The Texas buyer representation agreement short form, published by Texas REALTORS® as TXR 1507, is the contract you sign with a brokerage before an agent can show you homes or write an offer on your behalf. Filling it out means completing a handful of specific fields: the parties, the geographic market area, the start and end dates, whether the arrangement is exclusive, the services the broker will provide, the compensation rate and how it’s collected, the protection period after the agreement ends, and whether you consent to intermediary status. Each field is negotiable, and a few of them carry real financial consequences if you sign without reading.
Since 2026, Texas Occupations Code Section 1101.563 has required a signed written agreement before any showing or offer.1State of Texas. Texas Occupations Code 1101.563 – Written Agreement Required Expect the form at your first meeting with an agent, not later in the process.
Getting the Form
You don’t need to hunt down a blank copy. TREC does not publish buyer representation agreements; TXR 1507 comes from Texas REALTORS® and is available only to its members and through authorized signing platforms like Dotloop or DocuSign.2Texas Real Estate Commission. Contracts Your agent will present it in person or send it electronically. Ask for a copy in advance so you can read it before you sit down to sign.
At or before this same meeting, the agent must also give you the Information About Brokerage Services (IABS) notice, a separate one-page TREC disclosure explaining the types of agency relationships available in Texas.3Texas Real Estate Commission. TREC Rules The IABS is informational; TXR 1507 is the contract.
Filling In the Fields
Parties
The “Client” is you. The “Broker” is the licensed brokerage firm, not the individual agent handing you the form. The agent signs as the broker’s associate, and their name and license number appear alongside the firm’s. Confirm the brokerage name and license number against TREC’s online license lookup. If a dispute comes up later, the brokerage is the entity that’s contractually responsible for your representation.
Market Area
You define where the agreement applies. It can be one or more counties, a single city, a zip code, or even a specific subdivision. The broker’s obligations and your exclusivity commitment only reach properties inside those boundaries. If you’re searching two metro areas, you can limit this agreement to one and sign a separate agreement with a different agent for the other. A market area written as “the State of Texas” locks you in statewide, which is almost never what a buyer actually wants.
Term
Every buyer representation agreement must have a start date and an end date, and the agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. on the end date.4Texas Real Estate Commission. What Changes in 2026 About Buyer/Tenant Representation in Texas Texas law sets no minimum or maximum length. Three to six months is common. A shorter term gives you an exit if the relationship isn’t working; a longer one gives the broker confidence to invest time. Don’t accept a pre-printed duration you’re uncomfortable with.
Exclusive or Non-Exclusive
The form must state which it is.1State of Texas. Texas Occupations Code 1101.563 – Written Agreement Required Exclusive means you commit to working only with this broker for properties in the market area during the term. If you buy in that area through a different agent, or with no agent at all, the original broker may still be owed the agreed fee. Non-exclusive lets you work with more than one agent, but most brokers are less willing to invest heavily under a non-exclusive arrangement.
Services
The short form describes the broker’s services in general language: searching for properties, arranging showings, advising on market conditions, preparing and presenting offers, and negotiating terms. TXR 1507 is more condensed than the long-form TXR 1501, so read this section carefully and confirm it matches what you and the agent discussed verbally. Anything specific that matters to you should appear in writing.
Compensation
This is the section that most often catches buyers off guard. Texas law requires the agreement to state the amount or rate of compensation and how it’s determined, and it must include a conspicuous disclosure that broker compensation is not set by law and is fully negotiable.1State of Texas. Texas Occupations Code 1101.563 – Written Agreement Required No standard percentage or flat fee applies.5Texas Real Estate Research Center. Commission Mythology 101
Compensation is usually written as a percentage of the purchase price for a sale, or as a percentage of rent or a flat fee for a lease. It must be a specific figure, not an open-ended range.6National Association of REALTORS. Consumer Guide to Written Buyer Agreements The number your agent writes in is a starting point for negotiation.
