Why Do Frisco, Texas Buyers Have to Sign an Agreement Before Touring Homes?

Frisco, Texas buyers sign an agreement before touring homes because Texas now requires it, and it protects you. Since January 1, 2026, the Texas Real Estate Commission says an agent must have a written agreement with a residential buyer before showing a home. It puts in writing what your agent will do for you, how long it lasts and how your agent gets paid, so nothing is left to a handshake.

I'm Omega Mejia with Simply Great Real Estate Group. If you are a first-time buyer in Frisco or anywhere in Collin County and the idea of signing before you have even seen a house makes you nervous, that is a fair reaction. Here is what you are signing and what you control. The short version is in my FAQ.

No agent can lock you in for longer than the agreement says, and every agreement must have an end date. Texas also gives you a lower-commitment option: a showing-only agreement. The agent opens doors and shares the size, price and terms of a property, but does not represent you or give advice. It cannot be exclusive and cannot run longer than 14 days.

The other option is a representation agreement, where your agent works for you: advice, negotiation and guidance through closing. That is the one most buyers want, and it is the one I would ask you to read closely before you sign. These rules apply to residential buyers. They do not apply to commercial buyers or tenants.

Five things, in plain words: the services your agent will provide, the date it ends, whether it is exclusive, whether your agent represents you, and how your agent is paid. The agreement must also say, in clear language, that the broker's pay is not set by law and is fully negotiable.

Nobody can tell you there is a fixed fee. How your agent is paid is a conversation, and it is written down before you tour anything. In my buyer consultation I walk you through every line, until each one is clear, before we look at a single home.

If the host is the listing agent, you do not need to sign anything, and they will tell you they work for the owner. If the host is an agent from another brokerage, they have to give you an Information About Brokerage Services form and have you sign a written agreement before you view the home.

If you are already working with an agent, say so at the door. If you are not, you can read the agreement the same way you would read anything else before you sign it, and you can leave it unsigned and keep looking online.

Yes, on the terms written in the agreement, and you should know them before you sign. In my consultation I show you how the agreement ends early, what, if anything, you would owe, and what happens if you find a home on your own. Those answers live in the written agreement, not in a promise made out loud.

Every buyer agreement also leaves your agent with minimum duties to you under Texas rules. A representation agreement can narrow the services, but it cannot take those basic duties away. You are not signing away your protection.

Five parts of the agreement, one at a time:

• The services list. What I will do from search to closing, and what is left out.
• The end date. It should match how long you expect to search. If you are not sure, we can set a shorter term.
• Exclusive or non-exclusive. This decides whether you can work with other agents while this one is active.
• The pay section. It shows the amount or rate and how it is figured. I show you who is expected to pay it and what changes if the seller covers part.
• The way out. How it ends and what that costs, so you know before you need to.

From there we start touring. My buying process and making an offer pages show what comes next. If closing costs are what keep you up at night, read whether sellers are paying buyers' closing costs in Frisco.

Start with a conversation before the first tour. That way the agreement makes sense when you see it, and you decide with the full picture. My buying a home page shows how I work, and the full process walks through every step. Buying new? Read new construction or resale in Frisco.

If you want to see what working with me looks like before you commit to anything, contact me and I will go through the agreement with you line by line. If you are ready to start looking, contact me and we will set the consultation first.

Source: Texas Real Estate Commission, written buyer agreement rule effective January 1, 2026. This is general information, not legal, tax, financial or insurance advice.