With this being said, the fear of being "tied" to all of these potential problems - definitely fosters hesitation and in many cases - no action.  

Thanks @Dave Foster.

He wasn't able to write new business but was doing a fine job taking care of his current customers.

Some think they do but they really don’t, they need a lot of guidance and hand-holding that the listing agent can’t provide them as a customer or a transaction broker. 

@Sai Kumar we work with a lot of real estate investors in FL and have good intel from customers on PMs with great performance and reasonable fees.

This is pretty bad customer support!

Every business looks at how they can increase what a customer spends.

You can create custom maps to mark areas of interest, track properties you're considering, and note key amenities like schools, shopping centers, and public transport.

It's an important distinction to make.You're right that passing on legitimate increased costs to customers is a normal business practice.

In real estate, a broker or a salesperson can be the agent of a seller or a buyer.Here’s a list of the fiduciary duties that an agent owes her client:Accounting: The agent must account for all funds entrusted to her and not commingle (combine) client/customer funds with her personal and/or business funds.Care: The agent must use all of her skills to the best of her ability on behalf of the client.Confidentiality: The agent must keep confidential any information given to her by her client, especially information that may be damaging to the client in a negotiation.Disclosure: The agent must disclose to the client any information she receives that may benefit the client’s position in a negotiation.Loyalty: The agent owes undivided loyalty to the client and puts the client’s interests above her own.Obedience: The agent must obey all lawful orders that the client gives her.