If I meet with an agent am I required to hire them?

No, you are not obligated. The thread already told you that and it is correct, so let me give you the part nobody covered, which is where the actual risk sits. A listing agreement is a contract, and it has to be in writing. No signature, no listing agreement, no obligation to that agent and no commission owed. A conversation is not a contract, and neither is someone deciding on their own to start working. That said, "they started working on selling my house" is the phrase in your question that I would slow down on. Not because you owe them anything, but because of a doctrine called procuring cause. Procuring cause asks who set in motion the unbroken chain of events that produced the buyer. In practice it is mostly a dispute between brokerages over who gets paid, resolved through association arbitration rather than as a claim against you personally. So it is usually not a direct threat to a seller. But it can get messy in one specific situation: if that agent already showed your house to someone, advertised it, or introduced a buyer, and that same buyer later purchases through a different agent, there can be a fight over the commission. You do not want to be standing in the middle of it. So here is what I would do, and it takes ten minutes. Send that agent a short, courteous note in writing. Something like: "Thank you for meeting with me and for the work you have put in. I have decided to go in a different direction and will not be signing a listing agreement. Please stop any marketing on my behalf. If you have shown the property to or discussed it with any prospective buyers, please let me know who they are." That last sentence is the important one. It does two things. It closes the loop cleanly, and it creates a dated written record of exactly which buyers, if any, that agent had contact with. If a procuring cause question ever comes up, you have documentation instead of memory. Then, before you sign with anyone, read the agreement for three things. The term. How long are you committed. Shorter is better with someone new. The cancellation provision. Can you get out, on what notice, and does it cost anything. The protection or holdover clause. If the property sells within some window after the agreement ends to a buyer that agent introduced, they may still be owed a commission. That is standard and it is fair. Just ask for the list of protected buyers in writing when the agreement ends, so it is never an argument. One note on timing, since this thread predates it. The industry rules changed on August 17, 2024. Those changes are mostly about the buyer side, requiring a written agreement with a buyer before touring a home, so they do not directly govern your listing decision. But they do mean that whether you offer compensation to a buyer's agent is now a separate negotiation from what you pay your own agent. Worth raising with whoever you hire. And on the human part. Interviewing agents without hiring them is completely normal and every good agent understands it. You should interview at least two or three. If someone makes you feel guilty for not signing, that tells you something useful about how they will handle your negotiations. I am a real estate professional, not an attorney, so if that agent pushes back or claims you owe them something, talk to a Michigan real estate attorney rather than arguing it yourself. My name is Zoltan Peresztegi and I work in Los Angeles, the South Bay and on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, so I am not your Michigan agent. If you want an introduction to a strong listing agent in the Berrien County area to interview alongside the others, message me and I will make one. Zoltan

Joan, you are not obligated no. You want to hire the agent that you feel most comfortable with. Keith Jean-Pierre Managing Principal The Dapper Agents Real Estate Operations in ALL 50 States

Hi Joan - Generally, no. In Michigan you’re not obligated to work with an agent until a listing agreement is signed. Meeting with an agent and discussing the details of selling your home doesn’t create a commitment by itself. If you decide to move forward with someone, the terms would be outlined in the listing agreement before anything officially begins

You are under zero obligation to hire an agent simply because you met for a "Listing Presentation" or an initial consultation. You are only committed once you sign a "Listing Agreement" or a "Buyer Brokerage Agreement," so feel free to interview at least three candidates to compare their 2026 marketing strategies and commission structures.

If you have an in-person meeting with a realtor to sell your home, that realtor is not under a contract with you. So you can meet with several different realtors before hiring one. Realtors will not start really working for you until you have formally hired them and both parties have a signed listing agreement.

Meeting with an agent does not mean you have to hire them. It is your choice who you work with, and the agreement becomes binding only after you sign it. Take your time, ask questions, and choose the person who feels like the best fit to represent you and your home.

Think of it this way... If it is not in writing, it is not legal. So if you have not signed a listing or buyers agreement with this agent you are not required to work with them. If it is not a good fit, then interview other agents to be sure it is a good fit for what you are wanting to accomplish for your real estate goals! Not all agents are a specialist in all areas. Be sure to find the right fit for what your real estate goals are and does that agent have the expertise in that area. Do they have good references? Do they have a history of accomplishing what you want to do with your real estate goals? When you find that agent. Then put it in writing!

No, you do not necessarily have to hire the agent if they started working on selling your house after an in-person meeting. You are under no obligation unless you reach a formal agreement with them that is legally binding. Generally speaking, once an agent begins actively marketing and covering all costs associated with listing and promoting the property, it is expected of the owner to enter into a signed contract. That said, whether or not you must use that particular agent will depend on local real estate laws and any commitments you may have made during the meeting itself. If you feel uncomfortable signing any agreement without further research or discussion it would be wise to talk openly about this with your potential agent before agreeing to anything formal. If there’s something specific that makes you feel uneasy about using their services then take some time to discuss this with them first before making any decisions either way. It’s completely understandable for homeowners wanting to maximize their sales results through finding the best options available - so make sure to contact other agents in your local area too!

As long as you do not sign an agreement there is no obligation. I suggest interviewing 3 agents based on recommendations. Of the three agents, you are likely to find a good connection with at least one of them. Have a list of questions in advance of interviewing them.

Not at all as long as there is nothing signed!

If you didnt sign anything they dont have the right to list your home. Once you sign a listing agreement that is when youare locked in with that realtor.

You are not required to hire the first agent you meet. My recommendation is to interview 3 agents.