Agency relationships with clients and customers

Traditionally, the broker provides a conventional full-service, commission-based brokerage relationship under a signed listing agreement with a seller or "buyer representation" agreement with a buyer, in most states thus creating under common law an agency relationship with fiduciary obligations. Some states also have statutes which define and control the nature of the representation. These are then clients of the broker.

Agency relationships in business ownership transactions involves the representation by a business broker (on behalf of a brokerage company) of the principal, whether that person or persons is a buyer or a seller. The principal broker (and his/her agents) then becomes the agent of the principal who is the broker’s client. The other party in the transaction who does not have an agency relationship with the broker is the brokers customer.