New-Home Sales · Chapter 06 of 10
Realtor relations that actually produce sales
A registered buyer's agent is a source of qualified traffic you did not have to advertise for. This chapter is the procedure for keeping that source open: the registration conversation, co-op in writing, the questions agents will ask, and the one weekly habit that gets your community remembered on a Monday morning.
Buyer's agents bring you a pre-qualified, motivated visitor and, in most cases, do a large share of the objection handling before that buyer ever reaches your desk. The relationship only breaks down in a few predictable places: an unclear registration rule, a co-op promise nobody wrote down, and an agent who cannot get a straight answer fast enough to keep their buyer moving. Fix those three and the relationship runs itself.
Why agents still matter in 2026
The mandatory MLS decoupled-commission rule from the NAR settlement has been in force since 2024-08-17: buyer's agents are generally required to have a signed written buyer-broker agreement in place before conducting a first home showing, including at a model home verified. That has not pushed agents out of new construction. It has changed where compensation gets disclosed: cooperative compensation is no longer a mandatory MLS field, so builders now disclose co-op through their own registration forms, websites, and direct outreach instead of a shared MLS listing field report. Some builders have used the transition to reduce or restructure co-op offers, and the resulting landscape is described as a patchwork: some national builders hold competitive rates, others have moved to flat fees report.
Two things follow from that. First, the buyer-broker agreement requirement now overlaps with the registration rule most builders already ran, so there are two independent reasons an agent needs to be documented at the very first visit, not one verified. Second, because co-op is no longer a fixed MLS field, a builder's reputation for confirming co-op quickly and in writing is now a real competitive fact agents compare across communities, not a footnote.
The number to watch on your own traffic log is the share of visits that arrive with a registered agent already accompanying the buyer. It will move with your market and your co-op reputation, and it is a cleaner read on your realtor relationships than any single closed deal. Track it the same way you track any other traffic-log field: every visitor, every visit, agent present or not.
The registration policy explained without a fight
Registration rules differ by builder in their exact wording, but the shape is close to universal: the buyer identifies and registers their agent at first contact, and the agent accompanies the buyer (in person or, where allowed, virtually) on the first visit. Two verified examples, side by side.
| Rule | KB Home | Lennar |
|---|---|---|
| Registration timing | Agent must comply with the KB Broker Registration and Commission Agreement and accompany the client at the first visit verified | Buyer must identify and register their broker at initial contact, then be accompanied by that broker on the first community visit report |
| Written agreement | Agent confirms a Written Buyer-Broker Agreement exists and shares its commission terms with the sales counselor at first visit; a signed WBA predating the purchase agreement is required at contract, within 60 days of first visit verified | Not published on the page located for this guide; confirm per community report |
| Commission basis | KB will only pay up to its own stated co-op rate, regardless of what the buyer's agreement with their agent says verified | Percent of base purchase price, less incentives report |
| Availability | Not stated as community-limited on the page located verified | Co-op is only available in select communities, not all report |
The Lennar detail in that table comes from a search-engine summary of Lennar's own broker policy page; a direct fetch of the page returned an access error during research. Verify the current wording on Lennar's own resource center page before quoting it to an agent report.
Across builders generally, if a buyer registers unrepresented at first visit, industry practice is to treat that buyer as permanently unrepresented at that community: no broker can step in later and claim commission on that purchase report. That is the fact behind the call every rep eventually gets.
The script for "my buyer already registered." An agent calls after their buyer walked in alone last weekend and now wants representation. Stay factual and warm, not defensive:
"I hear you, and I want to give you a straight answer. Our policy here is that representation has to be on file before or at the first visit, so I can't move [buyer name]'s registration to you for this community after the fact. What I can do: register you now for anything going forward, make sure you're on our agent list for [community], and get you the current incentive sheet so you're not behind on anything else we've got open. If [buyer] is still deciding, I'm glad to have you both back in for a second look together."
What to record every time, regardless of outcome: the buyer's name, the date and time of first contact or first visit, whether an agent was present or named, the agent's name and brokerage if named, and the exact registration method (in person, phone, online form). That log is what settles a co-op dispute later, and it is the same traffic-log discipline covered in the model home chapter.
