Should I work with a realtor to buy a house is a different question than it was two years ago. Buyer agent compensation is no longer advertised on the MLS and is now agreed in writing before you tour — so the question is less whether to have one, and more what you agreed to pay and what you get for it.
By Julia LuisMortgage Loan Officer · Mortgage-World.comYou now sign a written representation agreement setting your agent’s compensation up front; the seller can still contribute, but it is negotiated rather than assumed. What you are paying for is pricing judgment, offer construction, the inspection negotiation and calendar management — not finding listings. Going without works best for experienced buyers with an attorney genuinely running the deal.
What changed
Why This Question Is Different Now
Should I work with a realtor to buy a house used to be a simple question, because the seller’s side effectively paid the buyer’s agent and the buyer never saw a bill.
Following the 2024 settlement involving the National Association of Realtors, buyer agent compensation is no longer advertised through the MLS, and buyers now sign a written representation agreement setting out what their agent will be paid before touring homes. The seller can still contribute — and frequently does — but it is negotiated in the transaction rather than assumed.
So the real question is not whether to use an agent. It is what you have agreed to pay, who ends up paying it, and whether what you get back is worth it.
The value
What You Get When You Work With a Realtor
Finding listings is the least of it. Listings are public, and you will find them yourself. What you are buying is judgment in five places.
- Pricing. Reading comparable sales and telling you when a listing is overpriced — including when it is the one you have fallen for.
- Offer construction. Price is one term among many. Credits, timelines, contingencies and deposit structure often decide a competitive offer more than the number does.
- Negotiation after inspection. Usually the largest dollar swing in the whole transaction, and the point where experience shows most.
- Managing the calendar. Attorney review, inspection deadlines, appraisal, mortgage commitment dates. Missing one can cost you the deal or your deposit.
- Knowing who is reliable. Which inspectors find things, which attorneys return calls, which title companies close on time.
You are not paying someone to unlock doors. You are paying for the response to the inspection report and the reading of the comps.
Going without
Buying a House Without a Realtor
It is legal everywhere and sometimes sensible. It works best when you have bought before and know the process, when you are buying from someone you know, when the market is slow enough that you are not competing, or when you have an experienced real estate attorney genuinely running the transaction.
Understand the two traps. First, the listing agent works for the seller. They can be perfectly professional with you and still owe their duty elsewhere, and asking them to represent both sides concentrates that conflict rather than resolving it. Second, not being represented does not automatically save you the commission — whether the seller reduces the price by that amount is a negotiation you have to actually win.
If you go this route, hire a real estate attorney early and pay for their time. In New Jersey and Connecticut you need one anyway; in Florida, where closings run through title companies, engaging an attorney is a deliberate choice worth making when unrepresented.
Choosing
How to Pick One
Interview two or three. The questions that reveal the most are specific rather than general.
How many buyers did you close last year, and in which towns? Local volume matters more than years in business or brokerage brand.
What is in the representation agreement? Read the compensation, the length of the term, and whether it is exclusive. All three are negotiable, including the duration — a shorter initial term protects you if it is not working.
How do you handle a multiple-offer situation? You are listening for whether they talk about terms and timelines, not just raising the price.
Who do you use for inspections and attorneys? A good agent has a bench and will explain why.
And be honest about availability on both sides. In New Jersey, attorney review runs on a three-day clock that can include a weekend, and deals genuinely fall apart because someone was unreachable.
Sequence
Get Pre-Approved Before You Pick an Agent
Whether you decide to work with a realtor to buy a house or not, do this first. Most buyers get the order backwards. Your pre-approval sets the price range the entire search runs on, and many agents will not schedule showings without one — not out of gatekeeping, but because touring homes you cannot finance wastes everyone’s time.
A documented pre-approval also makes you a stronger client to a good agent. They can act on your behalf immediately rather than pausing to establish whether an offer is real.
The order that works: check your credit, get pre-approved with documents, then choose your agent, then start touring. Our guide to buying step by step lays out the whole sequence, and what a pre-approval requires covers the documents. Whichever agent you choose, you can start your file online first — it takes about five minutes and needs no documents at that stage.
- Buyer agent pay is agreed in writing before you tour, and is negotiable — including the term length.
- The value is pricing, offer terms, the inspection negotiation and deadlines, not finding listings.
- The listing agent works for the seller — dual representation concentrates that conflict.
- Unrepresented does not automatically save the commission; that is a negotiation you have to win.
- Ask how many buyers they closed last year and in which towns — local volume beats brand.
- Get pre-approved before choosing an agent. It sets the range the whole search runs on.
Common questions
Common Questions About Working With a Realtor
Do I have to pay my agent directly now?
Not necessarily. You agree the compensation in writing up front, and the seller can still contribute toward it as part of the transaction. What changed is that it is negotiated rather than assumed and advertised.
Can I just use the seller’s agent?
You can, but understand who they represent. The listing agent owes their duty to the seller, and asking them to handle both sides concentrates the conflict rather than removing it.
Will I save money buying without an agent?
Only if you successfully negotiate the savings into the price, and only if you can handle pricing, offer terms and the inspection response yourself. Many unrepresented buyers pay the same and get less.
How do I know if an agent is any good?
Ask how many buyers they closed last year and in which specific towns, then ask how they approach a multiple-offer situation. Answers about terms and timelines are more encouraging than answers about raising the price.
Is the representation agreement negotiable?
Yes — the compensation, the length of the term and the exclusivity are all negotiable. A shorter initial term is reasonable to ask for if you have not worked together before.
Should I find an agent or get pre-approved first?
Pre-approved first. It defines your price range, and many agents will not schedule showings without a documented letter.
Keep reading
Related from Mortgage-World.com
Get pre-approved before you start touring
A licensed loan officer will review your credit and income and issue a documented letter at the amount you want to shop with, so the agent you choose can act on your behalf from day one.
Written and reviewed by Julia Luis, Mortgage Loan Officer of Mortgage-World.com, NMLS #1630225. About the author
Mortgage-World.com LLC is a licensed mortgage brokerage serving New Jersey, Connecticut and Florida. NMLS #1630225 (verify on NMLS Consumer Access) · Florida license MLB 1987 · Family owned since 2017.
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Last reviewed August 2026. This article is general information for educational purposes, not a loan approval, a rate quote, or a commitment to lend. Program guidelines, rates and limits change, and every file is underwritten on its own facts. Mortgage-World.com is not an agency of the state or federal government and is not affiliated with the Federal Housing Administration. Equal Housing Lender.
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