The system
Why would anyone pay someone just to help them buy a home?
In Australia the system is set up around the seller. How that compares with the US and the UK, and what it means for you.
If you grew up somewhere else, paying someone just to help you buy a home can sound strange. In Australia it's a whole profession. The reason has less to do with bureaucracy than with who the system is built around.
The seller's side
Seller + selling agent
The agent is hired and paid by the seller. In Queensland, they must follow the seller's instructions and can't take on a job where their own interests conflict with the seller's.
Your side
You + ?
Nobody, unless you bring someone. That's the gap a buyer's agent fills, and it's the gap this course is built to close.
Source: Queensland Property Occupations Regulation 2014
How other countries do it
United States
Buyer's agents are a normal part of buying. Since 17 August 2024, an agent working with a buyer through the listing system must sign a written agreement with them before touring homes, setting out what they'll be paid.
United Kingdom
The estate agent works for the seller and is paid by the seller. Buying agents exist, but they're uncommon and mostly found at the top end of the market.
Australia
The selling agent works for the seller too. Buyer's agents are licensed, and each of the 8 states and territories sets its own rules on agents, auctions and paperwork.
Source: NAR: What the NAR settlement means for buyers and sellers, Investec: Buying agents, Move iQ: Buying agents, Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld)
What makes Australia harder
8
states and territories, each with its own rules for agents, auctions and the seller's paperwork.
0
days of cooling-off when you buy at auction. The hammer falls and you're bound.
0 to 5
business days of cooling-off on a private sale, depending on the state. WA and Tasmania give you none by law.
Source: NSW Government: Contracts and deposits, Queensland Government: Cooling-off period, Consumer Affairs Victoria: Buying by private sale, SA Government: Home sales, Consumer Protection WA: Buying by private sale, Consumer Affairs Tasmania: Advice when buying or selling property
So you have two ways to get someone on your side. You can hire a buyer's agent, and if you do, you'll know exactly what to expect from one. Or you can learn what they know and do it yourself. We teach the second for free, built on the same official training buyer's agents take.
Learn what a buyer's agent knows. Free.
Start the free course