To choose a Naperville buyers agent, verify the agent’s Illinois license, get your agency relationship in writing, and read the written buyer agreement before you tour a single home. Under MLS practice rules from the NAR settlement, in effect since August 17, 2024 and still in MRED’s rules as revised May 14, 2026, an agent working with you needs that written agreement before you tour a home, so it is the first real decision you make with an agent.
I am Dan Firks, Founder and CEO of the Dan Firks Team at Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group here in Naperville. My Illinois real estate broker license is 475.141739. I am a practicing Illinois broker, and my team represents buyers under the same kind of agreement this guide explains, so use every question below on us too.
Questions about an agreement? Call or text 630.637.9009 or email Dan@Naperville.com. This is general information, not legal advice; have a licensed Illinois real estate attorney review your agreement.
What this guide covers
- Choosing a buyer’s agent
- What you sign before touring
- What a buyer agreement must include
- Asking the seller to cover your agent’s fee
- Designated vs dual agency
- Questions to ask before you sign
- Checking a license
- Red flags in a buyer agreement
- Getting the most from your agent
- Frequently asked questions
How do you choose a buyer’s agent in Naperville?
Choose the buyer’s agent whose license checks out, whose relationship with you is spelled out in writing, and whose buyer agreement you understand before the first showing.
A buyer’s agent is the Realtor or broker who represents you when you buy. No directory ranking tells you which agent is right to buy you a home; these checks do:
| What to compare | How to verify it | A weak answer |
|---|---|---|
| License and brokerage | The IDFPR license lookup for the agent and the sponsoring brokerage, and the brokerage name on the agent’s ads (steps below) | A name that does not match, or no brokerage named |
| Who represents you | Your designated agent named in the agreement (225 ILCS 454/15-50) | Nobody named in writing |
| How the agent is paid | An amount or method in the agreement that you can calculate | Whatever the seller offers |
| Their own listings | Whether another designated agent would represent the seller, or the same licensee would ask for dual agency consent | No clear answer |
| Recent buyer-side work | Buyers they represented in the last 12 months near the homes and price range you want, and how two of those purchases went | Only listing or team totals |
| Reviews from buyers | Independent reviews that describe a purchase | Reviews of home sales only |
| Showing availability | Who shows homes on short notice | Nobody named |
The license and the agreement matter more than the office address. At a builder’s sales office, ask whether the on-site agent represents the builder, who is the seller; the same checks apply to new construction homes in Naperville.
In my experience, agents who are comfortable with their terms offer to send the buyer agreement in the first conversation, before you ask.
What do you have to sign before touring a home in Naperville?
Before you tour any home with an agent’s help, you sign a written buyer agreement with that agent’s brokerage, under an MLS practice rule in effect since August 17, 2024 and still in MRED’s Rules and Regulations as revised May 14, 2026 (checked September 29, 2026).
This is an MLS practice rule, not an Illinois statute. Section 1(c) of the MRED Rules and Regulations (MRED, Midwest Real Estate Data LLC, is the Chicago-area MLS) says: “Unless inconsistent with state or federal law or regulation, all Participants working with a buyer must enter into a written agreement with the buyer prior to touring a home.” NAR agreed to the rule in its settlement, per the NAR Settlement FAQs (answers updated through October 17, 2025).
Touring means you, or an agent acting for you, entering the house, including a live virtual tour, per the NAR FAQs. Talking to an agent at an open house or asking about their services needs no agreement, so you can interview agents first, and an agent hosting an open house only for the seller needs no agreement with you.
You can sign any time up to the first tour, unless state law requires it earlier. In Illinois, 225 ILCS 454/15-50 says a sponsoring broker representing a buyer shall set out the terms in a written brokerage agreement naming your legal agents, and 225 ILCS 454/15-75 requires exclusive agreements in writing with minimum services. So the Illinois paperwork can come first; ask a licensed Illinois real estate attorney how that applies to you.
MRED Section 5 also bars offers of buyer-broker compensation in the MLS; for fees, see our Naperville realtor fees guide.
What must a written buyer agreement include?
Under MRED’s Rules and Regulations (Section 1(c), revised May 14, 2026), a written buyer agreement must state the agent’s compensation as a specific amount or a method you can calculate, bar the agent from receiving more than that from any source, and say conspicuously that broker fees and commissions are not set by law and are fully negotiable. Illinois law also requires it to name your designated agents and to expire automatically within a definite period (225 ILCS 454/15-50 and 10-25).
