This applies to NC, but the same rule applies to all US states, although the verbiage may be different.
Starting August 1st, we MUST have a signed Buyers Agency Agreement with you before we open a door and show you a house. Right now, I can show you a house under a written or verbal agreement or without an agreement. Until we have an agreement, I am actually working for the seller. Regardless, I always have to have an agreement in writing before I can write an offer for you on a house. The new change will require a written and signed Buyers Agency Agreement BEFORE I can open a single door for you.
THIS IS THE PART THAT YOU, THE CONSUMER, NEED TO KNOW.
Buyers’ agency can be Exclusive (you only work with me), Non-Exclusive (you are working with me but are free to work with others), Exclusive for Specified Houses, Exclusive for an entire town, zipcode, County, Region, etc. or any combination of these types of agency. The term limit of that agency can last 5 minutes or up to several years. YOU dictate this. NOT the Real Estate Agent.
Many Real Estate Agents will see this as an opportunity to bind you to them for 6 months to a year. They may not do a good job of explaining this. You discover that this agent (agent #1) is a poor fit for you and go to another agent (agent #2) and purchase a house through them. Agent #2 asks you if you have a signed buyers agency with anyone and you say no, because don’t want to work with that person, didn’t realize what you were signing, thought it was just for that house, whatever. So agent #2 represents you in purchasing a house. Agent #1 finds out and sues you for a commission and sues agent #2 for interfering with their client. This actually happens. Agent #1 knows full well what they are doing.
Read contracts. Know what you are signing. Know that you have options and rights. Every buyers agency agreement in NC is exactly the same, with some blanks filled in differently. I am always happy to send you a copy to review. This is being done to protect the consumer, but there is also potential for a lot of abuse if not understood and face it, even a lot of real estate agents don’t understand this. Experience matters