Who Actually Pays
The agreement typically says the broker will first seek compensation from the seller or the seller’s broker. Sellers can still agree to cover the buyer’s agent fee, but that arrangement is negotiated directly and no longer advertised on the MLS.7Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation. An Explanation of the New Rules Governing REALTOR Compensation If the seller offers nothing, or offers less than the agreed amount, you owe the difference.
Before you sign, ask your agent what happens in a realistic scenario where the seller declines to contribute. Would the agent reduce the fee to what the seller is offering, or pass the shortfall to you? Get the answer in the document, not in conversation.
Protection Period
Sometimes called a holdover clause, the protection period begins the day after the agreement expires and runs for a number of days you negotiate. Zero to 180 days is typical. During that window, if you buy or lease a property the broker showed you or told you about during the active term, the broker may still be owed compensation. The clause is meant to stop clients from running out the clock on a deal the broker set up. A shorter protection period limits your exposure after the relationship ends.
Intermediary Status
TXR 1507 asks whether you consent to the broker acting as an intermediary if the same brokerage also lists a property you want to buy. A Texas broker owes the highest fiduciary obligation to a client, including the duty to convey all information affecting the client’s decisions.8Cornell Law Institute. 22 Texas Administrative Code 535.2 – Broker Responsibility When the same brokerage represents both sides, that duty shifts: the broker must be neutral rather than an advocate for either party.
Consenting lets the brokerage facilitate the transaction without giving either side preferential advice. Declining means the brokerage has to resolve the conflict some other way if one of its own listings interests you, possibly by referring you to a different firm. If the brokerage is large and holds many listings in your market area, consenting keeps those homes accessible. If you want an aggressive advocate, declining keeps the broker fully on your side.
Signing and What Happens Next
Both you and the broker or authorized associate must sign and date the form. Electronic signatures through DocuSign or Dotloop are standard and produce a time-stamped audit trail. The broker must deliver you a fully executed copy. Keep it — that document defines the relationship and is what you’ll need if a dispute arises.
Once signed, the broker’s fiduciary duties formally start: active searching, disclosure of material facts about properties you consider, and negotiation on your behalf. Your obligations start too. Under an exclusive agreement, you work through this broker for properties in the market area. You provide honest information about your finances and preferences. And if the seller doesn’t cover the fee in full, you pay the balance.
Ending the Agreement Early
The simplest way out is waiting for the end date. If you want to leave earlier, you can ask the broker to release you, but the broker is not required to agree, and TREC has no authority to force a release from a private contract.9Texas Real Estate Commission. I Signed a Buyer Representation Agreement but I Want to Work With a Different Broker. Can I Cancel the Agreement? If the broker refuses, your recourse is a private attorney.
Some agreements include a conditional termination clause allowing early cancellation for a fee. The amount varies by brokerage. Whether such a clause exists at all, and its terms, is negotiable before you sign, not after. If an early exit matters to you, build it in at the outset. Keep in mind that even a successful early termination leaves the protection period intact for properties the broker introduced during the active term.
What to Watch For Before You Sign
- Compensation gap. If the seller won’t pay the full fee, you owe the shortfall. Ask whether the agent will cap your out-of-pocket exposure or waive the difference, and get it in writing.
- Overly broad market area. “State of Texas” locks you in everywhere. Narrow it to where you’re actually searching.
- Long term with no exit. A 12-month exclusive with no cancellation clause commits you for a full year even if the relationship falls apart in month two. Shorten the term or add a written cancellation provision.
- Long protection period. A 180-day holdover means six months of potential liability after the agreement ends, which gets messy if you’ve moved on to another agent.
- Intermediary consent. Checking yes waives your right to full advocacy when the brokerage sits on both sides. Understand the trade-off before you check the box.
If the Broker Breaches the Agreement
You can file a written complaint with TREC through the REALM Portal at trec.texas.gov if the broker violates the agreement or their fiduciary duties.10Texas Real Estate Commission. How to File a Complaint TREC can discipline the license — fines, suspension, revocation — but it cannot order the broker to pay you money. A claim for financial damages has to go through a private attorney or court.