Having worked in the property industry all my working life, for...

Having worked in the property industry all my working life, for big and small, good and bad, I have no idea why I would trust my money to a real estate agent. People hate dealing with them for a very good reason. They are selfish. By their very nature, they are only interested in themselves. Ask an agent working for a listed real estate agent who they think their obligation is to, and I bet they won't say shareholders. Shareholders won't even be on their radar...