3 Things You Should Never Tell a Real Estate Agent (And 1 Question to Always Ask)

Before I started PremiumRea, I spent years watching buyers give away their entire negotiating position within the first five minutes of meeting a selling agent.

It happens at open inspections. It happens on the phone. It happens in emails. Buyers volunteer information that the agent then uses to extract the maximum possible price. And the buyers don't even realise they've done it.

Here are three things you should never say to a real estate agent — and one question that flips the power dynamic entirely.

Never say: 'We need to buy urgently'

The moment an agent knows you're desperate — lease expiring, family growing, relocating for work — they know you'll pay a premium to avoid missing out.

Common versions of this mistake: "We've been looking for six months and we're running out of time." "Our rental lease ends in two months." "We need to settle before the school year starts."

Every one of these statements tells the agent: this buyer will overpay rather than walk away 1.

The fix: never reveal your timeline. If asked, say something vague: "We're looking actively but there's no rush — we'll buy when the right property comes along at the right price." Keep your tone casual. Agents are trained to read body language and vocal urgency.

And have a genuine backup plan. If your lease expires, negotiate a short-term extension or line up temporary accommodation. The flexibility to walk away from any single property is the most powerful negotiating tool you have. If you can't walk away, you can't negotiate.

Never say: 'My budget is...'

Telling an agent your exact budget is like showing your poker hand before the betting round.

A property is listed with a guide of $1,000,000 to $1,100,000. You tell the agent your budget is $1,150,000. What happens next? The agent tells the vendor: "We have a buyer at $1.15M." The vendor's expectations are now anchored at $1.15M minimum. You've just eliminated any chance of buying at $1.05M or $1.08M 2.

Instead, give a range that sits below your actual capacity. "We're looking at properties in the $950K to $1.1M range, but it really depends on the condition and what we find during due diligence." This tells the agent you're a serious buyer without revealing your ceiling.

The key phrase is: "It depends on the property." This is true — it always depends on the property — and it prevents the agent from locking you into a specific number.

At PremiumRea, when we're negotiating on behalf of a client, we never reveal the client's budget to the selling agent. We discuss the property's value based on comparable sales data. The conversation is about what the property is worth, not what the buyer can afford. That distinction typically saves our clients $20,000 to $60,000 on a purchase.

Never say: 'We're planning to renovate / develop this'

If you tell the agent you plan to add a granny flat, convert to a rooming house, or subdivide, you've just told them the property is worth more to you than a standard buyer would pay. The agent will use this to push the price higher.

"Oh, this buyer sees the development potential — they'll pay extra for it."

Keep your plans to yourself. Focus the conversation on the property's current condition and current market value. Don't ask about development potential at the open inspection — that signals your intentions. Research the zoning and overlays yourself through the council's online planning portal before you even attend the inspection 3.

And never, ever follow up on the agent's selling points with enthusiasm. If the agent says "this block has subdivision potential," don't say "really? Tell me more!" Say "hmm, interesting" and change the subject. The moment you show excitement about a specific feature, the agent knows they've found your trigger.

Always ask: 'What does the vendor actually need?'

Here's the question that flips the dynamic.

Most buyers focus entirely on price. But vendors often care about things other than price — and these are leverage points you can exploit.

"Why is the vendor selling?" A divorce settlement often means the vendor needs a quick, clean sale — and will accept a lower price for certainty. A deceased estate means the executor wants it done — flexible on price, rigid on timeline. A vendor who's already bought elsewhere needs the settlement funds by a specific date — offer a shorter settlement in exchange for a lower price 4.

"What's the vendor's preferred settlement timeline?" If you can match their timeline (even if it's inconvenient for you), that flexibility is worth real money in the negotiation.

"Has the vendor received any other offers?" The agent may or may not answer truthfully — they have no legal obligation to disclose other offers in Victoria. But the way they respond tells you something. A confident "yes, we have multiple interested parties" usually means one weak offer. A cagey non-answer often means no offers at all.

The goal is to understand the vendor's position so you can structure an offer that meets their emotional needs (certainty, speed, convenience) while meeting your financial needs (lower price). The best deals I've negotiated weren't won on price alone — they were won because we offered the vendor exactly what they needed most.

"Successful negotiation is built on understanding what the other side values," I tell clients. "If the vendor values certainty over price, give them certainty — and take the price discount in exchange."

Real estate agents are not your enemy. But they are working for the other side. Treat every interaction as a negotiation — because it is.