Exclusive Buyer Representation Agreement — Kentucky Edition Template

Since the 2024 NAR settlement took effect, a written buyer representation agreement is no longer optional for most agents — MLS participants must have a written agreement with a buyer before touring a home, and that agreement must state the compensation the buyer's broker will receive, in an amount that is objectively ascertainable and not open-ended. This template is built for that new reality.

The Exclusive Buyer Representation Agreement establishes the brokerage as the buyer's exclusive agent for a defined term and geographic area, sets out the broker's fiduciary duties (loyalty, confidentiality, disclosure, obedience to lawful instruction, reasonable care, and accounting), and — most importantly — fixes the broker's compensation in writing: a flat fee, a percentage, or an hourly structure, with clear language on how seller-paid or listing-broker-paid amounts offset the buyer's obligation. It includes a protection period for properties introduced during the term, a retainer provision, dual agency/designated agency consent language, and clean termination mechanics.

This 5-page template includes the compensation disclosure language required under the settlement framework, plus a 50-state variation notes section covering states where buyer agency agreements have statutory content requirements (several states mandate specific disclosures, type-size requirements, or prohibit certain term lengths). Buyer agency itself is a creature of state agency and license law, so the notes flag where state forms or specific statutory language are mandatory. As with all templates in this library, it is a drafting starting point to review with your broker or attorney — not a guaranteed state-compliant form.

About this Kentucky Edition: Every template was redrafted around the Kentucky real estate license law (KRS Chapter 324) and the Kentucky Real Estate Commission's agency disclosure regulation (201 KAR 11:121), under which licensees must deliver the Commission's agency disclosure form at first substantive contact and may act as a dual agent only with the informed written consent of both parties — so the dual agency consent in this set is a true consent instrument with the statutory disclosures spelled out. The seller disclosure edition tracks the Commission's required Seller's Disclosure of Property Condition regime, the listing and buyer agreements carry the written-agreement and definite-termination-date requirements Kentucky brokers are held to, the independent-contractor agreement reflects affiliation-through-the-principal-broker supervision, and every instrument recites the Kentucky Uniform Electronic Transactions Act and the Kentucky statute of frauds (KRS 371.010). Kentucky has no general broker commission lien statute, so the disbursement authorization relies on contractual escrow and closing-agent instructions rather than a lien claim. Not legal advice; have a Kentucky-licensed attorney review before use.