What does a buyers agent do?
A buyers agent works for the person buying the property and is paid by that person. Victoria's regulator also uses the term buyer's advocate. The client sets the brief: budget, suburbs, property type and deal breakers. You then find properties that fit, inspect them, cut the list down and work out what each one is really worth using sales data and local knowledge.
Once the client picks a property, you negotiate the price or bid for them at auction, then stay with the purchase until settlement and deal with the selling agent, conveyancer and other parties along the way. Some clients want the full service. Others hire you for one task, such as bidding on auction day. Good buyers agents also get to hear about off-market listings through their contacts with selling agents.
Why the work needs a licence
NSW, Victoria, Queensland and WA all treat negotiating for a buyer as agency work. NSW Fair Trading lists acting for a prospective purchaser as an activity that needs a real estate agent licence. Queensland's real estate agent licence covers negotiating for a buyer. Consumer Affairs Victoria describes a buyer's agent as a licensed estate agent who acts for the buyer and not the seller.
There are conduct rules specific to this side of the deal. In NSW you must get the best possible price for your client, keep them up to date at every stage of negotiations, and never go above the agreed price, at auction or anywhere else, without their express written authority. You cannot take a payment for referring your client to a selling agent. In Victoria an agent cannot act for both the buyer and the seller in the same transaction.
How buyers agent fees work
No law sets buyers agent fees, so the client can negotiate them. Most agents charge either a fixed fee or a percentage of the purchase price. WA's consumer protection guidance says a fee structure may include an engagement fee up front plus a success fee once the property is bought. REINSW has reported that the industry has no standard fee.
Every engagement starts with a signed buyers agency agreement (NSW) or agency authority (Victoria) that sets out the services, the term and the fees. Clients are told to ask what they pay if no property is found, how they can end the agreement, and whether you receive rebates or commissions from anyone you refer them to. You need clear answers to all of these before you take on your first client.
How it differs from selling for vendors
A selling agent's duty runs to the vendor, and the job is to get the highest price through marketing, open homes and managing a field of buyers. A buyers agent does the reverse. You work for one client, you are trying to get the price down or win on good terms, and your edge comes from research, judgement and your relationships with selling agents.
Day to day there is much less listing work and much more analysis: comparing sales, reading contracts with the client's conveyancer, and deciding when to make an offer and when to walk away. Many buyers agents spent time in sales first, because knowing how a selling agent runs a campaign helps you negotiate against one.
Pay
AUD a year, before tax. Award rows are the official Real Estate Industry Award 2020 minimums effective 1 July 2026. Other rows are modelled from ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, indexed to 2026; state figures are modelled. Commission, client numbers and fee structure move actual earnings. Refer to the Real Estate Sales salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Licence or registrationTo run your own buyers agency you need a full agent licence: an estate agent's licence in Victoria or a real estate agent licence in Queensland and NSW. Before that, you can work under a licensed agent as an agent's representative (Victoria), a registered salesperson (Queensland) or on a certificate of registration (NSW).
- Minimum ageApplicants must be 18 or older for a Victorian estate agent's licence or a Queensland real estate agent licence.
- TrainingVictoria and Queensland both set licence training drawn from the Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice (CPP41419) and the Diploma of Property (Agency Management). Victoria asks for 18 Certificate IV units and 12 Diploma units. Queensland lists 19 set units.
- Experience (Victoria)You need at least one year of full-time experience, in total, as an agent's representative in Victoria within the 3 years before you apply.
- Suitability checksBoth states check criminal history and insolvency. Queensland treats anyone convicted of a serious offence in the past 5 years as unsuitable.
- Professional indemnity insuranceNSW Fair Trading tells buyers to confirm their agent holds the professional indemnity insurance the law requires.
- Ongoing CPDQueensland real estate agents have to finish CPD training every year to keep their licence.
State by state
| New South Wales | You need a real estate agent licence (class 1 or class 2), or a certificate of registration while working under a licensed agent's direction. Conduct rules for buyers agents are in the Property and Stock Agents Regulation 2022. |
|---|---|
| Victoria | Agent's representatives can do buyers agent work under a licensed agent, but running your own practice needs an estate agent's licence from the Business Licensing Authority, which requires a year as an agent's representative plus Certificate IV and Diploma units. The application fee is $450.90 from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. |
| Queensland | You can work as a registered salesperson for a licensed agent, but running your own practice needs a real estate agent licence from the Office of Fair Trading, based on 19 set Certificate IV and Diploma units. Processing takes 4 to 6 weeks, and the licence does not cover acting as an auctioneer. |
How to get there
- Year 1Start under a licensed agentJoin an agency at entry level. In NSW that can mean working on a certificate of registration. In Victoria you start as an agent's representative.
- Year 1-2Learn pricing and negotiationSpend time in sales or at a buyers agency. Learn to read sales data, inspect properties, and see how selling agents run campaigns and auctions.
- Year 1-2Complete the licence trainingFinish the required Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice and Diploma of Property (Agency Management) units through a registered training organisation.
- Year 2Apply for your licenceApply to your state regulator with proof of identity and qualifications. Victorian applicants also need their year of agent's representative experience.
- Year 2-5Build a client baseTake on your own buyers under a written agency agreement. Grow referrals and contacts with selling agents in the suburbs you cover.
- Year 5+Run your own practiceExperienced buyers agents often set up their own business. That brings licensee duties such as trust accounting and compliance.
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Questions people ask
Do buyers agents need a real estate licence?
Yes. Acting for a buyer is agency work in every state covered here. Running your own buyers agency needs a full agent licence, but you can start under a licensed agent as an agent's representative in Victoria, a registered salesperson in Queensland or on a certificate of registration in NSW.
Can a buyers agent bid at auction for a client?
Yes. Bidding at auction is a standard part of the service, and some clients hire a buyers agent only for auction day. In NSW the agent cannot bid past the agreed price without the client's express written authority.
How do buyers agents charge?
Usually a fixed fee or a percentage of the purchase price, and sometimes an engagement fee plus a success fee. No law sets the fee, so the client and agent negotiate it, and it is written into the agency agreement.
Can one agent act for the buyer and the seller?
Not in Victoria, where an estate agent cannot be the buyer's agent and the seller's agent on the same transaction. NSW requires buyers agents to declare any conflict of interest and bans payments for referring a client to a selling agent.
Is there an industry body for buyers agents?
NSW Fair Trading names the Real Estate Institute of NSW and the Real Estate Buyers Association of Australia as associations buyers may check for. Membership is voluntary and does not replace the licence.
Sources
- NSW Government (NSW Fair Trading): Using a real estate agent to buy a property
- NSW Fair Trading: Real estate agent licence
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: Seek expert advice on property
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: Apply for an estate agent's licence - individual
- Queensland Office of Fair Trading: Apply for a real estate agent licence
- Consumer Protection WA: Using a buyer's agent
- REINSW: How and what to charge as a buyers' agent
