Get the Winning Edge When buying Real Estate!

A Buyers Agent (also known as a Property Buyers Advocate) is a licensed real estate agent who exclusively represents you, the property buyer, in a real estate transaction. 

As an impartial property professional, a Buyers Agent can help you navigate the path from search to settlement, giving you a competitive edge in any market. 

Savvy Fox Property Buyers Agent matches buyers to premium real estate across the Byron Bay, Brisbane and Gold Coast regions. 

We can manage each nuanced step of the buying process for you, including

• Searching for listed and off-market properties through our extensive network of contacts. 
• Evaluating and comparing properties based on their potential as a home or quality investment.
• Inspecting properties on your behalf, clearly communicating benefits, obstacles or concerns. 
• Negotiating the purchase price and conditions in your favour, to achieve the best possible outcome. This often includes bidding at auction.
• Preparing and reviewing contract documents, coordinating building and pest inspections and other due diligence.
• Managing your settlement process to completion and referring you to trusted property managers, if you buy an investment property. 

Book a 30-minute strategy call with Jacq, our top Buyers Agent and trusted advisor. She’ll answer your questions, give you a quote and outline a go-forward plan to make the process simple for you.

Yes, it is worth using a buyers agent! Now, (obviously, we are biased) but consider this…

like yourself, most people only purchase 2-3 properties on average throughout their entire lives! And generally, there is significant time (10-15yrs) between each purchase. So, it’s impossible to be on top of everything within the property markets when you buy real estate so infrequently.

Whereas a buyers agent (like us) purchase 100’s of properties every year… meaning we are across the real estate market in a way you could never be. So, in short, yes you’re always better off with a trusted professional in your corner to help secure your next property.

The same reason why people hire cleaners, builders, accountants, stylists and wedding planners! The time value of money is an important thing to remember here.

The Big 3 Reasons: Time, Money &  Reduces Your Risk.

Time:

Your time earning money being an expert at what you do is generally greater than the fee you pay us to do what we do. We already know you are good at what you do, you have saved up a hefty deposit after all.  You would need to add hours of research and study to your search time to know the market the way we do. So of course you could do it yourself, but we offer a simpler, smarter way to get a dream property (while keeping your pockets lined, don’t forget we’re Valuers as well).

Purchasing property is a time-consuming process.  Once a location is chosen then the property search begins.  Viewing 50-100 properties will give you a good indication of what is available and how much properties are selling for.  If you are prepared to view 5 properties every Saturday then you could be ready to buy in 3-5 months time.   Many prospective buyers will have been looking at properties for 12 months or more.   Property prices can increase significantly over this period of time leaving you perplexed when your offer is not accepted or worse its accepted before the ink drys….You might be paying too much!!

Your Savvy Fox has a working knowledge of property prices and market conditions and can dedicate their time to sourcing appropriate properties that align with your criteria.  Most properties are sourced within 4-6 weeks.  Employing a Buyers Agent will give you your weekends back and can help to secure quality properties more quickly.

 Money:

We have no doubt you’re an excellent negotiator in your field of expertise. And while some negotiation skills are transferable across contexts; the real strength of having a well-established Buyers Agent negotiate on your behalf is the insider-information that’s virtually impossible to access outside of this industry. You don’t have to be rich and famous to use the services of a Buyers Agent. Most clients are everyday people looking to purchase investment property or their own home. Clients may be local to the QLD area or live interstate or overseas.

Reduces Risk:

One thing to watch out for: many real estate agencies refer to Personal Assistants as ‘Buyers Agents’, but we strongly recommend you choose an independent Buyers Agent who is a Certified Practising Valuer registered by The Australian Property Institute. If you’re going to get advice and assistance when purchasing property (which we recommend you do), make sure the source is appropriately qualified, experienced and unbiased with decades of experience under their belt.

No, selling agents or real estate agents as they are more commonly known are engaged by the sellers to sell their home on the open market.

We work on the other side of the negotiations, as buyers agents, we solely represent the purchaser or ‘Buyer’ in the real estate deal.

In a word: no….It would be a pretty significant conflict of interest, potentially recommending properties they get a Selling Agent fee for. The one time it’s not risky is if your Selling Agent is assisting for you free because they know they can sell your current home once you buy. That way they are getting a fee from you after they firstly help you buy and secondly help you sell. We offer independent, highly specialised advice, and on top of that, we do the bulk of the searching, all the negotiating, and take care of the logistics at every step of the way. Selling Agents are different to Buyers Agents, even though they work in the same industry.

