Perth Buyer's Agent Insights
By Shane Patrick | Published July 2026
Here's a sentence that trips a lot of buyers up: "The real estate agent seemed really nice, so I just went with what they suggested."
I get it. The agent showing you through the home is friendly, helpful, answers your questions, remembers your name. It feels like they're helping you.
They're not. Not legally, not financially, not in any way that matters when you're about to sign for the biggest purchase of your life.
Let me explain the difference, because once you see it, you can't unsee it.
In Australia, a real estate agent representing a property for sale has one legal client: the seller (the vendor). That's who pays them. That's whose interests they're contractually obligated to act in.
Their job, their only job, is to get the seller the highest possible price, on the best possible terms, as quickly as possible.
That's not a criticism. It's literally their job description. A good selling agent is excellent at that job. But "excellent at getting the seller the highest price" and "looking after the buyer's best interests" are, by definition, opposing goals.
Worth knowing: even the friendliest agent at an open home is doing their job well if they're building rapport with you, because a buyer who feels comfortable and trusts the process is more likely to pay a fuller price, with fewer conditions, on a faster timeline. That's not a coincidence. That's the job.
A buyer's agent (or buyer's advocate) is engaged directly by the buyer, you, and paid by you. That single fact changes everything about the relationship.
My job is to:
Nobody on the other side of the deal is working for you unless you've hired them to.
This is the one that costs people the most money. I hear a version of it almost every week.
Selling agents aren't dishonest for doing their job. But "looking after you" is not in their contract, and hoping they'll go easy on the negotiation because they liked you at the first inspection is not a strategy. It's a gamble, and the house always has the edge.
A client came to me after nearly buying a property in Mount Lawley without any representation. The selling agent had mentioned, almost in passing, that "there's a lot of interest" and that they "should probably move quickly if they were serious." No other offers ever eventuated. That's a completely standard, and completely legal, negotiation tactic, designed to create urgency and push the price up. Once we were engaged, we slowed the whole thing down, ran our own comparable sales, and settled for $34,000 less than the number they were about to offer under pressure.
Same house. Same seller. Different outcome, because someone was actually working for the buyer.
No. If you're an experienced buyer, know the market cold, have time to do your own due diligence, and are comfortable negotiating against a professional who does it daily, you might not need one.
But most people aren't in that position, especially not for a purchase this size, this infrequently. And even then, a single strategy session before you start looking can be worth more than people expect.
Isn't a buyer's agent just an extra cost on top of an already expensive purchase? It's an added cost, yes, but the comparison isn't "cost vs no cost." It's "cost of a buyer's agent vs cost of negotiating alone against a professional." In Perth's current market, buyers without representation commonly overpay by tens of thousands of dollars. Run the numbers before you decide it's not worth it.
Can the selling agent legally represent both sides? In WA, dual agency (representing both buyer and seller in the same transaction) is generally not permitted for licensed agents in the way people sometimes assume, but that doesn't mean the selling agent is neutral. They are still working for, and paid by, the seller. There is no such thing as a selling agent who is neutral toward the buyer.
Do buyer's agents only work with wealthy clients or investors? No. I work with first home buyers, upsizing families and investors alike. If anything, first home buyers benefit the most, because they're facing the steepest learning curve with the least experience negotiating.
If I already found the house myself, is a buyer's agent still useful? Yes, this is actually one of the most common ways people engage me. You've found the property, now you want someone in your corner for due diligence, valuation and negotiation. It doesn't have to be full-service from day one.
If you're about to walk into an open home, a negotiation, or an auction without anyone representing your interests, let's talk first.
My calls are genuinely free and no-pressure. We'll talk through what you're looking for, your budget, and whether working together makes sense.
Book a free 15-minute call →
Phone: 0421 830 232
Email: info@shanepatrick.com.au
"Your unfair advantage in the property market."
Shane Patrick, Perth Buyer's Agent
