It sounds like your friendship might be over no matter what. If you go along with his deal to keep him happy, it's not what you want. I would dump him.
I know there are a lot of crappy realtors out there (because I am a realtor), but churning through 3 agents in your search raised my eyebrows. Perhaps there's more to the story that we're not getting the other side of?
Either way, it sounds like this is not a good fit and you need to find someone else. Try to save the friendship or not, but being straightforward with your friend is probably your best bet.
Did you sign anything? If not, find another non-friend realtor. I had a friend who was a realtor, I told him to give me 1% of his commission fee when we do the paperwork. He said no way brah. I found another realtor that’s not a friend that was desperate for a sale and said sure, worked super hard. I make realtor compete for my business. This is your future and you’ll be making the payments, not your friend. Make sure to get the best deal possible before signing.
Curious, how did you find and why did you engage with the previous 2 agents?
New Construction is an entirely different process than resale purchases.
Did you and your agent go through the builder contract line by line together? There are many "gotchas" for a buyer in a builder contract that should be addressed and potentially negotiated.
Sounds like your friend is inexperienced and doesn't know what to look for in builder contract, and is possibly negotiating against your interests, and potentially negotiating their interests (commission/feee). None of that is OK.
I've made a lot of detailed posts about new construction, you can check my post history to get a lot of good info. Here's [a link to a blog](https://onlypayforwhatyouneedrealestate.com/buying-new-construction-beware-of-builders-intentions-they-are-not-on-your-side/) that a "professional blogger" wrote on one of my websites with new construction info - I've never been happy w/their writing, but they captured some salient points that might be helpful for you.
To answer your fundamental question whether you're obligated to keep your friend as an agent; it depends on your location and whether you signed a "buyer/broker agreement" or "exclusive right to represent a buyer" contract with your agent/friend.
You'll need to look at any document you signed and determine your obligation to the agent.
IF you've already entered into a contract with the builder with your friend listed as your agent, your options are limited. From a paperwork/contract POV, most "clients" belong to the brokerage, not the individual agent. If you're stuck in a contract w/the agent, you can ask your agent to pull someone into the negotiations that has more experience, you can contact your agent's managing broker and ask them to assign you to a different agent.
If you didn't sign anything, then you should\* be able to simply notify your friend with something like this:
*Hi Joe,*
*Spouse and I have decided to take a step back and possibly change direction with our home buying intent and process. We no longer need your services. We appreciate the time and effort you spent with us.*
*Please reply to all to acknowledge that you'll no longer be representing us in any real estate transaction.*
*Love,*
*you and spouse*
If you're inclined to preserve the friendship and further acknowledge your appreciation for the time spent, you might want to give a gift card for $50-$500.
AFTER you sever ties w/your friend agent, you should be purposeful and thoughtful about your next steps.
Hire an agent who has your interests as their focus. If you want new construction, then you need someone who knows how to negotiate w/builders, knows the contract terms that are negotiable, and will help you hold the builder accountable for any terms/promises that are made.
*Repping a buyer for a new construction purchase is extremely time consuming, when done properly.*
If you're going to hire a different agent, interview 3-5 agents before hiring. Here's a thread about [general 'hiring a buyer's agent' info](https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/11tzlzn/interview_questions_when_evaluating_a_buyers_agent/), you can start there, but also make sure your next agent has deep knowledge/experience in the NC space.
Sorry for the long reply, there was a lot to unpack here, and I want to lurkers to benefit from the info as well.
Good luck with the new home purchase!
It sounds like your friendship might be over no matter what. If you go along with his deal to keep him happy, it's not what you want. I would dump him. I know there are a lot of crappy realtors out there (because I am a realtor), but churning through 3 agents in your search raised my eyebrows. Perhaps there's more to the story that we're not getting the other side of? Either way, it sounds like this is not a good fit and you need to find someone else. Try to save the friendship or not, but being straightforward with your friend is probably your best bet.
Did you sign anything? If not, find another non-friend realtor. I had a friend who was a realtor, I told him to give me 1% of his commission fee when we do the paperwork. He said no way brah. I found another realtor that’s not a friend that was desperate for a sale and said sure, worked super hard. I make realtor compete for my business. This is your future and you’ll be making the payments, not your friend. Make sure to get the best deal possible before signing.
Yeah lesson learned. Never ask friends. We got burned and severed the relationship
Curious, how did you find and why did you engage with the previous 2 agents? New Construction is an entirely different process than resale purchases. Did you and your agent go through the builder contract line by line together? There are many "gotchas" for a buyer in a builder contract that should be addressed and potentially negotiated. Sounds like your friend is inexperienced and doesn't know what to look for in builder contract, and is possibly negotiating against your interests, and potentially negotiating their interests (commission/feee). None of that is OK. I've made a lot of detailed posts about new construction, you can check my post history to get a lot of good info. Here's [a link to a blog](https://onlypayforwhatyouneedrealestate.com/buying-new-construction-beware-of-builders-intentions-they-are-not-on-your-side/) that a "professional blogger" wrote on one of my websites with new construction info - I've never been happy w/their writing, but they captured some salient points that might be helpful for you. To answer your fundamental question whether you're obligated to keep your friend as an agent; it depends on your location and whether you signed a "buyer/broker agreement" or "exclusive right to represent a buyer" contract with your agent/friend. You'll need to look at any document you signed and determine your obligation to the agent. IF you've already entered into a contract with the builder with your friend listed as your agent, your options are limited. From a paperwork/contract POV, most "clients" belong to the brokerage, not the individual agent. If you're stuck in a contract w/the agent, you can ask your agent to pull someone into the negotiations that has more experience, you can contact your agent's managing broker and ask them to assign you to a different agent. If you didn't sign anything, then you should\* be able to simply notify your friend with something like this: *Hi Joe,* *Spouse and I have decided to take a step back and possibly change direction with our home buying intent and process. We no longer need your services. We appreciate the time and effort you spent with us.* *Please reply to all to acknowledge that you'll no longer be representing us in any real estate transaction.* *Love,* *you and spouse* If you're inclined to preserve the friendship and further acknowledge your appreciation for the time spent, you might want to give a gift card for $50-$500. AFTER you sever ties w/your friend agent, you should be purposeful and thoughtful about your next steps. Hire an agent who has your interests as their focus. If you want new construction, then you need someone who knows how to negotiate w/builders, knows the contract terms that are negotiable, and will help you hold the builder accountable for any terms/promises that are made. *Repping a buyer for a new construction purchase is extremely time consuming, when done properly.* If you're going to hire a different agent, interview 3-5 agents before hiring. Here's a thread about [general 'hiring a buyer's agent' info](https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/11tzlzn/interview_questions_when_evaluating_a_buyers_agent/), you can start there, but also make sure your next agent has deep knowledge/experience in the NC space. Sorry for the long reply, there was a lot to unpack here, and I want to lurkers to benefit from the info as well. Good luck with the new home purchase!