A buyer agreement, also called a buyer representation or buyer agency agreement, is your written contract with the agent’s sponsoring brokerage, exclusive or not. This clause map shows what is fixed and what is yours to negotiate.
| Clause | Where it comes from | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Compensation amount or method | MRED Rules Section 1(c), items a and b | A dollar amount, rate or formula you can turn into a dollar figure |
| Ceiling from any source | MRED Rules Section 1(c), item c | No more than the agreed amount, from anyone |
| Negotiable statement | MRED Rules Section 1(c), item d | Fees are not set by law and are fully negotiable, stated conspicuously |
| Designated agent | Illinois, 225 ILCS 454/15-50 | Each licensee acting as your legal agent, by name |
| End date | Illinois, 225 ILCS 454/10-25 | Automatic expiration within a definite period; past one year, a yearly right to end it on no more than 30 days of prior written notice |
| Minimum services (exclusive agreements) | Illinois, 225 ILCS 454/15-75 | Presenting offers and counteroffers; helping develop, negotiate and present offers, counteroffers and notices until a purchase agreement is signed and all contingencies are satisfied or waived; answering your questions about them |
| Compensation disclosures | Illinois, 225 ILCS 454/10-10 | The brokerage’s compensation policy, amounts offered to cooperating brokers, third-party compensation, and written notice if both sides pay the brokerage |
| Scope and length | Negotiated | Exclusive or not; one day, one house, one area or every home |
| Early exit | Negotiated | How either side ends it early, the notice, and what you would owe |
| Dual agency disclosure | Illinois, 225 ILCS 454/15-45 | Presented at signing if the brokerage offers dual agency; signing it is your choice |
A quick test: ask the agent to write the dollar figure next to the compensation line for a home at your top price. If the clause cannot become a number, ask why before you sign.
In my experience, the right time to read a buyer agreement is at a kitchen table a day before the first showing, not on the hood of a car in a driveway.
Can you ask the seller to cover your agent’s fee in your offer?
Yes. You can ask the seller to pay some or all of your agent’s compensation as a term of your offer, and the seller decides whether to agree.
The NAR Settlement FAQs (updated October 17, 2025) say “a buyer can always ask” for that as a term of an offer to purchase, and they list three ways the buyer side can be paid:
- You pay your agent’s brokerage directly under your buyer agreement.
- The seller pays your agent’s brokerage, for example as a term of your offer.
- The listing agent shares part of their compensation, arranged off the MLS.
You can also ask for concessions toward closing costs; the NAR FAQs say an MLS must not limit seller concessions to paying a buyer broker.
Whatever the route, your current signed agreement sets the cap; a higher amount would take a new or amended written agreement, per the NAR FAQs. Illinois also requires your agent to disclose all third-party compensation and to tell you in writing if both sides pay the brokerage (225 ILCS 454/10-10). For how much agents charge, see our guide to realtor fees in Naperville; ask your lender how a concession fits your loan, and run the payment in the Naperville mortgage calculator.
What is the difference between designated agency and dual agency in Illinois?
A designated agent represents only you, while a dual agent represents both buyer and seller in the same transaction, and in Illinois dual agency is allowed only with the informed written consent of all clients.
Designated agency is the default under Section 15-10 unless a written agreement says otherwise. Section 15-50 has the agreement name your legal agents and says the brokerage is not acting for both sides when each designated licensee represents one party. So a home listed by a different agent at your agent’s brokerage is not dual agency by itself.
Dual agency is one licensee representing both you and the seller, for example on your own agent’s listing. Section 15-45 requires two writings: the statutory disclosure, presented when you sign the brokerage agreement, and a written confirmation when you sign the offer or contract, which you also initial if it sits inside the contract.