Pre-registration by email. Where the builder allows it, an agent emailing ahead of a visit to name their buyer is the cleanest version of this rule. Confirm the exact pre-registration channel for each community (an online form, a specific email address, or a phone call to the sales office) and put it on the agent FAQ below so you are not re-explaining it call by call.
Co-op confirmed in writing
No builder in this research publishes a public, current, community-by-community co-op schedule report. One regional example cited major builders offering 2 to 3 percent co-op to agents who register clients before the first visit, sometimes with a scaled bonus for multiple sales, but that figure is a single-metro example, not a national rate report. Treat every co-op number as local and current-week only, and never quote one verbally without following it in writing the same day.
One-paragraph email template, sent from the rep to the agent right after a verbal co-op conversation:
Subject: [Community] co-op confirmation, [buyer name] Hi [agent name], confirming our conversation today. [Buyer name] is registered with [Community] as of [date], with you as their agent of record. Current co-op for this community is [X]% of base purchase price, less incentives, payable at close per our standard broker agreement. This registration and co-op rate apply to this community only; please reconfirm for any other community you tour with this buyer. Let me know if you need anything else before your next visit. [Rep name] / [Builder] / [Community] / [Phone]
Send that email even when the agent does not ask for it. A written confirmation the agent never asked for is the fastest way to be the rep they call first.
The agent FAQ
Ten questions a buyer's agent is likely to ask, and the answer format to have ready before the call comes in.
| Question | What to have ready |
|---|---|
| Is co-op available at this community? | Yes or no, and if yes, the current percentage and basis (base price, less incentives), confirmed in writing the same day report |
| What do you need from me to register my buyer? | The exact registration channel for this community (form, email, phone) and the deadline (before or at first visit) |
| Do I need to be there in person for the first visit? | State the community's rule plainly; note whether a virtual accompaniment is accepted |
| What is your written buyer-broker agreement requirement? | Confirm you will ask for the signed agreement and its terms at first visit, consistent with the NAR settlement rule verified |
| What is the current incentive, exactly? | Written terms, not a verbal summary: what qualifies, what it is tied to (lender, close date, specific home), and the expiration |
| Is this home spec or to-be-built, and what is the real completion window? | The honest build-time estimate for this plan and phase, not the optimistic one |
| What happens if my buyer's agreement rate is higher than your co-op? | State plainly that most builders pay only up to their own stated co-op rate regardless of the buyer's agreement terms, per KB Home's published policy as one confirmed example verified; direct the agent to resolve any gap with their buyer in the buyer-broker agreement |
| Can I get on your list for inventory updates? | Yes, with a one-line description of what they will get and how often (see the hotsheet below) |
| Is this community's co-op the same as your other communities? | No by default; confirm co-op is set and verified per community, not builder-wide |
| Who do I call with questions during the build? | Your direct line and the construction or OSC handoff point for questions outside your control |
Broker events and the agent list
An agent list is the asset behind every broker event and every hotsheet send. Build it with consent, not by scraping registration cards for names that never agreed to be on a marketing list.
- Ask every registering agent directly: "Can I add you to our monthly community update? It's one email, current pricing and incentives, opt out anytime." Record the yes.
- Keep the list per community, not one master list, since co-op and incentives differ by community and an agent may only want updates on the ones they actively work.
- Host or attend a broker open at least once a quarter; the ask at that event is the same consent line, in person, plus a QR code or sign-up sheet so the agent does not need to remember to follow up.
- Send one thing monthly at minimum, even in a slow month: current pricing, active incentives, any new phase release, and upcoming broker events. A list that never hears from you goes cold.
- Honor every opt-out immediately. An agent list is worth less than the trust it costs to keep someone on it who asked to leave.
The weekly hotsheet
No individual production builder's own agent-facing weekly hotsheet template was located in the research for this guide; the one confirmed example is a regional builders' association publishing a "Realtor Hot Sheet" of quick move-in homes to local agents, not an individual builder's own send verified. The worked example below comes from a Phoenix buyer's agent who builds inventory tools for builder reps, describing a hotsheet built for one rep and sent no wider than that rep's own list operator.
What is on it. New homes released since last week, price cuts (with the dollar amount), homes that went under contract or sold ("gone"), this weekend's open houses and a home-of-the-week pick, and the current incentive stated plainly. One forwardable page.
