How do I find a good buyer's agent in Australia?

Verify REBAA membership at rebaa.com.au, demand a fixed-fee structure (not percentage-of-purchase if avoidable), ask for the last 10 picks dated with 12-month outcomes, confirm core-competence states and LGAs, ask how they triangulate fair value (three signals minimum), and run the 12-question vetting script in this page's sidebar before signing an engagement letter.

What should a good buyer's agent be willing to show?

They should show a sample brief, cite primary sources, explain how they triangulate fair value, disclose fees in writing, and provide dated examples of past recommendations with later outcomes. If they cannot show their working, treat the engagement as higher risk.

How much does it cost to hire a buyer's agent in Australia in 2026?

Three structures: fixed-fee A$12,000-A$18,000 for full search-and-acquire mandate; percentage 2.0-2.5% of purchase price (so A$24-37k on a A$1.2-1.5m property); hourly + retainer A$3,000 retainer + A$300/hour for specialist mandates. Specialist negotiation-only mandates run A$3-6k. Auction-day-only mandates run A$1,500-A$5,000. Always disclosed in writing in the engagement letter under the REBAA code of conduct.

Should I use propautopilot AND a buyer's agent at the same time?

Yes. A common pattern is a self-serve research plan for the strategic work plus a specialist BA mandate (A$3-6k) for negotiation only. The BA negotiates with the vendor's agent and handles auction execution; the buyer keeps control of the strategic decisions. This typically cuts the BA fee compared to full search-and-acquire while preserving the specialist value at the negotiation step.

Buyer's agents

If you're hiring one, choose with the same rigour propautopilot uses.

If a buyer's agent is right for you, this page gives you the 12-question vetting script, cost frame, and decision tool to choose with evidence instead of testimonials.

First, make sure you actually need one.

About 50-60% of buyers who consider engaging a buyer's agent end up using a self-serve research plan instead, or a hybrid research-plus-negotiation mandate at A$3-6k. The 6-input decision tool takes 90 seconds and helps buyers avoid paying for a full mandate when they only need specialist negotiation.

Run the decision tool first →

The 12-question vetting script.

Bring this script into the introductory call with any prospective buyer's agent. Most will answer 8-10 of these confidently. The ones who answer all 12 are the ones worth A$15-25k.

Are you a current REBAA member? (Cross-check at rebaa.com.au.)
What's your fee structure: fixed-fee, or percentage of purchase?
Do you receive any vendor-side commission, kickback, or referral fee?
Show me your last 10 picks, dated, with 12-month outcomes.
Which states and LGAs sit inside your core competence zone?
How do you triangulate fair value? Comparable sales, yield, replacement cost?
Show me a sample suburb brief you'd give a client.
What primary sources do you cite? (Public records, state land records, ABS, ATO?)
What does your engagement letter say about scope creep and add-on fees?
What's your professional indemnity insurance limit and provider?
Will you show your working in a client-ready brief?
What's your held / missed grading methodology? How do you know last year's picks worked?

Detailed rationale + primary-source links for each question lives in Chapter 1 of the playbook.

What a strong buyer's agent should be able to show

Client-ready research briefs. Every shortlisted suburb should be cited to primary sources, with clear assumptions and claims the buyer can audit.
49-metric scorecard on every shortlist. Vacancy, demand-supply pressure, growth windows, renter mix, days-on-market. The same scorecard the agent uses internally.
Dated recommendation tracking. Ask how the agent records held / missed calls over time. Dated, auditable examples are stronger than testimonials.
Three-input fair-value triangulation.The agent's offer ladder uses comparable-sales floor, gross-to-net yield model, and replacement-cost-plus-land floor. The same triangulation the playbook walks the buyer through in Chapter 7.
Methodology auditability. The agent should be comfortable explaining their selection rubric, sources, and evidence threshold before you sign.

For advisers using Pro.

Pro is the buyer-side adviser workspace: client profiles, scoped briefs, co-branded handovers, team seats, calendar exports, and an activity log. It is a workspace for managing existing client work, not a public lead directory.

See pricing →See Pro features →

Are you a buyer's agent reading this?

propautopilot Pro (A$499/month) is built for REBAA-member buyer's agents, MFAA brokers, accountants and other buyer-side advisory practices. Pro tier covers: client cockpit (multiple briefs in one workspace), co-branded PDFs, audit log, calendar export, and 3 team seats. Public methodology at /methodology; pricing at /pricing.

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