8 Questions to Ask Any Agent Before You Sign a Representation Agreement

Specialisation is measured in transaction count, not years licensed. An agent who's been in the industry for 15 years but has done four condo transactions total is a generalist, regardless of how they describe themselves. You want a number, not an approximation. If the agent says "quite a few" or "many," ask for the number again. If they can't answer specifically, it's a sign the volume isn't impressive.

The threshold for what counts as meaningful specialisation varies by property type and market. For condo specialists in a major urban market, 15 to 20 transactions per year in the specific type would be strong. For loft specialists, 5 to 10 per year in a smaller sub-market is credible. What you're looking for is consistency and volume, not one or two lucky deals.

This is the single best question for identifying real expertise. Good agents have caught things: a reserve fund that was 40% underfunded before the status certificate review period expired, a pre-con assignment clause that would have locked a client into a penalty structure they didn't understand, a loft building where the mechanical system was shared in a way that wasn't disclosed in the listing. These are specific stories from specific transactions.

Agents without this kind of experience will give generic answers about "always doing due diligence" or "reading everything carefully." Generic answers are a red flag. What you want is the specific thing this specific agent spotted in this specific deal that made a real difference to their client.

This tests whether the agent has real knowledge of what to look for, and whether they're willing to give you advice that costs them a commission. A weak or corrupted status certificate, a reserve fund that's below the engineer's recommended level, a special assessment pending but not yet levied, or a loft building with undisclosed shared mechanical systems are all conditions that should give a buyer pause. An agent who knows their specialty can name specific red flags immediately.

The willingness to recommend not proceeding is also important. Some agents have an incentive to get the deal done regardless. If the agent hedges or says they'd "discuss it with you and let you decide," ask them directly: have you ever recommended a client walk away? What happened?

Commission structures in Canada are undergoing change, and the specifics matter for your relationship with an agent. typically $400,000–$900,000 for condos and townhomes; detached from $800,000 In a standard resale transaction, the seller pays a total commission that is split between the listing brokerage and the buyer's brokerage. When you buy a new build directly from a builder's sales office without a registered buyer's agent, the builder's sales representative is a vendor representative, not your agent.

The honest answer from a good agent will explain the structure clearly, including what happens if you buy a property where the seller is offering reduced or no buyer's agent commission. Understand this before you're in a situation where it matters. The commission structure should never prevent an agent from advising you not to buy something; if you suspect the commission structure is influencing advice, that's a serious problem.

An agent's capacity matters. Someone with 40 active buyer clients has, on average, roughly an hour per client per week if they're working 40-hour weeks. Someone with 8 active buyer clients has five times that capacity. Neither number is inherently right or wrong, but you should know what you're getting into before you sign a representation agreement that ties you to this brokerage for 90 days.

The follow-up question is: who will handle showings and document review if you're unavailable? Many high-volume agents work with buyer agent teams, where assistants or junior agents do the day-to-day work while the lead agent handles negotiations. This is fine, but you should know upfront whether you're hiring this specific agent or this team.

This question gets directly at multiple representation (sometimes called dual agency). If you're a buyer represented by Agent A at ABC Realty, and you fall in love with a listing held by Agent B at the same ABC Realty, the brokerage now represents both buyer and seller. In Ontario, this is called multiple representation, and both agents are required to reduce their service to maintain neutrality. Your buyer's agent can no longer advise you fully on pricing strategy or negotiate hard on your behalf.

You have the right to know this policy before it applies to a property you're considering. Some agents are transparent about it; others deflect. If the agent's answer isn't clear, ask again: "So if I want to buy a listing from your brokerage, who are you representing?" The answer should be definitive.

A buyer representation agreement (BRA) is a legal contract with the brokerage, not just a formality to get to the showings. It specifies the duration of the representation, the geographic area it covers, the commission structure, and what happens if you find a property on your own or switch agents. The holdover clause alone, which allows the brokerage to claim commission on a property you buy after the BRA expires if you viewed it during the agreement period, has caught buyers off-guard in real transactions.

Every agent will say the BRA terms are negotiable because they are. The question is whether this specific agent is willing to negotiate with you. A reasonable starting position: 30 to 60 days duration, the specific geographic area you're actually looking in, and a clear explanation of the holdover clause period. If the agent refuses to discuss the terms or says "that's just how it works," that's information about how the working relationship will go.

This question tests two things at once: does the agent have enough experience to have encountered bad deals, and are they willing to give advice that costs them a commission? An agent who has closed hundreds of transactions has inevitably had deals where something discovered during the conditional period, or during legal review, changed the calculus. A good agent has recommended clients walk away. They can tell you when, why, and what the client decided.

An agent who has never recommended a client walk away, or who can't recall a specific instance, is either very new, very lucky, or very reluctant to give bad news. The last category is the one to be concerned about. Your agent's job includes telling you things you don't want to hear. If they've never done it, they may not do it when you need it most.