Strategic Buyers Agent Sydney
Everything you need to know about using a buyers agent in Australia’s largest capital city.
We tirelessly pursue the best property for our clients. We are uniquely qualified to ensure your success. Our Sydney buyers agency offers you:
As the nation’s most competitive performing property market, buying an investment or residential property in Sydney is no easy task. With enormous competition for the best properties from many savvy investors, and ruthless sales agents representing demanding vendors, getting what you want can take some serious preparation and support.
That’s where we can help. Our Sydney buyers agents are deeply versed in the local property market, and understand the strategies, nuances, legal framework, and negotiation tactics that can grant you the greatest chance of success.
A buyers agent (also known as a buyers advocate) is a licensed real estate professional who works exclusively for the buyer. This means they they can assist a property buyer in:
Buyers agents typically have many years of experience in real estate sales, and therefore know the pitfalls, legal concerns, idiosyncrasies, and quirks of the sale process. They therefore provide an all-important “protective screen” when dealing with sales agents, who are often skilled at bringing about the best possible outcome for their vendor (sometimes, it must be said, by using unscrupulous tactics).
In short, buyers agents help you, the buyer, to make the best possible property decisions, whether purchasing as an investment or for owner-occupation.
A selling agent is engaged by the vendor to sell a property at the highest possible price and most favourable terms for the vendor. This means that they are, in a sense, in competition with you as a buyer. You want the most affordable price, they want the highest price – so be warned, they are not there to serve you in the sales process. They are there to act in the best interests of the vendor.
On the other hand, a buyers agent does not sell real estate and is engaged by the buyer to purchase a property at the lowest possible price and most favourable terms for the buyer. They work solely for you.
For most people, buying a property is the largest financial decision they will ever make. This decision can have enormous impact on the buyer’s financial position, quality of life, family situation, and indeed their peace of mind.
Moreover, Sydney’s property market is highly complex. Opportunities abound, but that doesn’t mean you can afford to be careless or ignorant. Indeed, it’s just as easy to go wrong with your purchase in Sydney as it is anywhere else, and Sydney’s higher prices when compared to most other cities in Australia can mean that a bad property decision here can be even more costly than elsewhere.
Purchasers in Sydney’s market, above all property markets in Australia, can benefit from using a buyers agent simply because the stakes are often so much higher here. Paying for a little bit of professional expertise can save you a great deal of time, money, and stress, and help to protect you from disappointment in the high-stakes game that is the Sydney property market.
Access to more properties – a buyers agent often gets earlier access to a wider range of properties, including silent and pre-market listings, which can allow a property to be secured before it’s even seen by the general public.
Yes, absolutely. Selling agents like dealing with buyers agents because they represent qualified buyers who are serious about purchasing a property and are usually prepared to decide and act quickly. Buyers agents understand the process, know what’s happening in the market, and are more experienced in evaluating a property and assessing its fair value. This generally makes them easier to deal with for selling agents, not to mention a repeat source of business for them.
There is no conflict of interest. This is because buyers agents work exclusively for the buyer in representing their best interests in negotiating and securing a property. They do not sell property or represent any vendors, nor do they receive any financial benefit relating to the purchase of a property other than the single fee paid by their client.
To start with, we recommend you meet as many buyers agents as you can. You are going to be working with this person and their team potentially for several months. They need to fully understand your needs and what you are looking for.
We recommend you make sure your chosen buyers agent has at least 5 years of buying experience, and that they specialise in the particular area you are looking in. If they don’t have deep relationships with the agents selling in that particular area, then find one that does. You want to be sure that your buyers agent really knows the Sydney property market, and especially their particular patch, like the back of their hand.
Just get in touch and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have. If you think you’re ready to get started with a buyers agent, we also offer a free, no-obligation property consultation to discuss your specific requirements.
Whilst we specialise in the Sydney market, we also have a strong referral network in most capital cities in Australia. Nevertheless, most clients that work with us are looking for a Sydney-based property buyers agent.
Within Sydney, we specialise in properties that are within 20 km of the CBD. Historically, this region is the strongest performer when it comes to property investment, and affords an enormous range of superb property investment choices throughout the area’s 189 suburbs.
Our extraordinary range of property purchasing experience means we can look at all types of property, throughout all of Sydney, and know precisely what we are dealing with. The only limitations are your criteria and your imagination.
