Adelaide has a number of buyers agents working in it and they are not interchangeable. What separates one from another, and what to establish before you sign anything.
Check three things before anything else. That they hold a current South Australian licence, that they represent buyers only, and that you understand exactly how their fee is calculated before you sign. Everything after that is judgement.
Choosing the right buyers agent in Adelaide is a pivotal part of buying well. This is the person who will decide what you look at, tell you what it is worth and negotiate on your behalf, so the choice shapes the outcome long before you find a property.
From the outside every agency says the same things. Independent. Experienced. Off market access. Your interests first. The differences are real, and they show up in five places.
Anyone helping you buy property for a fee in South Australia must hold a land agent licence under the Land Agents Act 1994 (SA). Ask for the number and check it yourself on the Consumer and Business Services register.
The register shows the licence number, when it was granted, whether it is current, the entity that holds it and any registered trading names. It takes a minute and it tells you whether the business in front of you is the business on the licence.
Your Property Strategy operates under Licence RLA 297515.
Some agencies list property for vendors and also offer a buyers service. Others represent buyers only and never take a listing.
Ask directly, because it decides whose interests the agency serves when the two sides diverge. An agency that sells property has an existing relationship with vendors and other selling agents, and a stock of listings it would like moved. We represent buyers only and have never listed a property for a vendor. There is more on how buyer and vendor representation differ if it is worth understanding in full.
Two models operate in Adelaide. A percentage of the purchase price, commonly between 1.5% and 2.5%, or a fixed fee agreed before the search begins.
Ask which one you are being offered, what it covers, what is charged separately and when each part becomes payable. A headline number means little until you know what sits inside it. Our approach is set out on the buyers agent fees page.
Every buyers agent claims local knowledge, so the claim on its own tells you nothing. Test it.
Name the areas you are considering and ask what they think. A useful answer sounds specific: which pockets hold value and which do not, what the rental demand looks like, what is coming that would change things. A vague answer, or an enthusiastic yes to every suburb you name, tells you what you need to know.
This is worth pressing on if the agency is based interstate. A number of buyers agencies operate in Adelaide from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, working from the same data anyone can buy. Data tells you what a property sold for. It does not tell you why one side of a main road performs and the other does not, which pockets flood, where the noise comes from, or which agents will take a quiet listing to someone they deal with every week. That comes from being here.
The better test is whether they will tell you an area does not suit your brief. Anyone who agrees with everything is selling, and the ability to talk you out of something is worth more than access to anything.
Ask for a recent purchase with numbers attached. What was it advertised at, how many other buyers were involved, what did the client pay and why did that offer succeed.
An agency that has been buying property will have several of those to hand. One that talks in generalities about service and relationships without producing a single figure is telling you something.
Ours are on the homepage, with the numbers attached to each.
Search their business name or licence number on the Consumer and Business Services public register for South Australia. It shows the licence number, the date granted, the current status, the licensee entity and any registered trading names. If a buyers agent cannot give you a licence number, that is the end of the conversation.
Knowing the suburb matters less than knowing how to assess one. Adelaide is small enough that any experienced buyers agent works across the whole metropolitan area and into the regions. What matters is whether they can tell you why one pocket performs and another does not, and whether they will say so when an area does not suit your brief.
Most buyers agency agreements in South Australia run for a fixed term, commonly three months, and appoint the agent for that period. Read what happens if you find something yourself, what happens if you buy after the term ends, and what is refundable. Those clauses vary between agencies more than the headline fee does.
It depends on your brief and the market you are searching in. A tight brief in a thin market takes longer than a flexible one. Representation shortens it in three ways: the searching happens whether or not you have time that week, off market and pre release properties widen the pool beyond what is advertised, and an experienced negotiator gets an offer accepted that might otherwise take another two or three attempts.
Six things. What is your licence number. Do you ever act for sellers. How is the fee calculated and does it change with the purchase price. What is included and what is charged separately. How many purchases have you completed in the areas I am looking at. And can you show me a recent result with real numbers attached.
This page is general information about choosing a buyers agent in South Australia and is not legal or financial advice. Fee information applies to established property purchases; other purchase types may be subject to different arrangements, disclosed and agreed in writing before engagement. Percentage figures quoted are indicative of the market and do not represent the fees of any particular agency. Your Property Strategy operates under Licence RLA 297515 and services are provided in accordance with the Land Agents Act 1994 (SA).