Buyer’s Agent FAQs

A Buyer’s Agent works exclusively for the buyer in a property transaction – not the seller, not the selling agent. My job is to find the right property for you, make sure you don’t overpay for it, and manage the entire purchase process on your behalf.

In practice that means understanding your brief, searching both on-market and off-market properties, inspecting and assessing each one, providing you with a video walkthrough and due diligence report, giving you a professional appraisal of value before any offer is made, and then negotiating or bidding at auction on your behalf. I then manage the remainder of the process through to settlement – building and pest inspections, contract conditions, pre-settlement inspection, and everything in between.

I work with home buyers, investors, downsizers, people relocating to Brisbane, and buyers with specific property requirements.

You don’t need one – you can certainly buy property on your own. But most people who use a Buyer’s Agent wish they’d done it sooner.

The value I provide goes beyond saving time. I help you avoid the wrong property, access properties that never make it to the major portals, provide a proper assessment of what a property is worth before you make an offer, and negotiate from a position of knowledge rather than emotion. For most buyers, that combination more than offsets the cost of the fee.

Buyer’s Agents aren’t just for wealthy buyers or luxury properties. I work with a wide range of clients including:

Home buyers – people buying their first home or upsizing who want professional guidance and someone in their corner during negotiations.

Investors – buyers looking to build or expand a portfolio who want local market knowledge and independent advice on what stacks up as an investment.

Time-poor buyers – busy professionals who don’t have the time to search, inspect, and research properties themselves.

Interstate and overseas buyers – people relocating to Brisbane or buying from interstate who need someone on the ground with genuine local knowledge.

Buyers with specific requirements – anyone looking for a property in a particular school catchment, specific pocket of a suburb, or with particular features that require a targeted search.

Technically yes, but it would be a significant conflict of interest. I don’t sell property. My only role is to act in the buyer’s best interest.

I do offer a Vendor Advocacy service, where I help clients who are selling select the right agent, advise on sale strategy, negotiate the agent’s commission, and guide them through the process — but I’m not the selling agent myself.

In most cases, positively. Here’s how:

Negotiation – I negotiate on your behalf using market knowledge and 25 years of experience. I know what selling agents are doing and how to respond.

Valuation expertise – As a Registered Property Valuer, I can formally assess what a property is worth before you make an offer. That means you go into every negotiation knowing the number – not guessing it.

Due diligence – I identify issues that affect value before you’re committed. Flooding, easements, structural concerns, problematic neighbouring uses – these all affect what a property is actually worth and what you should pay for it.

The savings aren’t just financial either. The time and stress saved by having an experienced professional manage the process is significant for most buyers.

A formal property valuation can only be legally provided by a Registered Property Valuer. I am a Registered Property Valuer in Queensland – licensed through the Valuers Registration Board of Queensland, which means I bring a level of technical rigour to property assessment that most buyer’s agents simply can’t offer.

For insurance purposes I refer to what I provide as an appraisal rather than a formal valuation, but the assessment process draws on the same methodology and 25 years of experience. You’ll know what a property is worth before you make an offer.

For most buyers, yes – and the reasons go beyond saving money on the purchase price.

I provide access to off-market and coming soon properties that never appear on realestate.com.au. I bring 25 years of local market knowledge to every search. I negotiate with experience and without the emotional attachment that most buyers have when they fall in love with a property. And I coordinate the entire purchase process – financier, conveyancer, building and pest inspector, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Whether the fee is worth it depends on the individual agent. The key questions to ask any buyer’s agent are: Are they truly independent? Do they have genuine local knowledge? Can they tell you what a property is actually worth, not just what it sold for?

My knowledge of Brisbane’s property market allows me to accurately assess value before any offer is placed. Combined with thorough due diligence and experienced negotiation, that means I consistently secure properties at the right price – not an inflated one driven by competition or emotion.

Access to off-market properties also removes the pressure of competing against multiple buyers, which in an auction or multi-offer scenario often pushes prices well above genuine market value.

Yes, absolutely. Having a professional bid on your behalf at auction is one of the smartest decisions a buyer can make.

