If your realtor or real estate agent acted unethically or with misconduct and caused you to suffer damages, you may need a lawyer to file a lawsuit. Unethical real estate agents are opening themselves up to liability when their conduct crosses a legal line of negligence or fraud. When you buy a home in Maryland, you have an expectation and a right to honest and ethical services from your real estate agent. If that is not what you experienced, you should immediately contact a real estate lawyer at Whitney, LLP to exercise your legal rights.
Whitney, LLP’s real estate lawyers help home buyers bring claims and file lawsuits against dishonest and negligent home sellers, house flippers, real estate agents and termite inspection companies across Maryland. Our attorneys recover compensation for buyers to repair hidden damage and defects and for emotional distress. We offer legal consultations.
If you need a real estate lawyer near me to help with hidden damage, failure to disclose defects, negligence or fraud in the purchase of a house, call us at (410) 583-8000 or use our online Quick Contact form.
Click here to read reviews from our past clients, and click here to read about some of our past settlements and a jury verdict where we represented home buyers.
Real Estate Agents Have an Obligation to Act Ethically
Real estate agents cannot simply make it up as they go along when helping you buy a home. They have a code of ethics and laws that they must follow. Furthermore, as your agent, this person owes you a fiduciary duty. Dishonest or negligent conduct is not something that you would ever need to simply tolerate. Instead, you can file a lawsuit to recover any damages that you suffered due to an unethical real estate agent.
Ethics are not just a trait that is nice for your real estate agent to possess. When real estate agents break ethical rules, they can be punished for the behavior by the state’s licensing board. Of most importance to you is that you can file a civil lawsuit and seek compensation for damages their conduct caused.
Whitney, LLP’s lawyers represent home buyers, file lawsuits and sue unethical real estate agents.
Ethics Violations Can Be Grounds for Lawsuits
An experienced real estate attorney can help you prove that an unethical action or a real estate agent’s misconduct was actually a violation of the law or a professional standard. Common reasons for lawsuits against real estate agents include:
- Failure to disclose material facts about a property;
- Misrepresentation;
- Negligence;
- Breach of fiduciary duty; and
- Fraud.
A real estate fraud attorney will work with you to learn the exact facts of what your agent did during the buying process, and determine if their conduct was the result of your damages, and whether you can recover compensation for their actions.
Examples of Unethical Real Estate Agent Conduct
According to experienced real estate attorneys, some examples of unethical conduct that could entitle you to recover financial compensation include your agent:
- Failing to disclose to you that he or she was also representing the seller
- Brokering your transaction with another company in which he or she has an interest but not disclosing that fact
- Failing to tell you about certain defects in the home
- Not being fully honest with you about the negotiation process and the terms of the sale
Sometimes, unethical behavior happens even when you carefully select your real estate agent in advance. The vast majority of them take their code of conduct seriously, but some will seek a quick commission at the expense of their client. We are here to help you when those agents have taken advantage of you and violated your trust with wrong conduct.
Real Estate Lawyers Helping Clients Sue Unethical Agents
Whitney, LLP’s attorneys have experience helping home buyers fight back and recover compensation against unethical real estate agents.
If you were the victim of a dishonest seller, real estate agent or WDI/termite inspection company in Maryland, contact Whitney, LLP’s real estate lawyers at (410) 583-8000 or use our online Quick Contact form for your legal consultation.
We represent homebuyers throughout Maryland, including Baltimore, Columbia, Germantown, Silver Spring, Waldorf, Frederick, Ellicott City, Glen Burnie, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Bethesda, Dundalk, Towson, Bowie, Aspen Hill and Wheaton.