Under that form, a dual agent cannot share either side’s price or terms without permission, or recommend a price or terms to either of you. You do not have to sign it; if you decline, the licensee may withdraw from representing you in that transaction and keep representing the seller. Dual agency is barred when the licensee, or an entity in which the licensee has or will have an ownership interest, is a party.
| Point | Designated agency | Dual agency |
|---|---|---|
| Who the agent represents | Only you | Both you and the seller |
| Illinois section | 225 ILCS 454/15-10 and 15-50 | 225 ILCS 454/15-45 |
| What must be in writing | The agreement names your designated agent | The statutory disclosure, then a written confirmation at the offer or contract |
| Built-in limit | Other licensees at the brokerage are not your agents | No price or terms advice; barred when the licensee, or an entity it has or will have an ownership interest in, is a party |
In my experience, how an agent answers the own-listing question in a first meeting shows how clearly they will explain everything after it.
What should you ask a buyer’s agent before you sign?
Ask questions that turn the agreement into specifics: who represents you, what it costs in dollars, how long it lasts, and how you can leave.
- What is your licensed name and license number, and what is your sponsoring brokerage?
- Who will be named as my designated agent, and who else will work on my file?
- If I want to see a home listed by you or your brokerage, who would represent me, and how do you handle dual agency?
- Can you write the compensation as a dollar figure for a home at my top price?
- If a seller covers part of your compensation, how does that change what I owe?
- When does this agreement end, and does it cover one home, one area or every home?
- How can I end it early, and what would I owe?
- Would you sign a one-day or one-property agreement while we see how we work together?
- Who shows homes, writes offers and negotiates repairs?
- How will you coordinate with my attorney and my home inspector?
For the inspection side of that last question, see our Naperville home inspection guide for buyers.
These questions cover representation only. On our team, we describe homes by their features, never by who lives nearby.
How do you check a real estate agent’s license in Illinois?
Check it yourself on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) license lookup, the license record the State of Illinois maintains and updates daily for single-license searches.
- Open the IDFPR Check License page and choose the Real Estate License Look Up.
- Search the agent’s name as it appears on the agreement; use their license number if the name is common.
- Confirm the name, license description, status and expiration date.
- If a newly licensed agent does not appear, try the next day; a new license can take up to 24 hours to show.
- Save or print the result with the date you checked.
A nickname may not match the licensed name. The Bulk License Look Up on the same page also shows whether a license was ever disciplined; for disciplinary documents, IDFPR directs you to a Freedom of Information Act request.
Look up the agent’s license and sponsoring broker in the Department’s records. My broker license number is 475.141739.
Then match the brokerage name on the agent’s advertising. Illinois requires every advertisement, business cards included, to show the sponsoring broker’s business name, which for a franchise includes both the franchise affiliation and the individual firm’s name, at least as large as any team or agent name (225 ILCS 454/10-30 and 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1450.715).
Look up the brokerage named in the ad and on your agreement, and ask about any mismatch before you sign.
A team name that uses a word such as realty or real estate is prohibited by 225 ILCS 454/10-30(a), which states no exception, and 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1450.715(a)(2) treats that wording as deceptive unless the word team follows the term.
In the State’s professional licensing open data, each brokerage record carries a business name and a separate DBA field. The name on a brokerage’s sign or website can differ from the business name on its IDFPR license. Ask the agent for the sponsoring broker’s licensed name and look that name up before you hire.
What are the red flags in a buyer agreement?
The main red flags are compensation you cannot turn into a number, no definite end date, exclusivity broader than you intended, no early way out, and dual agency consent tucked into the fine print.
| Red flag | Why it matters | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Open-ended compensation, such as whatever the seller pays | MRED Rules Section 1(c) requires an amount that is objectively ascertainable and not open-ended | A specific amount or formula |
| No end date, automatic renewal, or over one year with no annual exit | 225 ILCS 454/10-25 requires automatic expiration within a definite period and, past one year, a yearly exit on no more than 30 days of prior written notice; without that, it says the agreement is void | A fixed end date; ask a licensed Illinois real estate attorney about any renewal clause |
| No early-exit terms | No Illinois statute we found sets them, so the terms are whatever the agreement says | Written exit terms and any amounts owed |
| Dual agency consent pre-checked or buried | Section 15-45 requires informed written consent, and the statutory form says you need not sign it | A plain explanation and a real choice |
| Pressure to sign in a driveway | You lose the chance to read it | Time to read it, or a one-day agreement for now |
Before you sign: a printable checklist
- The agent’s license and the sponsoring brokerage’s license are active on the IDFPR lookup.
- The brokerage named on the agent’s ads and business card is the brokerage on my agreement.
