A client came to me after buying an investment property on their own. Good suburb. Nice property. The deal had gone through without a hitch. Months later, in a conversation with a local property manager, they found out they had paid approximately $35,000 more than two comparable properties had sold for in the same street in the preceding six weeks. Properties the selling agent had known about. Information that was available to anyone who knew how to pull it.
They had not been cheated. The selling agent had done their job. Nobody had lied.
They just had not known what they did not know.
That is the story I think about when someone asks me whether they need a buyer’s agent. Not as a scare tactic. As a genuine illustration of the gap between what is visible in a property transaction and what is happening underneath it.
The Question Behind the Question
When people ask whether they need a buyer’s agent, they are usually asking something more specific: is the fee worth it?
That is the right question. A buyer’s agent fee in Australia typically sits between $8,000 and $30,000 depending on property value and service level. That is real money. It deserves a real answer rather than a universal yes.
My honest answer is that it depends on your situation. And there are genuine situations where I would not pay for one.
When I Genuinely Would Not Pay For One
Let me start here, because I think this is the section most buyer’s agent advocates leave out.
If you were buying your own home in an area you had lived in for twenty years, where you knew the streets, had seen dozens of properties come and go, understood what the comparable sales actually meant, and had the time to do the research properly, I would seriously question whether you needed professional representation. The knowledge gap that makes a buyer’s agent valuable is much smaller when you genuinely know the market.
If you were an experienced investor who had bought multiple properties, had a track record of strong negotiation outcomes, had real relationships in your target market, and fully understood what to look for in a due diligence process, you might well be capable of managing the transaction yourself. Experience is a real substitute for representation, when it is genuine experience and not just confidence.
If you had strong negotiation skills from a professional background, a thorough understanding of building and strata issues, and the time to commit to the process properly, the value a buyer’s agent adds over what you could do yourself is narrower.
And if the property is straightforward, in a market you know, with no unusual complexity in the purchase, the fee may simply not be proportionate to the risk you are managing.
The goal is not to convince everyone to use a buyer’s agent. The goal is to know when the value of having one clearly exceeds the cost.
When the Value Is Hard to Argue Against
For most people buying investment property in a state or city where they do not live, the case is much stronger.
You do not know the streets. You do not know which blocks have flight path issues or which streets flood. You do not know which selling agents have earned a reputation for misrepresenting comparable sales. You do not have the relationships that give a buyer’s agent access to properties before they are publicly listed.
When you are genuinely operating outside your knowledge base, the risk of getting the decision wrong is higher. And in property, getting the decision wrong does not usually announce itself immediately. It announces itself slowly, through a property that never quite performs the way the numbers suggested, or through a discovery months later that would have been obvious to someone with more experience.
The overpayment story I started with is one version. Buying in the wrong suburb is another, quieter version that takes longer to surface. Signing a contract without properly understanding a strata issue is a third.
What Actually Gets Missed Without One
I want to be specific here rather than vague, because the value of a buyer’s agent is often described in abstract terms.
The specific things that tend to get missed:
Comparable sales that were different enough to invalidate the pricing argument; these are not visible to someone who does not know the market at street level.
Strata minutes that bury a looming remediation levy; someone who reads hundreds of these knows what to look for and what to ask about.
Properties that never appear publicly – roughly 30% of Australian transactions happen before the property reaches any listing platform, through professional networks.
Negotiation leverage that exists but is not obvious for example, days on market, vendor circumstances, the spread between asking price and genuine market value.
Due diligence questions that only experienced buyers think to ask. Not because they are secrets, but because you do not know what you do not know yet.
None of these are guarantees. A good buyer’s agent does not eliminate all risk. What they do is reduce the specific risks that come from operating outside your experience.
Why the Right Match Matters More Than the Right Agent
Here is the part of this conversation that I think is undervalued.
Buyer’s agents are not interchangeable. A buyer’s agent with deep knowledge of Brisbane investment properties is not the right person to buy a family home in Hobart. A generalist who covers six states and three price points may not have the local market depth of a specialist who knows your exact target suburb at a street level.
Most content about buyer’s agents treats them as a generic category of professional. What I have seen is that the match between the agent and the assignment matters enormously. A mismatched buyer’s agent is not obviously bad. They will follow a process. They will provide a service. But the difference between a well-matched specialist and a capable generalist, in terms of market access, negotiation positioning, and data quality, can be significant.
