Definition: Single agency means a real estate broker represents the buyer and cannot show the buyer properties listed by the broker's agency, without the buyer's express permission. In California, a brokerage operating under single agency with a buyer may or may not list real estate. In parts of the country where dual agency is not allowed, some brokerages operate as exclusive buyer agents and do not work with sellers at all.
Typically, under single agency, an agent represents one party. If that agent represents a buyer who wants to buy a property listed by that agent's broker, and if the buyer permits, then dual agency is entered. It is no longer considered single agency.
Examples: Under single agency, an agent may not show a co-agent's listing to a buyer if both agents are employed by the same broker without permission from the buyer.
