It is common practice in the real estate industry, and has been since the beginning of time, for your agent to assist you outside of their area of expertise or geographic service area.

Let’s say you ask an agent to come to sell your house in Seattle.  They ask where you are moving, and you say California.  They offer to have an agent contact you in that area.  You thank them.  You just spent $6,750 if you buy a house in California, using the agent that contacted you, for a home purchase of $900,000.00.  The Seattle Agent who talked to you about this will get $6,750 when you close on your home in California, EVEN IF you never hire that agent to sell your house here in Seattle.

OK, I’ll stop shouting.  The same agents who will scream “disclose, disclose, disclose” when it covers their butt if you do, will not disclose referral fees and ASK your permission to SPEND YOUR MONEY!  Oops shouting again.  Sorry, this topic just freaks me out.  I better go chill.