Savvy Fox Property Buyers Agent & Valuer have many industry memberships as well as being awarded the highest accolades possible in the Real Estate Industry Nationally. Something we are incredibly humbled by but more importantly it demonstrates we  have appropriate professional experience. We are licenced Buyers Agents in QLD & NSW, we are Registered Valuers with the QLD Valuers Registration Board and also Certified Practicing Valuers nationally with The Australian Property Institute. The  Real Estate Institute Code of Conduct means that we abide by the below:

• Hold a license in their relevant state or territory.
• Are registered with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).
• Have professional indemnity insurance
• Do not have properties listed for sale, or be involved in direct selling.

As a general rule a buyers agents fee will be a small percentage of your property purchase price. Usually, 1%-1.5% (some even as high as 2.5%). You would pay this success fee in the event we find and secure the unconditional purchase of a property.

*We are also open to negotiate a fixed price commission on property purchases over a certain price point.

Yes, Buyers Agents generally charge a fixed fee or percentage of the sale. 

At Savvy Fox, we tailor our service to fit your buying needs. Choose from a comprehensive full-service package or negotiation-only option.

We do it all (full service) package

An initial deposit of $2,000 inc GST is payable to begin your property hunt. This non-refundable deposit is the only fee payable at this stage. It includes our time to search, value, communicate, negotiate and secure your dream home or investment property. 

We don’t place limits on time or restrictions on the number of homes we’ll inspect for you. That’s not fair.  

A success fee is payable you when your contract of sale becomes unconditional. No unconditional contract, no further charge. 

We negotiate for you (part service) fee

Found a property you love but dreading the offer game? Invite us to value and negotiate the property for you, at a reduced cost, determined by the complexity of your purchase.

Get an upfront fee quote and ask questions by booking a 30-minute strategy call with Jac. No hard sell.

While yes,  we can often save you money on the purchase price of a property!  it’s also important to consider the money we save you by not paying over the value of a home. 

As a licensed and registered real estate valuer we can ensure you get the right information on pricing and what to pay.   So, in short, yes a buyers agent can save you money.

While there are many factors in choosing a buyers agent to represent you such as qualifications, experience and reviews. 

Choosing the right buyers agent comes down to your personal connection with the buyers agent. After all, the best buyers agent for you is the one that not only ticks the boxes on experience & reputation but the one who understands your personal property goals. 

Much like a lawyer in a courtroom, our job is to advise you and help you navigate complex real estate situations so you can ultimately secure your dream home.

Our specific responsibilities range from online searching, desktop valuations, property inspections, Physical valuations, negotiating, helping you with contracts and paperwork, as well as provide advice and guidance along the way. Read more about our buyers agent process

If you are purchasing the property for investment purposes then the fees may be tax-deductable. Generally the fees are added to the ‘cost base’ for the calculation of capital gains tax, rather than being deductable in any single year. You should obtain specific advice from your accountant.

Unfortunately if you are purchasing a property to live in, the Buyers Agent fee is not tax deductable.

Most investment properties are sourced (STEP 4 of The Process on the buyers agent process page) within 30 days. Home purchases may take longer to source (generally within 60 days).

Surprisingly no, often the highest price is overlooked for the offer that has the most favourable terms to the vendor.

We help you structure your offers in a way you can WIN a multi-offer negotiation even if you have been outbid on price by another party. 

It depends, asking price is a variable that has no real correlation to the true value of the property.

See asking prices can be set at whatever price the seller chooses. So, it’s not uncommon to see homes priced ‘really low’ online to encourage more people to view the home, but the seller has no intentions to actually accept an offer at that low figure.

Other time the seller has set a “pie in the sky” figure because they are not overly motivated to sell and would only do so if they reached a crazy figure!

As licensed and registered real estate valuer, we will always assess the REAL value of a property prior to making an offer. What you pay for a property is 100% your choice, and yes, sometimes in a ‘hot market’, if you find your dream home and there is a lot of competition on it – you may need to pay over the asking price. 

As real estate valuers and buyers agents, we are uniquely positioned to help you understand the real value of a property. While there are many ways to determine if a property is overpriced the most common method is to use comparable recent sales. 

So whether you’re buying a family home or looking to purchase an investment property, it critical to your long term success that you know you’re buying a well priced property that will benefit you over the next 10-15 years. 

You should avoid a bidding war when buying a new home by acting early before the property goes to market, thus eliminating the need to get into a bidding war.

Sadly, however, whether a bidding war breaks out on a property is out of our control, and once a property has been established as having a lot of competition on it, it comes down to being a savvy negotiator and ensuring you control as many of the controllable’s to put yourself in a strong position to come out on top. 

Now, bidding at auction is an all together different challenge. With the nerves and rapid pace real estate auction move at, it’s all too easy for inexperienced bidders to get caught up in the hype and go well over their budget.  So, it’s vital you have a solid bidding plan and strong support there to guide you at auction.

Refer to our Go Forward Plan Page or just contact Jacqueline directly on 0412 332 156.