However, our buyers agency has a core focus on residential property for both owner-occupiers and investors. We also have a specialist commercial property buyers agent as part of our team who can support all of your business property purchasing needs.
Once you have your finances in order and we start our search, it will typically take your Sydney buyers agent between 1–3 months to secure a property.
However, we do note that factors such as market conditions and an individual client’s requirements can influence this timeframe and make the process either longer or shorter.
We always start with strategy. Our buyers agents are assisted by our in-house property strategist, who is also a licensed financial adviser.
We feel it is essential to spend sufficient time ensuring your strategy will deliver upon your longer term goals and objectives. We strongly recommend all our property buyers participate in one of our tailored strategy sessions before committing to a plan – all at no cost or obligation to you.
Our Sydney buyers agents utilise our proprietary investment tool known as Area X-Ray™ to assist you in identifying which specific suburbs to buy in.
Area X-Ray™ analyses each of the 189 suburbs within 20 km of Sydney’s CBD against 16 purchasing criteria, and divides this list of suburbs into distinct zones which we have labeled Red, Blue and Green. In short, Red areas are not recommended for investment, Blue areas are acceptable (but not preferred), and Green areas are your strongest options for Sydney property investment success.
Utilising key tools such as Area X-Ray™, as well as our many years of property purchasing experience, our area experts will advise you on what the best purchasing options are for your chosen budget.
Once your search has commenced, your buyers agent will be inspecting properties both on and off the market, as well as pre-market opportunities that meet your specific brief. Your buyers agent will inspect all properties that meet your brief, updating you of any they feel are worth inspecting. Your buyers agent will only recommend the best possible properties that meet your objectives.
When it comes to selecting the best property, it’s true that “the devil is in the detail”.
As is standard with our approach, your buyers agent will complete full due diligence on the subject property. As necessary, we will arrange a pest/building/strata report and ensure all aspects are thoroughly considered and investigated.
Your buyers agent will also complete a comparative market analysis to establish an estimate of value, and advise you of what we believe the property is actually worth. Anyone can pay the top price, but a buyers agent who specialises in the specific area you are searching in will help ensure you pay the right price.
Your buyers agent will ensure you are fully ready to purchase the selected property before continuing. Once our due diligence process is complete, your buyers agent will advise and assist your solicitor/conveyancer regarding any recommended changes and amendments to be made to the contract. All our buyers agents are highly trained, expert negotiators – this is what we do.
Once a price is agreed upon, we will proceed and exchange on your behalf. Alternatively we will bid on your behalf should the property go to auction.
Our partnership does not end upon purchase. Your buyers agent will attend the pre-settlement inspection to ensure the property is in the same condition it was in at exchange, and will continue to protect your interest.
We work for you, the buyer, and only you. (This means that you are the one who pays our fee, and not the seller or anyone else.)
We work on a fixed-fee basis only. This means that, unlike many other Sydney buyers agents, we do not charge a percentage commission based on the value of your property purchase, or anything else.
We prefer this fixed-fee method as it means you will know exactly what you will pay before you purchase a property. This leads to greater peace of mind throughout your property purchasing process, avoiding any surprises along the way.
We will agree on this fixed fee before we do any work for you and before you sign our buyers agency agreement.
For more information on our fees, please just get in touch with us, and we’ll be happy to explain them in depth.
No – we don’t believe so! Our fixed fee represents only a very small percentage of the property purchase price. Furthermore, we typically save our clients significantly more than the value of our fee through negotiating the property to a much lower price than our client could have achieved alone.
Additionally, when our fee is weighed up against the cost of missing out on properties in a rising market, the costs of paying for building/pest reports, the value of your time looking each weekend, and the risk of overpaying or not correctly evaluating a property, we believe the value and benefits of having a professional do this for you becomes abundantly clear.
We can do as little or as much as you need assistance with. Here are some of our services you might not be aware of:
Yes – provided you are buying a property for investment purposes, you can add the cost of using a buyers agent to your “cost base”, meaning it is tax deductible. When you go to sell, this cost will come off the value of your capital gain. Please seek advice from your accountant to see how this may apply to you. (Unfortunately buyers agents’ fees for an owner-occupier purchase are not tax deductible.)
