A buyers agent works for you, not the seller. They find, negotiate, and bid. Typically save more than their fee.
Buyers agents negotiate property purchases every day. Here are the types of outcomes they routinely achieve — based on industry data from REBAA and publicly reported case studies from licenced buyers agents.
A 3-bedroom house in Sydney's Inner West is listed with a price guide of $1.2 million. The property receives strong interest with 4 registered bidders.
Without a buyers agent: The buyer attends the auction, gets caught in competitive bidding, and purchases at $1.21 million — $10,000 above the guide.
With a buyers agent: The agent researches comparable sales (3 similar properties sold for $1.05M-$1.12M in the past 90 days), identifies the property is overpriced at $1.2M, negotiates a pre-auction offer of $1.08 million which the vendor accepts to avoid auction risk.
Saving: $130,000. Buyers agent fee at 1.8% = $19,440. Net saving: $110,560.
A couple looking for a 2-bedroom apartment in North Sydney with a $900K budget. After 4 months searching on Domain and realestate.com.au, they've missed out on 3 properties at auction.
Their buyers agent contacts 15 local selling agents directly and identifies a vendor who wants to sell quietly without the stress of an open campaign. The apartment is purchased for $850,000 — comparable units on the same street sold publicly for $910,000-$940,000 in the same quarter.
Saving: $60,000-$90,000 below market. Plus 4 months of search time saved and no auction stress.
Access to off-market stock: The Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA) reports that 15-25% of residential sales in Sydney and Melbourne happen off-market. Selling agents share these opportunities with buyers agents first because it's a quick, easy sale for their vendor.
Comparable sales data: Buyers agents access RP Data/CoreLogic at a professional level — they can pull every sale within 500m of a property in the last 12 months, adjusted for land size, bedrooms, and condition. This tells them exactly what a property is worth, not what the selling agent says it's worth.
Auction strategy: A buyers agent typically attends 200+ auctions per year. They know the tactics — late registration, aggressive opening bids, strategic pauses — that consistently produce better outcomes than emotional bidding.
Due diligence coordination: They arrange building inspections, pest inspections, strata report reviews, and council certificate checks — often within 48 hours in competitive situations where you'd normally need a week.
Examples are illustrative and based on typical industry outcomes. Individual results vary by market, property type, and negotiation circumstances. Buyers agent fees vary — confirm fee structure before engaging.
When you’re buying in a competitive market, purchasing from interstate, time-poor, unfamiliar with an area, buying at auction, looking for investment property, or when the property is worth more than $800,000. The higher the purchase price, the more a buyers agent saves you in absolute dollars.
Typical fees are 1.5–2.5% of the purchase price or a flat fee of $10,000–$25,000. Most charge an engagement fee upfront with the balance due at settlement. Fees are generally tax-deductible for investment purchases.
For investment properties, buyers agent fees are added to your cost base and reduce your Capital Gains Tax when you sell. They are not immediately deductible as an expense but do reduce your tax liability on sale.
Through direct relationships with selling agents, property networks, database access, and industry contacts. Many sellers prefer to sell quietly without public listings — buyers agents are often the first to know about these opportunities.
Yes — this is one of their most valuable services. They research the property, determine a fair value, develop a bidding strategy, and bid on your behalf on auction day. You don’t even need to attend.
They are the same thing. “Buyers agent” and “buyers advocate” are used interchangeably in Australia. Both must hold a real estate licence in the state where they operate.