Why this matters more than fees

A mediocre buyer's agent might cost you a negotiation edge. A spruiker — a marketer paid by developers to move stock while posing as your representative — can cost you six figures on an overpriced house-and-land package. This is the single biggest trust problem in the industry.

The seven red flags

  1. The service is free. Genuine buyer's agents are paid by you. If you are not paying, a developer is — and their commission on a single sale can exceed $30,000. You are the product.
  2. They only recommend new builds or house-and-land packages. Established property rarely pays marketer commissions. A "buyer's agent" whose every recommendation is brand new is showing you their payer's stock list.
  3. They found you, not the other way round. Cold calls, seminar invitations and "free wealth strategy sessions" are marketing funnels, not professional services.
  4. One suburb, one answer. Real representation starts with your brief. If the recommendation was ready before you described what you wanted, it was never about you.
  5. Pressure and urgency. "Only three lots left at this price" is sales technique. A representative slows you down at exactly the moments a marketer speeds you up.
  6. No licence, or someone else's. Every legitimate buyer's agent holds or works under a state property licence they can name instantly. Check it on your state register.
  7. They also sell property. An agency cannot represent buyers and sellers in the same market without conflict. Buyers-only is the standard that matters — it is REBAA's core membership requirement.

The one-question test

Ask: "Who pays you, and will you confirm in writing that you receive nothing from any seller, developer or referral partner?" A professional answers in one sentence and puts it in your agreement. A spruiker changes the subject.

The bottom line

Verify the licence, confirm buyers-only status in writing, and treat "free" as the most expensive word in property.