How it is built. The rep's own inventory workbook is exported this week and diffed against last week's export, home by home, using a stable identity for each home (community plus lot number) so a renumbered or re-listed home does not read as a false "new." The diff produces exactly four buckets: new, price cut, gone, and unchanged. Only the first three go on the hotsheet; a static list of everything unchanged is not worth an agent's time to read every week operator.
Why "what changed" beats a static inventory link. A link to the full inventory page asks the agent to do the comparison themselves, every week, against a memory of what it looked like last time. A hotsheet does that comparison for them. That is the entire value proposition, and it is also why a stale inventory export undermines the tool faster than no hotsheet at all: an agent who catches one wrong "new" listing stops trusting all of them.
The text version. Not every agent opens a formatted page on their phone in a parking lot. A plain-text version that copies and pastes straight into a text message or forwarded email keeps the hotsheet usable in the moment an agent is standing with a buyer, not just at a desk.
Template, one page, built from the diff:
[Community name] hotsheet, week of [date] From [rep name], [builder], [phone] NEW THIS WEEK - [Address/lot], [plan], [beds/baths], [sqft], $[price], est. close [date] PRICE CUTS - [Address/lot]: $[old price] -> $[new price] (-$[amount]) GONE (sold or under contract since last week) - [Address/lot] OPEN HOUSES THIS WEEKEND - [Address/lot], [day], [time range] HOME OF THE WEEK - [Address/lot]: [one line, why it's worth a look] CURRENT INCENTIVE - [Exact terms, what qualifies, expiration] Questions or want a private showing for your buyer? Call or text me directly.
Keep every number in the hotsheet traceable to the current workbook export. If a field is not confirmed for this week, leave it blank or mark it "confirming," never a carried-over guess.
Claude workflow: weekly hotsheet to agents
Trigger: this week's inventory export is ready, and last week's export is on hand.
What Claude prepares: a diff of this week's export against last week's (new, price cuts, gone) and a first draft of the hotsheet page and its paste-ready text version, using the template above.
What the human checks and does: checks every price and every lot number against the current workbook before anything goes out, confirms this weekend's open houses and the home-of-the-week pick are still accurate, and sends it from the rep's own account or number.
What is never automated: the send, and any claim about a home's status that has not been reconfirmed against this week's data.
What agents say they want from you
Trade-press coverage of buyer's agents working new construction converges on a short, consistent list, cross-referenced across multiple sources rather than a single formal survey report: current, accurate incentive sheets so a new build can be compared fairly against resale and against other builders; upfront, specific disclosure of what is available on already-built inventory versus to-be-built homes; fast written confirmation of incentives and co-op terms rather than verbal promises; and honest, realistic delivery timelines they can pass on to their buyer client.
What an agent partner asks a builder for in writing, drawn from a builder-facing package draft prepared for a Phoenix new-construction operation, maps onto the same list: written co-op and registration terms per community, a live inventory sheet rather than a stale export, a written incentive sheet, a named contact who answers fast, and inventory kept current on a real cadence rather than an occasionally updated spreadsheet operator. None of that is a special ask; it is what you would want if you were cross-shopping three communities for a buyer on a deadline.
Claude workflow: agent FAQ and co-op confirmation email
Trigger: an agent calls or emails with a registration or co-op question, or a rep is prepping the FAQ answers for a new community before the phones start ringing.
What Claude prepares: a draft answer using the FAQ table above, and, once a co-op rate has been verbally confirmed by the human, a draft of the one-paragraph co-op confirmation email using the template above.
What the human checks and does: confirms the current registration rule and co-op rate for this specific community before either draft goes out; co-op or incentive numbers are never quoted from a prior week's draft.
What is never automated: the verbal or written co-op confirmation itself, and the send.
Claude workflow: monthly agent update draft
Trigger: the monthly send date for a community's opted-in agent list.
What Claude prepares: a short draft covering current pricing, active incentives, any new phase release, and upcoming broker events, pulled from the rep's current inventory and incentive sheets.
What the human checks and does: confirms every figure against the current sheet, confirms the send list only includes agents who opted in for this specific community, and sends it.
What is never automated: building or expanding the send list, and the send itself.
