We're moving from within Texas to another city in Texas that has a lot of new construction (not much existing supply). My wife has been putting out feelers for a realtor and dealing with the move. One of the realtors wrote the following:

Important Information: If you visit a new home builder, please take your agent with you or give the builder your agent's name. If you do not do this when you first sign in at the builder's office, you will not have representation of your own during negotiations.  (his words bolded in the email)

We were thinking of heading up this weekend to walk around and maybe casually look at some model homes.  Of course, we're nowhere near the point of sitting down and doing negotiations and actually buying...yet.  But the email makes it sound like once we talk to the builders/salespeople, our name gets put on a list, and we can then never go out and get a realtor once we're ready to sit down and actually make the deal.  Is this accurate?  My wife reached texted one of her realtor friends in another city and she pretty much said the same thing - that you have to have a realtor when you first go talk to them.  But that just doesn't make sense to me.  

I don't know if that just realtor talk or actual law or standard practice.  Any insights from new builders, realtors, others, TNT?