[Jim727]

Jim, I don't think you owe the realtor anything.

We were living in a condo after returning to the area, and a guest at a party said she loved the place andwould be interested in buying if we ever decide to sell. We asked if she was serious as we had actually been discussing moving into a house. Answer: Yes.

So far, so good. We have agreed on a price so my wife and I got a realtor to help us find our next home with a side agreement to pay him a flat fee to shepherd the paperwork on the condo. He was good with that and all was well in the galaxy. Next thing, the buyer shows up with a realtor who is angling for a commission.

Had the realtor contacted us initially as representative for the buyer we would have had no problem with that; however, it was clear that the realtor was a friend of the buyer and the buyer/realtor smelled a free-and-easy commission. I told the buyer that she could pay her realtor anything she wanted, but I had no relationship with the realtor and it would stay that way.

Sounds like you are in the same situation. Had the realtor contacted you initially and then brought the Does, or had the Does informed you that they had a realtor they were working with then you would have a reason to work through the realtor. That, however is not the case. In addition, the realtor's failure to mention that they were calling regarding a buyer with whom you had already developed a direct relationship indicates to me that the realtor deliberately withheld information for the purpose of getting you to accept a relationship. I consider that to be a dishonest introduction.

You have no way of knowing whether the buyer had a prior agreement with the realtor, but I think you were entitled to reasonable disclosure from the realtor which you didn't get. In my not-a-real-estate-professional opinion, you don't owe the reator a dime.