Realty Times received a letter from a consumer asking if it is legal to use agents from separate companies to find the right home. "We think it would give us an advantage," the consumer wrote. Here's Realty Times' reply and more.

Hi Blanche,

We are about to start looking for a house to buy and are thinking of using two agents to help us. Is it legal to use two agents from two separate companies to help us find the right home? We think it would give us an advantage to have two persons working with us at the same time.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Andrea

Realty Times wrote back:

I'll give you the short answer.

Unless your agents belong to different MLS organizations, which cover different areas you are planning to choose between, it isn't fair to the agents. Only one will ultimately get to participate in your purchase. Agents have their time and expertise to give, but no one can afford to waste time in a competition they don't know they are in.

We live in "The Apprentice" culture, but real estate really doesn't work quite that way. The contestants on that show know the stakes and know every week they can be fired. But once a Realtor commits himself to you, he or she has the expectation that audition time is over and the job is theirs. They may turn down other potential clients or do other behind-the-scenes preparation in order to work with you. They can't be two places at once, so it stands to reason if an agent is working for you, she isn't working for someone else at that moment. That time can't be given back.

You can't keep it secret from agents that you've hired two people to do the job of one. Sooner or later, the cat will be out of the bag. They'll find out about each other and how much help do you think you'll get after that?

Using two agents can actually work against you. Let's say the agents agree to continue to compete for you. They may do so, but it's not likely they'll work any harder. If anything they will put you on the back burner. If a house comes up for sale before it goes into the MLS and your agent learns about it, do you think she'll tell you, or another buyer who is more loyal?

In other words, trust works both ways.

So, it doesn't matter whether or not the Realtors you are considering work for the same or different companies. If they are both members of the same MLS organization, they have access to the same housing information. It would then come down to which one is the best communicator, which one has the most hustle, and a few other qualities you'd like to work with. Those are things you can determine after an interview and an outing or two.

My question is why do you feel it would be an advantage to have two agents? I would really like to know your reasoning and if the real estate industry has something to learn from your answer, everyone will benefit.

"Andrea" didn't write back, but her questions poses a disturbing debate for the real estate industry - why isn't one agent enough?

Here are some possibilities:

• Andrea thinks one agent won't be interested in her for some reason. Maybe she's a first-time buyer who wants to buy a small property in a competitive market. A good Realtor doesn't think about the sale, but about the relationship. Someday, Andrea will move up, or buy a vacation property or investment property. Good service while there's not much money on the table will go a long way toward building a relationship that lasts.

• Andrea's worked with real estate agents before and didn't have a good experience. Realtors are required to have ethics training by the end of 2004, which should help eliminate some practices which upset buyers and sellers. If the real estate industry is to survive and thrive, it has to work harder to provide good experiences to buyers and sellers, because buyers become sellers one day, and sellers become buyers.

• Andrea is in a hurry to buy, and believes one agent won't move fast enough for her timeline. Even having several agents on tap doesn't assure that any would be available at Andrea's beck and call. Realtors can commit to a buyer through a buyer's representation agreement which provides for a stronger relationship with buyers.

• Andrea uses the word agent, but clearly doesn't connect with the meaning of the word. Is this the industry's fault that the word agent has been watered down? Clearly, Andrea wants someone working in her best interests, but the industry has not done a good job conveying to buyers like Andrea that they will get that level of service.

A solution is available. The industry needs to do a better job communicating with and serving buyers so they have the same expectations in relationships with Realtors that sellers do.