Do I need a realtor to buy, and who pays the buyer's agent in BC?

You do not legally need a REALTOR® to buy a home in BC. Some people buy without one, especially from a builder or from a seller they know. The more useful question is what you give up without representation, and how the person representing you gets paid. Most buyers are not sure about the second part, and they should be, because it affects who works for whom.

How the buyer's agent is usually paid

In most resale purchases in BC, the commission is set out in the listing agreement between the seller and the listing office. The seller pays it from the sale proceeds on completion. The listing office then shares an agreed part of it with the office that brought the buyer. In that common case, the buyer does not write a cheque to their agent.

That is the usual arrangement, not a rule. A buyer can sign an agreement with their own agent's office that sets out how their agent is paid, and in some cases the buyer may owe the difference if the amount offered by the listing side is lower than what they agreed. Presales have their own arrangements set by the developer. The point is to know before you write an offer, not after.

The disclosure you will be asked to sign

Before an agent gives you advice in BC, they have to explain whether they represent you. The BC Financial Services Authority, the regulator, publishes the disclosure form agents use and explains what representation means. An agent who represents you owes you duties: loyalty, confidentiality, full disclosure of what they know that matters to you, and following your lawful instructions.

If you call the listing agent on a property directly, that agent already represents the seller. They can still help you in limited ways, but they are not your advocate. Ask the question plainly: who do you represent in this deal?

What you give up buying alone

Without an agent, you are on your own for pricing, the contract and the subjects. You have to pull and read comparable sales, decide what to offer, draft the Contract of Purchase and Sale or rely on the seller's side to do it, and choose which subjects protect you. On a strata, you have to know which documents to ask for and what to look for in them.

Some buyers are comfortable with all of that. Most first-time buyers are not, and the mistakes are expensive: a missing subject, a deposit structured the wrong way, a completion date that does not match the mortgage.

The questions to ask before you choose an agent

Ask how they are paid on the kind of home you want. Ask whether they will ask you to sign a buyer agency agreement, and read it before you sign. Ask how they handle multiple offers and how many buyers they are working with in your price range. Ask whether they know the area: Willoughby townhomes and Brookswood acreages are different purchases.

And ask what they will not do. An agent is not a lawyer, a home inspector or an accountant, and a good one will tell you when to call each of those.

How I handle it with buyers

At the first meeting, I explain the representation disclosure and how I am paid on the type of purchase the client is considering, before we look at anything. If there is an agreement to sign, we read it together. If a property has an unusual arrangement, such as a presale or a private sale, I explain it before we write.

I would rather a buyer understand exactly how I work and choose me knowing it than find out at the lawyer's office. Clear terms at the start make the rest of the relationship easier, and they are the first sign of whether an agent is working for you.

General educational content, verify property-specific details and consult qualified professionals when appropriate.

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