Don't sign a months-long exclusive for a peek. Say: "Bring me that property and I'll sign an agreement covering that property only." Touring generally requires no signature — a listing agent can show their own listing to an unrepresented buyer — and if the off-market gem is real, the agent will take a one-property deal.
Why they're saying it
The default buyer-agency form is built for the agent: usually exclusive, months long, with automatic extensions — and it can owe the agent compensation even on a home you found and bought through someone else. Gating a showing (or a tantalising "off-market" listing) behind that signature converts your curiosity into their captive commission before you've seen a single room.
Access is the bait, so make the trade explicit. A one-property agreement costs the agent nothing if the listing is real — they still get paid if you buy it. Refusal is the tell: an agent who won't limit the agreement to the property they're dangling is telling you the agreement was the product all along.
What to say back
"I'm not signing an exclusive agreement before seeing a property. If it's your listing, you're welcome to show it to me as an unrepresented buyer — and if we get along, we can talk about representation afterwards."
"Happy to make that fair for both of us: bring me that property and I'll sign an agreement covering that property only. If it's as good as you say, you've lost nothing."
"Before I sign, I'd want the term shortened to [30–60 days], exclusivity limited or removed, the fee capped, and the holdover clause struck. Everything in this form is negotiable — let's start there."
Avoid these reactions
- Signing the standard form unread — the term length, exclusivity, fee, and holdover clauses are all negotiable before you sign, and near-impossible to unwind after.
- Believing "you must sign before I can show you" is a legal requirement. In most places it isn't.
- Trading months of exclusivity for an "off-market opportunity" you haven't verified exists.
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