Whether you are local, interstate or overseas, we are able to help you purchase a property. With the right authorities in place, we can undertake all aspects of the property search and acquisition on your behalf.
Though you may be unable to physically inspect a property yourself, we will inspect, assess and provide our recommendations to you along with any photos, floorplans and virtual tours.
We always ensure that you have all the information you need to make an informed purchasing decision. Our Sydney buyers agents have assisted hundreds of clients living in other states and many other countries.
Once you have engaged our services, we undertake an extensive search on your behalf including local market analysis, physical inspections and contacting of many agents to uncover opportunities which have not yet hit the market. As such, our full fees are nevertheless payable even if you find a property on your own.
If you do happen to identify a property that we haven’t seen, then we request you let us know so that we can use our skills and experience to provide a full assessment of the property to determine its real market value and raise any potential issues.
Strategic Property Buyers Pty Ltd holds a corporation licence and our buyers agents each hold a full real estate licence. Our professional indemnity insurance covers up to $6 million in aggregate. For more information visit the Real Estate Institute of Australia https://reia.asn.au/
Off-market properties are properties not listed to the public and therefore not advertised on any online property portals such as realestate.com.au or domain.com.au. These may include properties known only to real estate sales agents, with instructions to sell only via their personal database of contacts (thereby saving the vendor advertising fees).
Each of our buyers agents is an expert in their particular part of Sydney, and maintains very close relationships with the selling agents in that patch. We therefore enjoy access to hundreds of off-market properties presented directly to us each year, with an opportunity to inspect these properties typically before anyone else has seen them.
Using our Sydney buyers agents can therefore assist you in finding an opportunity to purchase when so many other properties are being snapped up in advance. If you’ve ever missed out on a property you loved, this can be key to making sure it does not happen again.
Yes, you can. Unlike most buyers agents, we won’t lock you in for a specified minimum term. If you feel we don’t deserve your business, fire us. You can terminate any agreement with us with only 7 days notice.
If you cancel and you don’t purchase a property during our agreement period, you pay nothing further.
Never. We do not sell property. Our buyers agents work exclusively for the buyer.
Both. Our buyers agents can purchase property for owner-occupiers as well as for investors. We understand that these can be two very different searches with distinct motivations and objectives. So, whether you are buying an investment property, or you are an owner-occupier looking for your dream home, we can assist you to make sure you purchase for the right price and avoid overpaying.
Yes. Our Agency is a full member of the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA). See https://rebaa.com.au/members/strategic-investor-group/.
REBAA is an alliance of professional buyers agents formed to establish the highest standards and accreditation in the real estate industry and facilitate professional development for its members. See https://rebaa.com.au/.
All our buyers agents are licensed real estate agents. The Department of Fair Trade requires all licensed real estate agents to complete a minimum of 9 hours of professional development training every year. Our buyers agents also complete various other ongoing training and development work each year. For more information about our ongoing training requirements visit: https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-property/property-professionals/recent-law-reforms/real-estate-agents-licence
If you’re ready to use one of our buyers agents as your unfair property advantage, just get in touch with us to arrange your free, no-obligation property consultation. We’ll discuss your unique requirements in-depth and tailor your property search plan to your specific needs.
1. We help you realise your goals
While we are focused on your current property investment, we are always working towards fulfilling your broader wealth strategy. We can advise you on how to integrate your property investments in a way that strategically aligns with your wealth development goals.
2. We help you invest in the right place
Most people don’t know what’s really out there in the wide world of property investment, so it’s no surprise that most buy within 5 km of their own home! But close to home doesn’t always mean best. With our extensive purchasing experience, market data and proprietary tools, we will determine the suburbs that best match your preferences, your investment purposes, and your budget.
3. Access our network and proprietary tools
We’ll uncover off-market opportunities through our network of 3,000+ sales agents. Combined with our proprietary tools Area X-Ray™ and 53Invest™, we’ll find you the best investment available for your property wealth strategy.
4. Property experts in your corner
We’ll negotiate, facilitate your purchase, and help you navigate the pitfalls even many seasoned investors miss. It’s what we do every day and it’s what we do best.
5. Reinvest your time
We’ll help you assess every opportunity — without you lifting a finger. We’ll rigorously shortlist and inspect the best properties for you so you’ll have more time for the things you really want to do.