A one-time show listing is an option available to the homeowner that allows the otherwise FSBO (For Sale By Owner) property to be shown by an agent. For this to happen, the seller/vendor must sign an agreement that names the prospective buyer and states the amount of commission to be payable to the named agent if the property is sold to said buyer. It effectively prevents the seller and buyer from reaching an agreement without the agent’s participation at a later stage and without paying the agent’s commission.

While this arrangement may mean that your property is shown to prospective buyers that it would otherwise not be exposed to, agents will tend not to invest their time and money into marketing your property or include it in an MLS (Multiple Listing System) that is commonly used by buyers as a database to search from.

Property owners looking to sell their homes in this way should be cautious when approached by agents who claim to have a buyer lined up who is looking for a property similar to theirs. In this case, no listing agreement should be signed as the listing is not necessary. Additionally, you should be able to negotiate a cut in the agent’s commission as a portion of that which is usually attributed to marketing the property. Thus, the seller should insist on signing only a one-time-showing commission agreement to avoid paying more than he or she needs to.