- My designated agent is named in the agreement.
- The compensation line turns into a dollar figure I understand.
- The agreement caps compensation from any source and says fees are fully negotiable.
- The agreement has a definite end date, and I know its scope and how to end it early.
- Dual agency is explained, I know I can decline it, and I know what happens if I do.
- Every service I was promised is written down.
- A licensed Illinois real estate attorney has reviewed it if I have any doubt.
How do you get the most out of your buyer agent?
You get the most out of a buyer agent by giving them clear limits early: your pre-approved budget, your must-haves and deal-breakers, and how quickly you can move.
- Talk to your lender first and bring the pre-approval to your first meeting.
- Estimate taxes with the Naperville property tax calculator; Naperville spans DuPage and Will counties.
- Know which homes, areas and dates your agreement covers, and change it in writing if your search changes.
- Set up alerts on the Naperville home search and send your agent the listings you like before you tour them.
- If your agreement is exclusive, talk to your agent before you tour a home with another agent, and read what the agreement says you would owe if you buy through someone else.
- Ask for recent comparable sales before any offer.
- Line up your attorney and inspector before you are under contract.
In my experience, buyers who share their limits in the first week spend less time touring homes that were never going to work for them.
Frequently asked questions about buyer’s agents
Do I need a buyer agreement to walk through an open house in Naperville?
No, not when the host works only for the seller. The NAR settlement FAQs say an agent hosting an open house on behalf of the seller only does not need a written agreement with an unrepresented buyer.
Do I have to sign a buyer agreement just to interview an agent?
No. The NAR settlement FAQs say you do not need a written agreement if you are just speaking to an agent at an open house or asking them about their services. It is due before you tour a home, in person or by live virtual tour.
Is the buyer agreement before touring required by Illinois law?
Not as a standalone touring rule. The touring deadline is an MLS rule, in MRED Rules Section 1(c) as revised May 14, 2026. Illinois law separately requires a written brokerage agreement under 225 ILCS 454/15-50, which can come first, so ask a licensed Illinois real estate attorney.
Does dual agency require my written consent in Illinois?
Yes. Under 225 ILCS 454/15-45, a licensee may act as a dual agent only with the informed written consent of all clients, confirmed again in writing at the offer or contract, and never when the licensee, or an entity in which the licensee has or will have an ownership interest, is a party.
How long does a buyer agreement last?
Until its stated end date. Under 225 ILCS 454/10-25, a written brokerage agreement must expire automatically within a definite period, and one longer than a year must let you end it yearly on no more than 30 days of prior written notice, or it is void. It also ends if the sponsoring broker license is suspended or revoked.
How do I check a real estate agent license in Illinois?
Use the Real Estate License Look Up on the IDFPR Check License page at idfpr.illinois.gov and confirm the name, license description, status and expiration date. A new license can take up to 24 hours to appear.
What is the difference between a buyer agent and a listing agent?
A buyer agent represents you as the purchaser, and a listing agent represents the seller. A buyer agent is sometimes called the selling agent, meaning the agent who brings the buyer. One licensee can represent both sides only as a dual agent, with the informed written consent of all clients.
Ready to interview a buyer’s agent in Naperville?
Start by asking every agent you interview, including us, to send the buyer agreement before your first showing. Call or text me at 630.637.9009, email Dan@Naperville.com, or use our real estate inquiry form, and I will walk you through our agreement line by line.
Read more about me or browse Naperville homes for sale.
Written by Dan Firks, an Illinois real estate broker, license 475.141739, with Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group. I am a Realtor and the Founder and CEO of the Dan Firks Team at Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group in Naperville.
My team represents buyers and sellers in Naperville and the surrounding western suburbs. Reach me at 630.637.9009 or Dan@Naperville.com.
General information, not legal advice. Sources checked September 29, 2026: MRED Rules and Regulations, Sections 1(c) and 5 (revised May 14, 2026), the NAR Settlement FAQs (answers updated through October 17, 2025), 225 ILCS 454, 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1450.715, and the IDFPR license records in the State’s professional licensing open data; the MLS rules took effect August 17, 2024. Broker fees and commissions are not set by law and are fully negotiable.
This article is advertising by Dan Firks, an Illinois licensed real estate broker, license 475.141739, with Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group.
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