Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Buyers Agent?

Buyers Agents or advocates represent the buyer in a property purchase. The role of a Buyers Agent can be as simple as helping the buyer negotiate on a property or bid at an auction, right through to researching, strategizing, sourcing, appraising, analysing, negotiating and eventually securing a property. We even do the pre-settlement inspection with you to make sure every box is ticked. Even if you need to sell your existing home first, we can help facilitate the whole selling and buying process through our “All Inclusive” service for no extra cost! Check out the services page for more info on any of our services.

Why Choose Open Doors Buyer’s Agent?

When selecting a buyer’s agent in the Newcastle region of NSW, it’s essential to have someone with a wide range of skills, extensive industry connections, exceptional negotiation abilities, and a thorough understanding of the local Newcastle property market. Open Doors Buyers Agent possesses the requisite experience and expertise to assist you in uncovering new opportunities and securing your dream home in Newcastle. As a highly regarded and seasoned buyer’s agent in Newcastle, Open Doors Buyers Agent is a dedicated professional in real estate with a strong commitment to the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie community.

The Open Doors Buyer’s Agent team have owned multiple successful investment properties in the Newcastle and Hunter region over the years, enabling them to achieve fantastic results and outstanding feedback from everyone they’ve helped. Having accumulated years of experience in property acquisition, they are quickly becoming the go-to buyer’s agent for Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Hunter Valley residents, guiding them through competitive markets and helping them discover exceptional properties.

Why are Buyers Agents becoming popular?

Buyers Agents are becoming more and more common in the Australian property landscape. In the USA, approximately 50% of people use a Buyer’s Agent to purchase a property. Traditionally, Aussies have navigated their own property purchase journey, but as the real estate landscape is getting more and more complicated, a Buyers Agents expertise and knowledge can make the difference in buying the right house or buying the wrong house. And being one of the more expensive purchases in your life, you definitely don’t want to buy the wrong one. At Open Doors, we cannot guarantee that you will get a super duper deal below market price but what we can promise is to make sure that you don’t get taken advantage of and pay too much.

What is the difference between a Buyers Agent and a Real Estate Agent?

Technically, they are both licensed Real Estate Agents who can both sell and buy property on behalf of their clients. Vendor Agents represent the seller/vendor and will be engaged to sell a property. Buyers Agents/Advocates represent the buyer of a property and act on behalf of the buyer only. Some vendor agents may indicate they will find a property for a buyer, but they will usually only sell them a property that they have listed in their own agency or associated agencies so they will get the vendors commission. This very much limits the property options for the buyer. Vendor agents will very rarely encourage you to buy from another agent.

Buyer Agents, on the other hand have access to all properties and are not bound to only buy from certain agencies or groups. At Open Doors Buyers Agent, we are completely independent (which isn’t the case with all BA’s) and do not receive any commissions or kick backs when we buy a property through a property agent. Our loyalty lies completely with the buyer and we will always recommend properties based purely on the buyers best interests.

You can find out more in our article “Buyers Agent and Real Estate Agent – What’s the Difference?“.

Do you work with Investors or Home Buyers?

At Open Doors, we work with both types of buyers. We have an extensive knowledge and history of buying investment properties personally and for investor clients. We also have the professional understanding and natural instincts of what makes a great home for owner occupiers.

We enjoy servicing the Hunter Valley region, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Maitland, and are here to help you find your next investment property. If you’re after the best experience with a local buyer’s agent in Newcastle, please reach out to us.

What will it cost me?

The cheeky answer is, what will it cost you if you don’t use a Buyers Agent? But seriously, the cost should not be the driving factor in whether to engage a buyers agent or not. Using a qualified/licensed buyers agent who knows the market, understands the complexities of the buying process and knows how to seal a great deal, will probably save you more than the fee itself. It will also save you the time, stress and frustration that comes with trying to purchase property. That alone is worth it.

Honestly, the cost to engage a buyers agent in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie region depends on the exact service that you need. At Open Doors Buyer’s Agent, we normally charge a fixed fee and custom design that fee based on the service your require. So give us a call on 0456 845 528 if you wish to discuss this further.

We have a great article on our website called “Can a Buyers Agent Save You Money?“, which explains more about this.

How many clients do you work with at a time?

At Open Doors, we only work with a limited amount of clients at any one time. This is so we can give the time and dedication that our clients deserve. We do have a waiting list that future clients can be included on and we will be in contact when have space to look after you. We also do not take on any clients with the same property brief (preferred location, price point and style/size) as a current client. This prevents us from having any conflicts of interest on a property that we may source that is suitable for 2 or more clients.

How long does your agreement last?

Typically, our agreements are for 6 months but can be extended by mutual agreement if more time is needed. If you need to pause your search for any reason (illness, family needs etc) we can make this work. We are flexible with our arrangements and take into consideration all our of clients personal needs and requests. Typically, the service does not require the 6 month time frame as the majority of our property purchasers are completed well within this period. But occasionally a unique search does take longer than expected, but we are committed to see the process through to completion, therefore needing to extend the 6 month agreement.