For Buyers · B.C. · October 20, 2026

Can you work with more than one REALTOR® when buying in B.C.? And can a buyer’s agent charge you?

You can talk to as many agents as you like before you choose one. What changes things is a signed buyer’s agency agreement, and most buyers sign one without reading the parts that matter. Here’s how B.C.’s rules actually work: when you’re free to shop around, what happens if you call the listing agent directly, and when a buyer can end up paying commission.

By Craig Johnston, REALTOR® V99960 Royal LePage Elite West

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Quick answer

Yes, until you sign. Then read what you signed.

Before you hire

Interview as many agents as you want. Talking to an agent doesn’t commit you.

After you sign

A buyer’s agency agreement means working exclusively with that brokerage, for its term, in its area

Who pays

Usually the seller’s side, through MLS®. Some agreements make the buyer pay any shortfall.

One agent, both sides?

Not allowed in B.C. since June 15, 2018, outside remote areas

The practical answer: shop around, then choose one agent and commit. Signing with two brokerages for the same area and time can leave you owing two commissions, and splitting your search rarely gets you better service from either.

From BCFSA — Understand your buyer’s agency agreement →

Not required

No mandatory contract

As of October 2026, B.C. doesn’t require a written buyer agreement. BCFSA has proposed one, but the rules haven’t changed.

Binding

If you sign, it counts

BCFSA calls a buyer’s agency agreement a legally binding contract between you and the brokerage.

Listing agent

They work for the seller

Call them directly and you’re an unrepresented party. They can help with forms, but they can’t advise you.

Same office

Two agents, one brokerage

Allowed, under designated agency, as long as they’re different agents.

The short answer, and where people get caught.

Nothing in B.C. stops you from speaking with several REALTORS® while you decide who to work with. You can go to open houses, ask questions, and interview agents about how they’d handle your search. Choosing well is worth the time.

Where buyers get caught is the step after that. When you decide to work with an agent, you’re usually asked to sign a buyer’s agency agreement. BCFSA, the province’s regulator, describes it as “a legally binding contract between you and the real estate brokerage,” and says that when you sign one, “you agree to work exclusively with that brokerage for a specified length of time.”

So the real question isn’t whether you can work with more than one REALTOR®. It’s whether you’ve signed something that says you won’t.

Interview widely. Sign carefully. Then commit to the agent you chose.

Talking to an agent vs. hiring one.

B.C.’s rules draw a clear line between the two. Before an agent starts providing real estate services to you, they must tell you in writing whether they will represent you as a client. That’s the Disclosure of Representation in Trading Services form, required under section 54 of the Real Estate Services Rules. It also explains the duties a REALTOR® owes a client and your right to rescind a purchase.

There’s an exception for an agent hosting an open house or answering general factual questions, unless they ask you for, or you share, confidential information about your motivation, finances or needs. Once that happens, the disclosure applies.

If you receive that form, read it. It’s the moment the relationship becomes formal. It isn’t, on its own, an exclusive contract. The exclusivity comes from a buyer’s agency agreement, if you sign one.

What to read in a buyer’s agency agreement.

B.C.’s standard form from the BC Real Estate Association is called the Buyer’s Agency Exclusive Contract, and brokerages can use their own versions. Whatever you’re given, BCFSA suggests checking these terms before you sign:

The area it covers. The market areas in B.C. the agreement applies to. A Coquitlam-only agreement is very different from one that covers the whole Lower Mainland.
The term. The start date and the expiry date. Ask for a length that matches your real timeline.
The property types. Whether it covers everything, or only what you’re actually looking for.
How it ends early. What happens if you, or the brokerage, want out before the expiry date.
Who pays, and when. How the brokerage is paid, and whether you owe anything if the seller’s side doesn’t cover it.
What happens after it expires. BCFSA notes some agreements can require commission even after the agreement expires, for example on a home you were shown during the term.

None of these terms are set by the regulator. BCFSA is clear that commissions “are not set or approved by BCFSA” and vary by brokerage. That means they’re negotiable, and you can ask for changes before you sign.

Can a buyer’s agent charge you?

In most Coquitlam purchases, the buyer doesn’t write a cheque to their agent. For homes listed on MLS®, the commission rules require the listing side to offer compensation to the buyer’s brokerage. That cooperating commission comes out of the seller’s proceeds on completion day. I walk through exactly how the money moves on my commission rates page.

