First No Broker...then....Yes Broker...is this ok?

Suppose you are thinking of buying an apartment and you go out casually one sunny Sunday afternoon to poke your head in at a bunch of open houses in your neighborhood. When you get there you are greeted by a smiling broker who represents the seller. You are handed a "Show Sheet" and asked to sign in. You leave the space marked "your real estate broker" blank indicating that you are not being represented by anyone.

Fast forward a week or so and you have come to realize that its way too complicated out there on the street to navigate this process on your own and you decide to hire a broker to represent you. After seeing a few properties you decide that one of the first apartments you saw....on your own...is still your favorite. Can you now go back to this building and make an offer on the property through your newly found "Buyer's Broker"?

The short answer is YES...the buyer can always opt to have representation and he may make that decision at any point during the process. In fact, many experienced brokers say that they prefer when the buyer has a broker as the transaction will usually go much smoother.

The bottom line is that since virtually every seller has a broker watching out for them, shouldn't every buyer have protection too? Of course they should.....