We submit these pre-approval documents along with the offer. We want the seller to think the buyer walks on water. The seller knows that, 30 days down the road, the buyer won't back out because he can't qualify for the loan.

Procuring cause should simply go away. It's an antiquated system. Buyer agents should earn their fee according to the contractual agreements they enter into with buyers. We need to have honest, contractual agreements on both the buyer's side and the seller's side.

I have not heard anyone say, 'We began a chain of events because the client gave us information on the Web site,' but I can see that coming.

Procuring cause can take away from the income of an agent hired to do the work. Consumers should be aware of that. Consumers expect the person who does the work should be the one who gets paid.

The choice is to have it inspected or to buy a pig in a poke.