As often as not, when we are ready to write up an offer to make my representation "legal." I don't especially believe in these. At the end of the day, if someone really wants out of the agreement with you, they will get out. And what are you going to do? Hold them hostage? I certainly would not. Why would I want to push someone who doesn't want to work with me to do so? In 20 years, I've yet to lose a buyer because I don't push them to sign. But I have gained buyers because they liked the fact that unlike other agents I didn't immediately push them into a contractual obligation with me.

It is our duty to educate them on buyers agency & I do that at our first meeting. I give them a copy of the required documents and tell them they can sign now, when we submit their Offer or whenever they are ready. 

Most of my clients are referrals or repeat clients so, many of them go ahead and sign right then. The rest sign when we put the Offer together, along with all of the Offer paperwork. 

In depends. 

BEFORE the first showing is scheduled, we sit down in the office and get the paperwork done, Buyers Agency, Financing, and Preview on the big screen in my office.

As soon as we meet.

I will try to get them sign before the first showing/meeting, even an agreement for a week.  However, I found that most people are uncomfortable signing anything during the first showing/meeting.  The bottom line is you cannot make someone do something if they don't want to.  Of course by doing this, I have been burnt.  Someone who suddenly found out that they had a relative who was an agent in the area after it was time to write a contract, someone who told me they would not write an offer with me unless I gave part of my commission to them because they found another agent who would do that etc.  I was the person doing all the work and they found another agent who would just wrote the offer and gave part of the commission to them. I understand that not all people are like that, some people have a strong business ethic and some don't.  The bottom line is whatever goes around comes around or karma, I just shrugged it off and moved on.

I do not have a buyer "contract" ... I have a buyer "agreement of understanding "... which is much softer, not binding them to me for a period of time, but the idea is to make the relationship "sticky".  

I use this agreement as soon as they indicate they are willing to work with me exclusively. It covers basic duties and protocol on dealing with private sales, not calling other agents, etc...  

This has worked great for me... and easy to deal with.   I have never lost a buyer yet to another agent once it has been signed.  

I have never used one.  I build trust in relationships ... trust goes in both directions.  

Praful,

I agree with Nina Hollander on this one.  A

After the first meeting.. I find that buyers are turned off by this because agents don't fully explain the agreement clearly and the benefit to them.. I have never had anyone refuse to sign it. I make it for a very short period, so they can get to know me, and I them.  Then if we are happy working together we extend it.

I typically don't use them.

At what I like to call our emotional qualification meeting.

it's at the first meeting in the office.... or there are no future appointments....

After first meeting.

Either before any showing or no later than after the first one.  If they refuse, I fire them and move on

At the first scheduled face to face meeting.

Sometimes right away and sometimes after the first showing

At the end of the first day out.

Before they get in my car!

If not the first meeting the second one

Befpre we go looking at homes and at the first opportunity to have the discussion about why it is important to the buyer.

  After our first sit-down meeting to discuss what they are trying to achieve, and after ensuring that they have the POF or pre-approval.

If I get an upcall from an on a listing of mine.  It helps weed out the buyers who "don't want to bother their agent" or claim not to have one, only to have the write the offer after you sold them on the house.

CT is a buyer agency state, which means it's illegal to show without an agreement, but alas, that is often ignored as buyers get spooked when you ask them. I ask at first meeting, explaining the reasons and request to be covered at least for the properties being shown by me that day, for  three to six months. In other words, sometimes to make the buyers feel more comfortable, until they ARE more comfortable with me, I offer to do it a day at a time. 

Virginia changed the rules a few years ago that allows agents to take a buyer out once to look at property before having a BBA signed. I do that because I may not want to work with a particular buyer. I dropped a family last year that had out of control kids. I had to follow them around constantly to make sure they weren't breaking or taking owners stuff. One and done on that couple. No BBA needed.

Before the first showing

Never used one when active. These days, I would have them sign one before I exerted any effort or shown any homes. Times have changed!

I attempt to do a Buyers Consultation Session with all first time buyers. After it , it is clear they need ( and want) Representation !

100% of the time and between preapproval and first showing i.e. no showings without one.

There is no time like the present for the serious player

They sign up for the BENEFITS of membership. An EBA comes with resources that those unwilling to commit will not benefit.