Would you ever sign an Exclusive Buyer Broker Agreement?

[James Bynum]

Is there ever a situation as a flipper or buy and holder that you would ever agree to sign an Exclusive Buyer Broker Agreement?

I've been working with this agent for a couple of months now and he just brought up the Broker Agreement and wants me to sign it. The thing is I'm new to this business and so is he. He has been working his tail off to find me deals and even working to connect me with vendors, even though nothing he's brought to me has looked very good, he's still trying and tweaking.

I just feel like if I sign something like this with him, I would really be limiting myself and causing myself unneeded loss of income if I end up finding something on my own, ie Craigslist or yellow letter, and then have to still fork over a fee to him and his broker for doing absolutely nothing.

I don't want to lose the relationship as he's a good guy and he's trying, but if it came down to it, I think I would just have to walk away. Now I would be willing to sign some sort of other agreement that if he brought me a property I would use him to close on the deal and then when I'm ready to sell use him as the selling agent. I think that would be a fair trade-off, or would the broker not go for something like this?