What is a One Time Showing Agreement?

We represent buyers, and FSBO sellers sign one of these for us before we bring a client through. So this is the document as it’s actually used, not the template version.

The short version: a note that says, if my client buys your house, you owe me.

What is a one-time showing agreement?

It’s a fee-protection document, nothing more. A for-sale-by-owner seller has no listing agent and hasn’t agreed to pay anyone. When a buyer’s agent wants to show that home to a client, there’s no co-broke offer to rely on.

The one-time showing agreement fills the gap. The seller signs it, agreeing that if this specific agent’s client buys the home, the seller pays that agent’s fee. It covers one named buyer and one showing, not the whole market.

It doesn’t make the agent the seller’s agent. The buyer’s agent still represents the buyer.

One-time showing vs. one-party listing vs compensation agreement

Three names for roughly the same handshake, with small differences.

• One time showing agreement. Authorizes a single showing and protects the agent’s fee for that buyer. No listing relationship.
• One-party listing agreement. The seller agrees to pay only the buyer’s broker for one named buyer at less than a full commission. One real estate law firm calls the fee “something less than a full commission.” A limited listing.
• Compensation agreement. A bare promise to pay a stated fee if a named buyer closes. No agency, no showing terms.

In practice, agents use these interchangeably, and the paperwork often blends them. What matters is that a named buyer, a stated fee, and a signature are all present before the showing.

When you’d use a one-time showing agreement

When the seller saved money by skipping a listing agent, right up until an agent shows up. If you’re a buyer working with an agent and you find an FSBO you like, your agent asks the seller to sign one before the tour.

It also comes up on off-market and pocket listings, where a property isn’t in the REBNY RLS, and there’s no automatic co-broke. FSBOs account for about 6% of sellers nationally, so this isn’t rare.

If the seller refuses to sign, your agent can’t be paid by the seller on that home. You’d have to cover the fee yourself, per your buyer agency agreement.

What is the commission usually?

Roughly half of a full commission, because it’s doing roughly half the job. There’s no marketing and no seller representation, only the buy-side work.

If a full local commission is 5% to 6%, a one-time showing fee is often 2% to 3%. It’s negotiable, like every commission, and the number goes in the agreement. Our page on who pays the buyer’s agent commission covers what happens if the seller won’t agree to the full buy-side rate.

The NY form and the 2024 rule

Now you sign two pieces of paper instead of none. NYSAR publishes a standard One Time Showing Agreement form, revised August 6, 2024, right after the NAR settlement.

Since August 2024, a buyer working with a licensed agent must first sign a written buyer agreement stating the agent’s fee. So, on an FSBO deal, there are two documents: your agreement with your agent and the seller’s one-time showing agreement with your agent. That’s two parties and two papers for one fee.

What do we do on FSBO deals?

We ask the seller to sign before we bring the buyer, not after. Sending a client through first and asking for a signature later is how fee disputes start.

We also state the rebate up front. New York law lets a broker return part of its commission to the buyer, so even on an FSBO where the fee is smaller, a share still comes back to you. See what NestApple returns to buyers, and run a real deal in our closing-cost calculators. This page is part of our guide to NYC commissions and rebates.

Common questions

Is a one-time showing agreement a listing agreement? No. It doesn’t market the home or make the agent the seller’s agent. It only covers one buyer’s agent’s fee for a single named buyer.

Who signs a one-time showing agreement? The for-sale-by-owner seller signs it, agreeing to pay the buyer’s agent if that agent’s client buys the home.

How much is the commission? Usually about half a full commission, often 2% to 3%, where a full local rate is 5% to 6%. It’s negotiable and stated in the agreement.

Do I still sign a buyer agreement too? Yes. Since August 2024, you have to sign a written agreement with your own agent before touring. In an FSBO, the seller signs the one-time showing agreement separately.

Written by Nicole Fishman Benoliel

Co-founder of NestApple and a lawyer admitted to the New York bar, not currently practising.