Agency Alternatives

A real estate transaction is fundamentally an alignment of opposing economic physics. The seller wants the absolute highest price, while the buyer seeks the lowest possible expenditure. Standing between these opposing forces are the real estate agents, bound by invisible but legally absolute threads of loyalty known as fiduciary duties. Understanding who holds the other end of that thread—who answers to whom, and who takes the fall when things go wrong—is the single most critical concept in New York real estate law.

The laws of agency are the mechanical gears of every real estate closing in New York. If you understand how these gears interlock, you can navigate any scenario, whether you are closing a $5,000,000 Manhattan penthouse or a $2,500-a-month lease in Queens.

New York real estate transactions apply the same principles of agency across entirely different asset scales, from multimillion-dollar Manhattan penthouses to modest borough leases.
New York real estate transactions apply the same principles of agency across entirely different asset scales, from multimillion-dollar Manhattan penthouses to modest borough leases.

Let us break down the architecture of representation.