How to Handle Buyer’s Agents When You’re Selling Your Home Yourself

If you’re selling your home without a traditional agent—whether you’re doing it completely yourself or using a modern platform like Ridley—you’ll almost certainly hear from buyer’s agents.

That’s not a bad thing. In fact, many successful self-sellers work smoothly with buyer’s agents every day. The key is knowing how to handle the conversation, compensation, and documentation so everything stays professional and stress-free.

Here’s how it works—and how to do it right.

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Why This Matters More Than Ever

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The rules around how buyer’s agents get paid changed in 2024.

Now:

• Buyers sign a written agreement with their agent before touring homes. That agreement explains how the agent will be compensated.
  
  
• Sellers are no longer required to publish an upfront “buyer-agent commission” in the MLS.
  
  
• Any payment to a buyer’s agent is now negotiated directly between buyer and seller, just like price, closing date, or inspection terms.
  
  

That gives you more flexibility—but also means you’ll get more questions from agents asking how you handle compensation. Knowing your policy upfront helps you stay in control and avoid surprises.

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Step 1: Decide Your Policy Before You List

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Before you go live, choose your stance on buyer’s agent compensation. There’s no right answer, but you should pick one of these approaches and stick with it:

• Open: You’ll consider offers that include a buyer-agent fee and decide case-by-case.
  
  
• Capped: You’re willing to contribute up to a set amount (for example, “up to 2%” or “up to $5,000”).
  
  
• Buyer-funded: You’re not offering to pay a buyer’s agent, but you’ll consider offers even if the buyer plans to handle it themselves.
  
  

Making this decision early helps you respond confidently when agents reach out — and keeps your messaging consistent.

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Step 2: Handle Inquiries Professionally

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When a buyer’s agent contacts you about your property, here’s how to keep the interaction smooth and clear.

Ask for confirmation of representation

“Thanks for reaching out. Can you please confirm you’re representing the buyer under a written buyer-agency agreement? Once I have that, I’ll share more information.”

This verifies that the agent is acting on behalf of a real client.

When they ask about compensation

“We’re handling buyer-agent compensation as part of the offer, not as a preset. Please include any compensation request your buyer would like considered in the offer, and we’ll evaluate it along with price and terms.”

That one sentence keeps you compliant, clear, and professional.

If you’re willing to contribute

“We’re open to contributing toward the buyer’s agent fee, up to $X at closing, depending on the overall offer. Please include that in the terms if your buyer would like us to cover it.”

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Step 3: Keep a Simple Showing Log

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Even if buyers will tell you who their agent is, it’s smart to keep a quick log of all showings—just a simple list of:

• Date and time of the showing
  
  
• Buyer’s agent’s name and brokerage
  
  
• Buyer’s name (if provided)
  
  

Why it matters:

• It protects you from confusion later. If two different agents claim they “brought the buyer,” you’ll have a record showing who actually did. This avoids what’s called a procuring cause dispute (a common argument in real estate about which agent deserves the commission).
  
  
• It keeps your record clean. If any questions come up about access or fairness, you can show that you treated every agent equally and kept track of visits.
  
  

It takes two minutes per showing — and can save you from messy headaches later.

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Step 4: Treat Compensation as Just Another Offer Term

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When an offer comes in, don’t think of buyer-agent compensation as separate or special. It’s simply one more part of the deal to evaluate alongside:

• Offer price
  
  
• Inspection and appraisal timelines
  
  
• Financing type and closing date
  
  
• Any repair or credit requests
  
  
• Buyer’s overall strength and flexibility
  
  

If you’re willing to contribute, the offer should clearly state how much. Your closing agent or title company will include that amount on the official Closing Disclosure so the funds are paid properly at closing.

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Step 5: Get Everything in Writing

Never rely on verbal agreements when it comes to compensation.

Here’s why:

• Miscommunication happens. One person says “2%,” the other hears “2.5%.” Once the deal is underway, it’s tough to fix that.
  
  
• The title company can’t pay it otherwise. All fees must appear on the official closing documents — if it’s not written, it can’t be legally paid.
  
  
• It protects everyone. A clear paper trail avoids post-closing disputes and makes your transaction cleaner for taxes and records.
  
  

When in doubt: if money changes hands, write it down.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

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Mistake #1: Ignoring the showing log

You might assume the buyer will tell you who their agent is — and they will — but if two agents worked with the same buyer, you could end up fielding competing claims. A quick showing log proves who brought which buyer and keeps you out of the middle.

Mistake #2: Making handshake deals

Always document any compensation you agree to. Verbal promises can’t be enforced and can’t be processed at closing.

Mistake #3: Treating the fee as separate from the offer

It’s all part of the same negotiation. A slightly higher buyer-agent fee on a strong offer might still net you more money than a lower-fee, weaker offer.

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Your Quick Reference Checklist

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✅ Decide your compensation policy (Open / Capped / Buyer-funded)

✅ Prepare simple email scripts for agent inquiries

✅ Keep a short showing log with agent names and dates

✅ Ask agents to include compensation requests in written offers

✅ Get every agreement documented in the contract and closing disclosure

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The Bottom Line

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Working with buyer’s agents when you’re selling yourself doesn’t have to be awkward. When you set clear expectations, communicate professionally, and document everything, you’ll come across as informed and confident — and you’ll keep full control of your home sale.

Ridley’s platform helps make all of this even easier by guiding you through every step: showing logs, offer tracking, and ready-to-use templates for every situation.

Selling yourself doesn’t mean doing it alone — it means doing it smarter.

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Want to learn more about how Ridley can help you navigate the selling process? Click here to book a consult with our team.