You don't have to sign on a dotted line to work with a buyer's agent, but most agents will want some sort of agreement between you before they put in any time. Remember, no money is due to the agent until the deal closes. The agent is paid a commission out of the proceeds of the sale.

If you have no contract, you are free to change agents at any time or even work with multiple agents. But agents aren't so crazy about having you work with several of them at the same time. Many buyer's agents won’t ask you to sign an exclusive contract; if they do, you could end up paying a commission, unless you condition any offers you place on a home on the seller's agreement topay the buyer agent's commission. This is especially true if the home is FSBO.

If you are faced with an exclusive buyer-broker agreement, you will need to negotiate up front. Be sure you understand what a buyer’s broker is all about and what the exclusive buyer-broker agreement means to you. Ifthe agent says they are an Exclusive Buyer Agent ask if their office takes listings.If the answer is yes- they are not an exclusive buyer's agent or do not know what the term means. For more information about exclusive buyer's agents you can go to the website of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents atnaeba.org.