This is why I refer clients to Converta when they are ready for established property nationally. The model is built around matching: your budget, your target locations, your property type. The agent you get should genuinely specialise in what you are trying to buy. That is not always the case when you find a buyer’s agent through a generic search.
How Converta works
You tell them your budget, target locations, and timeline. They match you with a vetted buyer’s agent who specialises in your exact market, not a generalist who covers everything.
Your matched agent contacts you within 24 hours for a free introductory call. Clear upfront pricing. No obligation.
The matching service is free to use. converta.com.au
Where a Property Coach Fits
A buyer’s agent helps you find and acquire the right property. A property coach helps you get clear on what the right property actually looks like for you before you start looking.
These are not competing roles. Clients who work through The Continuum Pathway before engaging a buyer’s agent arrive with a clear brief. They know their strategy, their borrowing position, their risk tolerance, and what they are actually trying to achieve. The buyer’s agent can get straight to work rather than working out the strategy alongside the search.
Going straight to a buyer’s agent without that clarity sometimes produces outcomes that are technically competent but not quite right for where the client is in their life. A good property, in a good suburb, that turns out to be the wrong fit for the next chapter.
The sequence that tends to work
- Coaching: Get clear on strategy, goals, and financial position
- Finance: Understand borrowing capacity with a trusted mortgage broker
- Buyer’s agent: Find and secure the right property (converta.com.au for established property nationally)
- Professional team: Conveyancer, accountant, property manager
None of these steps are mandatory. But when they happen in roughly this order, the decisions tend to be more considered.
Want to talk through whether this is the right next step for you?
Book a discovery call at thecontinuum.com.au/contact
I will look at where you are in the process and help you figure out whether a buyer’s agent now is the right move or whether there are things worth doing first.
Coaching fee structure
I earn income through referral partnerships and property transactions, but only when a client chooses to move forward. Nobody is pushed.
Frequently asked questions
Is a buyer’s agent worth it for a first investment property?
In most cases, yes, but not universally. First-time investors are working with new markets and limited negotiation experience. The risk of overpaying or buying in the wrong location is highest when you have the least experience. That said, if you have genuinely strong market knowledge in your target area and real negotiation experience from another context, the calculation shifts. The honest answer depends on your specific situation.
What is the difference between a buyer’s agent and a real estate agent?
A real estate agent represents the seller. Their job is to achieve the best possible outcome for the vendor. A buyer’s agent represents you. Their job is to find the right property at the best possible price on your behalf. They have opposing goals in the same transaction. When you negotiate directly with a real estate agent, you are negotiating against a professional who does this every day.
What does a buyer’s agent typically charge?
Fees generally range from $8,000 to $30,000 depending on property value, location, and service level. Most reputable agents work on a flat fee rather than a percentage of the purchase price. Flat fees remove the incentive to push you toward a higher purchase price. Always ask how an agent is paid before engaging them, and be cautious of anyone who is not immediately clear about their fee structure.
How do I know if I am ready to engage a buyer’s agent?
You are probably ready when you have a clear strategy, a confirmed borrowing position from a mortgage broker, a specific brief around what you are looking for, and the financial capacity to proceed if the right property is found. Going to a buyer’s agent without those things in place tends to slow the process and increase the cost. Working through those questions first, whether with a property coach or independently, makes the buyer’s agent engagement significantly more efficient.
Can a buyer’s agent access properties that are not publicly listed?
Yes. A meaningful proportion of Australian properties change hands without appearing on public listing platforms. These opportunities move through professional networks between selling agents and buyer’s agents who have established trust over time. The proportion and significance of this varies by market and price point, but it is a real structural advantage of working with a well-connected buyer’s agent rather than searching public listings alone.
Related reading
What a Buyer’s Agent Actually Does
What Is a Mortgage Broker and Why Even Bother?
Why Smart People Make Bad Property Decisions
The Moment Most Buyers Lose Control
Disclaimer
This article contains general information only and does not constitute financial, legal or tax advice. Please speak to a licensed financial advisor, solicitor or mortgage broker about your specific circumstances. Aimee Templeman is a licensed real estate agent however approaches property through the lens of learning and empowerment. She has decades of experience coaching and advising everyday Australians and executive decision makers. Book a conversation with Aimee at Contact.