Reviews and referrals for agents
None of the review platforms found in this research (Eliant, Avid Ratings, GuildQuality) were built for collecting agent testimonials about a rep; they survey the homebuyer's purchase experience with the builder claim. Realtor relationships are a separate track, and they compound differently: an agent who had a clean, well-documented experience at your community is a repeat source, not a one-time review.
Ask an agent to keep bringing buyers back the same way you would ask for a review: at a natural high point, specific to that transaction, not a form-letter blast. After a smooth registration, a confirmed co-op, and a closing that went as you told the agent it would, a short thank-you naming the transaction and inviting them back for the next phase release does more than a generic "please refer us" message. That pattern is drawn from real estate review-request practice generally, not new-home-specific research, and is adapted here rather than sourced to a new-home study report.
What stays human
- Every co-op number, quoted verbally and then confirmed in writing, per community, every time.
- Deciding whether a walk-in buyer qualifies as registered under the community's specific rule, and explaining that decision to the agent.
- Checking every price, incentive, and lot status on the hotsheet against the current workbook before it is sent.
- Building and maintaining the opted-in agent list; consent is never assumed from a registration card alone.
- The send, on every agent-facing draft Claude prepares.
Do this today
- Write down your community's exact registration rule and pre-registration channel, and read it back to yourself as the script above reads it to an agent.
- Send one co-op confirmation email today, even for a co-op you already discussed verbally last week.
- Start an opted-in agent list for one community if you do not already have one, and send the first monthly update this month.
Sources
- KB Home, agent registration and co-op policy, kbhome.com/for-agents, retrieved 2026-09-04
- Lennar Resource Center, broker/agent policy (search-engine summary; direct fetch blocked, needs human re-verification), resourcecenter.lennar.com/lennar-news/our-broker-real-estate-agent-policy, retrieved 2026-09-04
- NAR, "What the NAR Settlement Means for Home Buyers and Sellers," nar.realtor/the-facts, retrieved 2026-09-04
- Brokers Bridge, "How New Construction Is Changing the Buyer Agent Equation in 2026," brokersbridge.com, retrieved 2026-09-04
- BRC Denver, builder incentive and co-op market example, brcdenver.com/builder-incentives-are-back, retrieved 2026-09-04
- Mile High Title Guy, Denver builder co-op example, milehightitleguy.com, retrieved 2026-09-04
- Building Association of Tri-Counties, agent registration guideline, static1.squarespace.com (BATC-Registration-Form1.pdf), retrieved 2026-09-04
- The Close, builder incentives and buyer's-agent coverage, theclose.com/news-builder-incentives-new-construction, retrieved 2026-09-04
- HousingWire, homebuilder sales incentives and NAR agents, housingwire.com/articles/homebuilder-sales-incentives-spring-purchase-season-nar-agents, retrieved 2026-09-04
- North State Building Industry Association, "Realtor Hot Sheet," northstatebia.org/realtor-hot-sheet, retrieved 2026-09-04
- Eliant, homebuilder customer-experience surveys, eliant.com/about, eliant.com/surveys, retrieved 2026-09-04
- Avid Ratings, homebuilder review platform, avidratings.com/homebuilder-ratings-reviews-platform, retrieved 2026-09-04
- SelectHub, GuildQuality summary, selecthub.com/p/reputation-management-software/guildquality, retrieved 2026-09-04
- Homes for Heroes, review-request practice for agents, homesforheroes.com/articles/how-to-ask-for-a-google-review-tips-agents, retrieved 2026-09-04
- NHFAZ-BUILDER-REP-VALUE-BRIEF-2026-09-02.md, operator working document, 2026-09-02
- NHFAZ-BUILDER-PACKAGE-DRAFT-2026-08-20.md, operator working document, 2026-08-20
- NHFAZ-INVENTORY-SHEET-CONCEPT-2026-08-20.md, operator working document, 2026-08-20
- drhinventory-hotsheet operator memory file, weekly per-rep hotsheet build and deploy notes, 2026-09-02
Starting from zero? Use the field manuals first.
02 · BEFORE YOU BUY SOFTWARE
If you're still choosing the buyer, offer, stack, agents, content, customers, and delivery, don't start with a tool: start with the manuals. These create local worksheets only: no checkout, outreach, or account setup.
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