Who Does Each Agent Work For?
This is the most important distinction most buyers miss:
Real Estate Agent (Selling Agent): Hired and paid by the seller. Their legal obligation is to get the highest price for the seller. When they're "helping" you at an open inspection, they're actually working against your financial interest.
Buyer's Agent (Buyer's Advocate): Hired and paid by you. Their legal obligation is to get the lowest price for you. They negotiate on your behalf, not the seller's.
Think of it this way: In a courtroom, the prosecution and defence each have their own lawyer. In property, the seller has a real estate agent — but most buyers walk in without representation, negotiating directly against a professional whose job is to extract maximum price.
Key Differences at a Glance
Loyalty: Selling agent serves the seller. Buyer's agent serves you exclusively — 100% on your side with no commission from the seller.
Information: Selling agents selectively share information to drive up price ("there's a lot of interest," "another offer is coming"). Buyer's agents provide objective market data, comparable sales analysis, and honest assessments of a property's flaws.
Negotiation: Selling agents are trained to maximise sale price using urgency, competition, and emotional pressure. Buyer's agents use building inspection reports, settlement flexibility, market data, and unconditional offer positioning to minimise your purchase price.
Access: Selling agents show you their own listings. Buyer's agents search the entire market — including off-market properties that never appear on Domain or RealEstate.com.au. In our experience, 50% of off-market deals trade below bank valuation.
Cost: Selling agents are paid by the seller (1.5–3% of sale price). Buyer's agents are paid by you (fixed fee of $15,800 + GST for investment, or 0.8–2% for owner-occupied).