BUYER REPRESENTATION
Buying a home in BC: do you need a REALTOR?
No. You are not required to use a REALTOR® to buy a house in British Columbia. You can contact a listing agent directly, or buy privately, and nothing stops you.
What you give up is representation. The listing agent is working for the seller. If you deal with them directly, nobody in that conversation is working for you, and they have to tell you so.
Below is what a buyer’s agent actually does, who pays for it, what you sign before anyone shows you a house, and how I handle a purchase.
The short answers
What buyers ask before they pick anyone.
Who pays the buyer's agent?
Usually the listing brokerage shares its commission with the buyer's brokerage, so in most transactions the fee comes out of the seller's proceeds. That is not automatic and it is not a rule. It is set out in writing in a buyer's agency agreement before we look at anything, and if a particular listing is different I tell you before we write an offer, not after.
Do I sign something before we start?
Yes, and one of them is provincial. Before I provide trading services I have to give you the Disclosure of Representation in Trading Services. It is not a contract and it does not commit you to me. It sets out what a client relationship means, what I owe you, and what changes if you are unrepresented.
What is a buyer's agency agreement?
The written agreement that makes me your agent rather than someone being helpful. It covers what I do, how I am paid, and how long it runs. The term is negotiable, like the rest of it. Read the section on what happens if the seller's brokerage does not cover the fee, because that is the part people skip.
Can I just use the listing agent?
You can talk to them, but understand who they act for. They are the seller's agent, they owe the seller their loyalty, and anything you tell them about your budget or your timeline can be used in the seller's interest. That is not a criticism of them. It is the job they took.
Does the US commission news apply here?
No. Most of what you will read about buyer commissions online is American and follows a US legal settlement. BC has its own rules, its own agreements and its own disclosure forms. If a source is talking about MLS rule changes in the United States, none of it describes your transaction.
Do I need one for a new build?
Buying from a developer, the sales centre staff work for the developer. You can usually bring your own representation, but many developers require your agent to be registered on your first visit. Go in once on your own and you can lose the option.
Before you get this far
Two pieces that cover the money and the mechanics.
Buying your first home
The seven steps in order, what you need for a down payment, what closing costs run to, and the federal and BC programs worth using. Every figure checked against the source that sets it.
Read more →Deposit vs down payment
They are not the same thing and they are due at completely different times. Where the deposit actually sits, what happens to it if a deal falls apart, and the three day rescission period.
Read more →Every buyer sees every listing
Search is solved. It has been for years. What isn’t solved is knowing whether the house in front of you is worth what they’re asking, given its condition, its location, the timing, and what else you could buy instead.
If you want to browse listings, that lives on my neighbourhood site, uppermissionkelowna.ca.
What I’m looking at while you’re looking at the kitchen
Six years in the trades means I’m reading the mechanical, plumbing and electrical while you’re looking at the counters. I’m well versed in all three, so I notice things that are easy to miss:
- The age and condition of the mechanical systems, and what it costs to replace them
- The plumbing, how it was run, what it is made of, and what is waiting behind a wall
- The electrical, the panel, the state of the wiring, and what an upgrade actually involves
- Heating and airflow, and whether this house is ever going to be comfortable
- Moisture and ventilation, especially in a finished basement
- The quality of the work behind the finishes, where the shortcuts hide
This doesn’t replace a home inspection and I’d never suggest it does. It means we go in with a view, and if something does turn up, we can talk about it in terms of what the repair actually costs rather than a vague sense that something’s off.
I’m also an active investor. I evaluate a house the same way whether it’s going into my portfolio or yours. If the numbers don’t work, or the condition doesn’t work, or the terms don’t work, I’ll tell you. Talking someone into a house they regret is a bad way to get referrals, and the reviews tell you how that philosophy works out.
Negotiation
An offer is more than a price. Dates, conditions and deposit all affect whether the deal works for you and whether the seller will take it.
The goal is an offer with a real chance of acceptance that doesn’t hand you a problem you’re stuck with after possession. That means weighing the competition, your priorities, and the risk in each term before we submit. It also means knowing where the market actually sits, and the Kelowna market report is the same data I bring to an offer conversation.
Out-of-town buyers
Moving from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton or further, you’re making a neighbourhood decision you can’t solve by driving around on one Saturday. We’ll narrow it down by streets, commute, property type and whatever else actually matters to you.
Expect video walk-throughs, straight answers about which areas won’t suit what you’re after, and me viewing homes on your behalf before you get on a plane.
Questions buyers ask me first
Can I buy a house before I sell mine? The three ways to sequence a move, and why bridge financing only works against a firm sale.
Is geothermal worth it? Written by someone who spent six years as a journeyman HVAC technician.
Should I be worried about Poly B? Less than the internet thinks, but for a different reason than you’d expect.
Where I work
Kelowna, West Kelowna, Peachland and Lake Country. Each has its own guide, and so do the Kelowna neighbourhoods I work most, from Wilden to Rutland; the names in the market report table link to all of them, and the neighbourhoods map shows where each one sits.
How to start
Talk to a mortgage broker or lender first, so your number is real. Then talk to me. You don’t have to commit to anything to have that conversation, and if what you want doesn’t exist at your number I’ll tell you rather than walk you around for a month proving it.
General information about buyer representation in British Columbia, current as of September 2026, not legal advice. Agreements and disclosure requirements are set by provincial regulation and your own contract governs your transaction. Braden Koop Personal Real Estate Corporation operates under RE/MAX Kelowna. Each RE/MAX office is independently owned and operated.
