Steve Jobs said that “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” Nowhere is this advice more evident than when you buy real estate.

It might surprise some of you to know that there is a myriad of people involved with the buying process. The more obvious ones are your agent, solicitor, and even your removalist company, but there are also businesses like ours - Australia's leading place for off-market, pre-market and “secret” property listings - and Buyer's Advocates.

We discussed the advantages of our Buyer's Advocates in a recent post and the good news is that we include their support with our Buyer Assist service.

What does a Buyer’s Advocate do?

In case you need reminding, a Buyer’s Advocate is “A property-buying professional who specialises in searching for, scoping out and evaluating properties, as well as negotiating or bidding at auction on your behalf.” (Westpac)

We like to think of them as wingmen or Project Managers, members of your team “Who make sure that your projects are completed on time, on budget, and within scope,” says Teamwork. 

Another good analogy is a caddie in golf. At a professional level, caddies are not just the donkeys who carry the clubs, they are experienced golfers who offer advice and moral support. 

If there's a new off-market listing, you can be certain your Buyer's Advocate knows about it

But the scope of their work is much broader than that. You see, they have access to off-market listings that are SO hot off the press, not even we know about them yet. Hence, if you engage them to carry out your initial research, you won't miss any new off-market listings. 

There are obviously many benefits to working with them, but something our members often ask is if they can trust our Buyer's Advocates to keep them involved in the buying process.

YES!

Our Buyer's Advocates are licensed real estate agents, i.e., professionals, and when you hire their services, YOU determine which of them you want them to manage. They are working WITH you, and like any professional body, they do the job they are paid to do.

They work WITH you!

Research has proven that success is strongly linked to teamwork and though no one likes to lose control of business transactions, we lead busy lives, and none of us can be experts in every aspect of them. Furthermore, the current market is unpredictable and rate rises like yesterday's will compound the stress for buyers. 

Our Buyer’s Advocates take charge of the stuff you aren't confident with or don’t have the time for. But their relationship stretches further because the chances are they will become a great sounding board for you if the stress becomes too much or you get side-tracked by life stuff. 

You choose how much or how little to involve them

With Buyer Assist, you are in the driver's seat of your purchase, but we give you the option to outsource certain stages of the buying process. The following two scenarios are examples of where you might consider using a Buyer’s Advocate: 

1. If you are working long hours or out of the area, or if you have young kids and you will struggle to find the time for a detailed scope of your local area in what is a constantly changing market. 

2. If you are moving interstate and do not know your new area well. Due to their close relationships with local agents, our Buyer's Advocates are aware of all the movement in the local market and any secret off-market listings, so It makes sense to tap into their knowledge.

Decide which stages of the buying process you are comfortable with and let them do the rest

There are several different stages to the buying process and with Buyer Assist you can involve our Buyer’s Advocates with as many or as few as you want.

For those who require it, here's a refresher on those stages:

• The preparation – This is the stage your Buyer’s Advocate gets to fully understand your property requirements, budget, lifestyle needs and timeframe. This information helps them formulate a tailored strategy for you.
• The search – This is the stage where our Buyer’s Advocate utilises their relationships and tools (including Listing Loop! 😉) to research both on-market and off-market properties for sale.
• The shortlist – Your buyer advocate will present you with a best-fit shortlist based on your requirements and the property’s capital growth profile.
• The evaluation – Once you identify your “dream property”, your Buyer’s Advocate will undertake a detailed evaluation of the property and the neighbourhood. They will complete an appraisal to arm you with knowledge about the current market value.
• The negotiation and purchase - This is where a Buyer’s Advocate’s experience really comes into play. They'll bid or negotiate on your behalf to secure the best price and your desired settlement terms and conditions.

Let them manage your pain points 

The good news is we can customise the services of our Buyer's Advocates so you decide which stages to outsource to our experts. But remember, though our trusted buyer’s advocates help you access more off-market properties and avoid expensive property-buying traps, ultimately, they are working for you and will involve you in the buying process as much or as little as you want.

We're here to help

We're always happy to help with all the dramas and stressors of house buying and selling.

Our off-market and pre-market marketplace gives you VIP access to properties so you can get in first.

Just sign up at Listing Loop or download our app.