But a buyer can pay in a few situations, and they’re all in the agreement:

The listing side offers less than your agreement says. BCFSA notes you may owe your brokerage the difference if the listing brokerage doesn’t cover what your agreement provides.
The home isn’t on MLS®. A private sale, or a property marketed off-MLS®, may offer nothing to a buyer’s agent.
A deal becomes binding, or the agreement has just ended. BCFSA notes that some agreements make commission payable once a legally enforceable contract has been entered into, and in some cases even after the agreement expires.
You buy through someone else during the term. With an exclusive agreement, the brokerage you signed with may still be owed its fee.

This is also changing. In November 2025, BCFSA published a discussion paper that proposed mandatory service agreements for buyers and explored a broader range of payment models. Its summary of the feedback, published in 2026, reported “generally supportive” feedback, but any change to the rules still requires formal consultation and the Minister’s approval. Separately, the Competition Bureau is investigating MLS® commission rules, including Greater Vancouver REALTORS® since early 2026, with no finding of wrongdoing.

Why using several agents at once usually backfires.

Some buyers assume that having three agents looking means seeing more homes. In the Tri-Cities, it rarely works that way. Every agent has access to the same MLS® listings. What you actually get is this:

Two commission claims. If you’ve signed exclusive agreements with two brokerages covering the same area and time, both may claim to be owed a fee on the same purchase.
Disputes over who introduced the home. When more than one agent showed you a property, there can be a disagreement over who is entitled to the commission, and it can complicate your offer.
Less effort from everyone. Agents put real hours into a search: setting up alerts, previewing homes, pulling comparables, calling listing agents. Most will hold back when they know you’re working with others.
Mixed advice at the moment that matters. When it’s time to price an offer, you want one person who knows your budget, your deal-breakers and every home you’ve seen.

A legitimate exception is when you’re searching two genuinely separate markets, for example Coquitlam and somewhere far outside the Lower Mainland. Agreements can be limited by area, so you can work with a specialist in each, as long as the areas don’t overlap. Put it in writing.

What happens if you call the listing agent directly?

You can. Just understand what that agent can do for you. The listing agent represents the seller. B.C. has prohibited dual agency (one brokerage representing both buyer and seller as clients) since June 15, 2018. It’s now section 63 of the Real Estate Services Rules, with a narrow exemption for remote, under-served areas that doesn’t apply in Metro Vancouver.

So if you deal with the listing agent without your own REALTOR®, you’re an unrepresented party. Before you share anything confidential, they must give you a Disclosure of Risks to Unrepresented Parties, which sets out the limited help they can offer and recommends you get independent advice. As the BC Real Estate Association’s legal column puts it, a listing agent can give an unrepresented buyer statistics, standard forms and help filling them in, and pass on offers, but no advice can be given to the unrepresented party, and what you tell them won’t be kept confidential from the seller.

In practice that means no one on your side is telling you whether the price is right, what subjects to keep, or how hard to negotiate. I go into this in more detail in what a buyer’s agent actually does in B.C.

Your agent and the listing agent work at the same brokerage. Is that allowed?

Yes. Most B.C. brokerages operate under designated agency: the brokerage designates a specific agent to represent you, and the Rules say that designating different agents for the buyer and the seller isn’t dual agency. What isn’t allowed is the same agent representing both of you as clients.

If that situation comes up, ask your agent to confirm in writing that you’re under designated agency, and how your confidential information is protected inside the brokerage. Under the older “brokerage agency” model, BCFSA notes it’s assumed everyone at the brokerage can access your information, which is exactly what you want to rule out.

And if your own agent is the listing agent on a home you want, they can’t act for both sides. They’ll have to explain your options, which may mean you’re treated as unrepresented for that property or referred to another agent.

Not happy with your agent? How to switch properly.

Say what isn’t working. Sometimes the problem is fixable: response time, the homes being sent, how often you hear from them.
Read the termination clause. Check how the agreement can be ended early and whether notice is required.
Ask for a written release. Get confirmation that the agreement is ended before you sign with anyone else.
Make a list of the homes you’ve already been shown. Tell your new agent about them up front, so there’s no surprise later about who introduced a property.

If you’re choosing an agent for the first time, the questions to ask a Coquitlam REALTOR® will help you pick someone you won’t want to leave.

Working with more than one REALTOR®: FAQ

Can I work with more than one REALTOR® when buying a home in BC?

