Not specifically a Dad questions but just looking for some advice really.

Myself and my Wife are soon to be in  a position to buy a house.  We've found one we like.  Lucky us, most would say.  We viewed the house in question and the owners want to make a private sale between ourselves and them without the use of a realtor.  OK, so far.

The only problem is that we previously viewed the house with their former realtor at the end of august last year.  At the time we didn't consider the house as it is definately a fixer-upper.  However, since then our priorities have changed.  We temporarily moved to Canada for few years.  Now we want to stay permenantly and fixing a place up over the next few years won't be a problem for us.  The house is liveable, in a terrific area and less than a minutes walk to a very, very good school.  Lots of similarily aged kids to our own and we already know a number of the residents due to my wife's job.

The owners de-listed their home from their realtor well before Christmas and legally no one owes the former realtor any financial obligations.  The problem comes with the fact that I've become well acquainted with the realtor in a friendly-client sort of way.  Off to hockey games, beers in pub, that sort of thing.  He's also shown us around a number of other properties and we've gotten to know him quite well.  However, the sellers are quite happy to cut their former realtor out of the loop.

To compound the problem - the realtors home,  the sellers new home and the house for sale are all crowded around a four way stop in a small town in western Canada.  We could all become neighbours sometime later this year.

Legally we would be doing nothing wrong.  However, it does feel like I'd be cheating the realtor out of his commission.  Financially, it make sense to be mercenary but...

Any advice would be much appreciated.