Mississippi guide

Buyer Representation Agreements in Mississippi Post-NAR Settlement

In Mississippi, you sign a written buyer representation agreement with your agent before you tour any home, including video tours.

TL;DR

In Mississippi, you sign a written buyer representation agreement with your agent before you tour any home, including video tours. The agreement has to spell out exactly what your agent gets paid, as a specific dollar amount or percentage, not 'whatever the seller offers.' Mississippi state law doesn't require the agreement on its own, but almost every practicing agent has to follow this rule because of the national NAR settlement.

Before you start — 9 things to know

  • Before touring any Mississippi home, you and your agent sign a written buyer representation agreement. The rule took effect August 17, 2024 after the settlement and applies to Mississippi agents who use the — which covers nearly every working agent in the state.

  • Mississippi state law on its own does not require a signed buyer agreement before showing property. The participation rule from the settlement is what drives the requirement for practicing Mississippi agents.

  • Your Mississippi buyer representation agreement has to state your agent's pay as a specific dollar amount, a specific percentage, or another definite amount agreed to in advance. Open-ended language like 'whatever the seller is offering' is no longer allowed.

  • A Mississippi buyer agent cannot collect more than the amount written in your signed agreement, even if the seller offers more. If the seller's contribution comes in higher than the agreed pay, your agent is capped at the contract amount.

  • The Mississippi Real Estate Commission does not publish a state-approved buyer agreement form. Most Mississippi agents use a form from their local association or one their brokerage drafted with an attorney, so the wording you see can vary firm to firm.

  • A verbal handshake or an old text thread doesn't satisfy the rule in Mississippi. The written buyer agreement has to be signed before the first tour — signing it later cannot fix a tour that already happened.

  • Video tours and virtual walk-throughs count as showings in Mississippi under the post-settlement rules. If your agent is going to walk you through a property on a video call, the written agreement needs to be in place first.

  • Every part of the Mississippi buyer representation agreement is negotiable, including the pay amount, the length of the agreement, the geographic area it covers, and the services your agent will provide. If something doesn't feel right, ask for changes before you sign.

  • If a Mississippi agent refuses to put the relationship in writing or asks you to sign a 'pay me whatever the seller pays' clause, that's a red flag. Both moves run against the settlement rules their brokerage has to follow.

The timeline — step by step

  1. First meeting: your Mississippi agent walks you through what a buyer representation agreement is, what services they provide, and how their compensation works.

  2. Before any tour: you and your Mississippi agent sign a written buyer representation agreement that lists a specific pay amount, the services covered, the term, and the geographic area. This step has to happen before the first in-person or video tour.

  3. Negotiation step: before you sign in Mississippi, talk through the compensation, length, and area with your agent. Ask them to spell out what you get in return for the pay they're asking for.

  4. Touring homes: once the buyer representation agreement is signed, your Mississippi agent can take you through properties in person or over video. The signed agreement is what unlocks the showings.

  5. Writing an offer: when you find a Mississippi home you want, your agent helps you draft an offer that may ask the seller to cover some or all of your agent's compensation.

  6. At closing: your Mississippi agent's pay is set by what your buyer representation agreement says. Any seller contribution is applied first, and the agent cannot collect more than the agreed amount even if the seller offers more.

Common questions

Do I have to sign anything before I tour a house in Mississippi?
Yes, in almost every case. Mississippi state law on its own doesn't require it, but the settlement that took effect on August 17, 2024 requires a signed written buyer representation agreement before any tour with an agent who uses the . That covers nearly every working agent in Mississippi, and it applies to video tours too.
Can I negotiate what my Mississippi agent gets paid?
Yes. The pay in a Mississippi buyer representation agreement is fully negotiable — the dollar amount, the percentage, the length of the agreement, and the area it covers are all on the table. Your agent should be ready to explain what you get in exchange for the pay they're asking for.
What happens if the seller offers to pay my Mississippi agent?
If the seller offers compensation through the or in negotiation, that money goes toward what you owe your agent under your buyer representation agreement. Your agent cannot collect more than the amount you agreed to in writing, even if the seller is offering more. If the seller's contribution is less than your agreed amount, you cover the difference unless your agreement says otherwise.
Is there a standard Mississippi form for the buyer agreement?
No. The Mississippi Real Estate Commission does not publish a state-approved buyer agreement form. Most Mississippi agents use a form from their local agent association or one their brokerage's attorney drafted, so the exact wording can look different from one firm to the next.
What if my Mississippi agent and I already had a verbal deal?
A verbal deal doesn't satisfy the rule. Under the post-settlement requirements, your Mississippi agent has to put the relationship in writing and have you sign it before the first tour. Signing the agreement after a tour already happened does not fix the issue.
Can I tour just one Mississippi house without committing for months?
Often, yes. Many Mississippi agents offer a short, single-property agreement that covers just that one showing. The shorter version still has to spell out the compensation in specific terms for that property — it's not a way for the agent to skip the written-agreement rule.
What's a red flag when signing a Mississippi buyer agreement?
Watch out for any clause that ties your agent's pay to 'whatever the seller offers' — that's no longer allowed under the settlement rules and exposes the brokerage to sanctions. Also push back if an agent wants to start showings before anything is signed, because that violates the same rules.

Glossary

2 terms
NAR — National Association of Realtors
The national trade group for real-estate agents. The 2024 NAR settlement is the legal deal that changed how buyer's agents get paid.
MLS — Multiple Listing Service
The shared database agents use to list and find homes for sale. Most homes you'll see online started here.

Sources

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