Instead, homebuyers usually end up with a Realtor as a result of answering an advertisement. The advertisement will give a brief summary of a home available for sale along with the price, but it says nothing at all about the Realtor. You see, there are listing agents and selling agents. They deal mostly with homebuyers. Buyer's agents sell the homes that are placed in the MLS by the listing agents.
Most agents concentrate primarily on one side or the other.
There are also agents who split their time equally between buyers and sellers. Often, these are the very best Realtors. If you call on an advertisement in a newspaper or one of those home selling magazines, you are most likely calling the listing agent. Listing agents place ads for several reasons. First, they need to show the seller that they are doing something to sell their home.