You can speak with and interview as many REALTORS® as you like before choosing one. Once you sign a buyer’s agency agreement, though, BCFSA says you are agreeing to work exclusively with that brokerage for a specified length of time and area. Working with another brokerage in the same area during that term could mean owing commission to both.

Do I have to sign a buyer’s agency agreement in BC?

Not under the current rules. As of October 2026, B.C. doesn’t require a written buyer agreement, although a written agreement is common and is considered best practice. BCFSA proposed mandatory buyer service agreements in a November 2025 discussion paper; any change still requires formal consultation and the Minister’s approval.

Can a buyer’s agent charge me commission?

They can if your agreement says so. Usually the buyer’s brokerage is paid from the seller’s side through the cooperating commission offered on MLS®. But BCFSA notes that you may owe your brokerage the difference if the listing brokerage doesn’t cover what your agreement provides, and that some agreements make commission payable once a legally enforceable contract is in place, and in some cases even after the agreement expires.

Who pays the buyer’s agent in BC?

In most MLS® sales, the seller does, indirectly. The listing brokerage offers a cooperating commission to the buyer’s brokerage, and it’s paid from the seller’s proceeds on completion. MLS® commission rules require the listing side to offer that compensation. The buyer’s own agreement decides what happens if the amount offered is lower than agreed, or if nothing is offered.

Can the listing agent represent me too?

No. B.C. has prohibited dual agency since June 15, 2018, apart from a narrow exemption for remote, under-served areas. If you deal directly with the listing agent, you’re an unrepresented party: they must give you a Disclosure of Risks to Unrepresented Parties, they can help with factual information and forms, but they can’t advise you, and what you tell them isn’t kept confidential from the seller.

Can my agent and the seller’s agent be from the same brokerage?

Yes, under designated agency, which most B.C. brokerages use. The Real Estate Services Rules say designating different agents for the buyer and the seller isn’t dual agency. The same agent can’t represent both of you as clients.

Can I use different REALTORS® in different cities?

Yes, if your agreements don’t overlap. A buyer’s agency agreement covers specific market areas, so you can work with one agent for, say, the Tri-Cities and another for a market far outside it. Make sure each agreement names its area clearly.

How do I get out of a buyer’s agency agreement?

Check the agreement’s terms on ending early, which BCFSA lists as one of the key things to read before you sign. Talk to your agent and their managing broker, and get a written release before you work with anyone else. If you can’t resolve it, get legal advice on the agreement.

Sources & methodology

Buyer agreement terms and commission notes are from BCFSA’s Understand your buyer’s agency agreement and consumer guide to agency. Representation, unrepresented-party and dual-agency rules are from the Real Estate Services Rules (B.C. Reg. 209/2021, ss. 32, 54, 55, 63 and 64) and BCFSA’s June 2018 rule change announcement. The listing agent’s role with unrepresented buyers is from BCREA’s Legally Speaking #536. Proposed changes are from BCFSA’s Strengthening Confidence in Real Estate Services consultation (November 2025, with a feedback summary published in 2026). The commission rules investigation is from the Competition Bureau’s 2026 release. All read October 19, 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice; for questions about a specific agreement, speak to a lawyer.

Keep planning your purchase.

The pages below go deeper on choosing an agent and buying in the Tri-Cities.

Buyers

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Can you work with more than one REALTOR® when buying in B.C.? And can a buyer’s agent charge you?

Yes, until you sign. Then read what you signed.

No mandatory contract

If you sign, it counts

They work for the seller

Two agents, one brokerage

The short answer, and where people get caught.

Talking to an agent vs. hiring one.

What to read in a buyer’s agency agreement.

Can a buyer’s agent charge you?

Why using several agents at once usually backfires.

What happens if you call the listing agent directly?

Your agent and the listing agent work at the same brokerage. Is that allowed?

Not happy with your agent? How to switch properly.

Working with more than one REALTOR®: FAQ

Sources & methodology

Keep planning your purchase.

What a buyer’s agent actually does

Questions to ask a REALTOR®

Do I need a REALTOR® to buy?

Coquitlam commission rates

B.C.’s 3-day rescission period

Buying in the Tri-Cities

Choosing who to buy with? Start with a conversation.

More for Tri-Cities buyers.

Coquitlam homes for sale

Coquitlam first-time buyer guide

Subjects and conditions in B.C.

Writing an offer in a buyer’s market

Craig Johnston, REALTOR®

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A specialist for your specific Tri-Cities city or neighbourhood.