Written Buyer Agreements: How Home Tours Have Worked Since August 2024
Figures and rules in this post are as of November 6, 2026, from the sources linked below. Check the source for any later update.
Practice changes from the National Association of REALTORS® settlement took effect on August 17, 2024. Two of them change how buyers and agents work together.
- Written agreement before touring: A REALTOR® working with a buyer must have a written agreement with that buyer before touring a home, in person or virtually.
- No compensation offers on the MLS: Offers of compensation to buyer agents are no longer posted on MLS listings.
What the agreement must include
- The amount or rate of compensation the agent will receive, stated in an objectively clear way, such as a flat fee or a percentage.
- A statement that the agent can’t receive more than that amount from any source.
- A statement that commissions are not set by law and are fully negotiable.
What hasn’t changed
Sellers can still offer to pay toward a buyer’s agent, through negotiation and outside the MLS, and buyers can ask for that in an offer. You can check any agent’s license status on the California Department of Real Estate’s public license lookup.
Sources
Questions about a home in Los Angeles or the Valley?
Lianna Danielyan, REALTOR® · Equity Union · CA DRE #02142653 · 13400 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 · (818) 669-6245
Listing information is provided through Equity Union’s IDX/BoldTrail service, is deemed reliable but not guaranteed, and should be independently verified. Information on this page is general and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Equal Housing Opportunity.