When you’re emotionally invested in a property, it’s easy to keep bidding past the point where the numbers make sense. I don’t have that attachment. I bid with a clear strategy, a firm limit based on my appraisal of value, and a good understanding of the tactics auctioneers and competing agents use. That combination consistently produces better outcomes than buyers bidding for themselves.

A buyer’s agent fee is either a fixed fee or a percentage of the purchase price. At Templeton Property I charge a fixed fee – no commissions, no percentage of the purchase price, no incentive to push you toward a more expensive property.

Payment is made in two instalments: an Initial Engagement Fee payable when you sign the agreement, and a Success Fee payable when your purchase contract goes unconditional.

Full details are on the What Does a Buyer’s Agent Cost page.

You can buy property without a Buyer’s Agent – but you can’t represent yourself as one. Buyer’s agents must hold the appropriate real estate licence in Queensland to operate legally in that capacity

Yes. In fact, if you’re buying in Brisbane and you’re not based here, working with a local buyer’s agent is one of the most important decisions you can make.

I regularly work with clients based in Sydney, Melbourne, and overseas who are relocating to Brisbane or buying as an investment. I inspect, assess, and report back in detail – including video walkthroughs, so you can make confident decisions without needing to fly in for every inspection. You can read more about how I work with interstate and overseas buyers here.

.

I discuss this with every client at the start of the engagement. Typically I provide updates at least three to four times per week, and I’m always available when something time-sensitive comes up. I use monday.com.au to communicate with clients, it’s fast, direct and keeps everything in one place.

From our first conversation I’ll be upfront with you about what’s realistic for your budget, preferred suburbs, and timeline. If after an extensive search I haven’t been able to find the right property, I’ll tell you honestly and we can either adjust the brief or put the search on hold.

I offer the option of pausing the search for up to 12 months, which has worked well for clients whose circumstances have changed mid-search. The goal is always to find the right property – not just any property.

It varies depending on your brief, budget, and what’s available in the market at any given time. I’ve helped clients buy within two to three weeks, and other searches have taken three to four months. The honest answer is that I won’t rush you into the wrong property to hit an arbitrary timeline. Most clients find the right property within six to eight weeks of starting the search.

Yes – I ask that you have written finance pre-approval in place before we start a full search. It means we can move quickly when the right property comes up, and it gives selling agents confidence that you’re a serious buyer. If you need a recommendation for a good mortgage broker, I’m happy to point you in the right direction.

A Buyer’s Agent is licensed to search for, assess, and negotiate the purchase of property on your behalf. A Registered Property Valuer is independently licensed to formally assess what a property is worth, a different and more technically rigorous qualification.

Most buyer’s agents are not registered valuers. I hold both qualifications, which means I can tell you what a property is genuinely worth before you make an offer, not just what comparable properties have sold for.

Ask them directly whether they receive any referral fees, commissions, or benefits from selling agents, developers, or third-party service providers. A truly independent buyer’s agent is paid only by you, the buyer – nothing else.

I don’t receive referral fees from any third party. My only income comes from the fee you pay me. That’s the only way to ensure my advice is genuinely in your interest.

I’m based in Ashgrove and specialise in Brisbane’s inner west – particularly Ashgrove, Bardon, Paddington, Red Hill and The Gap. I also work across greater Brisbane for buyers who need someone they can trust beyond the inner west. I don’t service the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast, though can often recommend Buyer’s Agents in these areas.

A real estate agent works for the seller. Their legal obligation is to get the best price and terms for the vendor – not for you. A Buyer’s Agent works exclusively for you, the buyer. The two roles are fundamentally opposed, which is why having your own representation in a property transaction makes sense.

Due diligence varies by property but typically covers flood mapping and creek proximity, council records for building approvals and any unapproved works, easements and encumbrances on the title, comparable sales analysis, school catchment verification, noise and flight path assessment, and a physical inspection with detailed commentary. For older homes I also check demolition control precinct status and any heritage overlays. The goal is to make sure there are no surprises after you’re committed.