciary duties to the seller. They are required to disclose all known information about the buyer in order to secure the best deal possible for the seller.  So unrepresented buyers need to be very careful with what information they share with the sellers agent if they are going this route. It should be noted that the  sellers agent is required to tell all known material information / facts about a property that would impact the price of a home. You as a buyer are also entitled to any home inspections you desire to help determine the condition of the home and support / validate your purchase of the property. These should be done within a a set reasonable amount of time.

There is a lot of paperwork and forms to sign in the purchase of a home.  Ask the agent whether it is your hired agent or you are an unrepresented buyer to review all the paperwork / forms before signing anything. Click here to review our Utah buyer forms.

Some sellers may want to sell their homes on their own. The National Association of Realtors has said that in 2025 only 5% of the sales nationally were actually for sale by owners. If you are trying to do this as a buyer you are limiting the properties you can look at. Plus with the amount of fraud / fake property listing available you could be setting yourself up for big trouble.  People have lost a lot putting down money  on fake properties, providing their banking information to criminals.

Typically most real estate agents deal mainly with the purchasing and listing properties for sale. Renting involves using leasing agents or owners who may not have real estate licenses.  There are steps you can take to prevent yourself from fruad when trying to rent. This information applies mainly to the purchase of homes.

by Teresa Larson,  Village Real Estate,
Salt Lake City, Utah Metro area
30+ years real estate experience
(801) 750-5446

©Teresa O Larson PC, 2026