Are agents asking you to sign Buyer Agency Agreements before they will show you a home?
In the past, buyers could go see a home with an agent and not have to sign anything beforehand. Now though, it is the LAW that an agent must have a buyer sign a Buyer Agency Agreement BEFORE they can even show that buyer a home. This law changed about a month ago. This change in law is to protect the buyer. It ensures the buyer understands how their agent will be paid for their work: HOW MUCH their agent will be paid, WHEN their agent will be paid, and BY WHOM they will be paid – buyer or seller.
Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to sign a long agreement. If you are unfamiliar with the agency, you may be able to sign a shortened time frame of an agreement, or even a one time showing agreement for a particular home. This would allow you to get to know the agency and understand how their showing procedures work.
For instance, many agents work completely independently. Which means they are likely not going to be available every day and every working hour to show you a house if one hits the market. But if you have been waiting for just the right home to come available, you and your agent need to have a plan to be on standby to show quickly. You may be out of luck if your agent is on vacation, sick, or with their children at an event.
At Shannon Rollings Real Estate, we work as a team. We always have someone to cover for any of our agents if they are on vacation or just simply unavailable so you don’t miss out on the home. If your agent is unavailable, someone is on standby ready to cover for that agent to assist their clients. When you sign a buyer agency agreement with our company, you get access to the WHOLE TEAM…not just one agent! This ensures you get to see homes when you need to see homes.
I hope this video helps you understand the need to sign a Buyer Agency Agreement. If you have questions about this topic or anything else, give me a call or send me an email. And remember, if you’re wanting to buy or sell, my team and I are on standby, 7 days a week, ready to help you take the smoother road to sold.