Every week, we sit down with prospective clients who are weighing up whether a buyers agent is right for them. Along the way, the same important questions come up again and again. So, we’ve pulled together the most common FAQs here that we are asked about Buyer’s Agents and our services. We’ve answered honestly and directly, so you can get a clearer picture of who we are and how we work before we even meet.
How much experience does the National Property Buyers Adelaide team have?
We’re a team of six based in Adelaide, and experience runs deep across the group.
Our Director, Katherine Skinner, has over 20 years in real estate, starting in Property Research and Management before moving into Buyer Advocacy. Our senior Buyer Agent, Kate Fuller, followed a similar path and brings 15 years of industry experience.
Rounding out the team are two Property Management specialists and one office support role, giving us a well-balanced mix of skills across the business.
Just as importantly, our team isn’t observing the market from the outside. We’re home owners, investors and even tenants ourselves, so we understand property ownership from every angle, not just the buying side.
Do you work mostly with homeowners or investors?
Honestly, it’s a fairly even split.
We work with first home buyers, upsizers, downsizers, prestige buyers and investors, and the exact ratio shifts a little depending on market conditions in any given month. Because of that variety, we’ve built our process to flex around different goals rather than assuming every client wants the same outcome.
Can you help me establish my budget, goals and strategy?
This is one we get asked constantly, and it’s tempting to just say yes. However, as a Buyer Agent, there are things we can and cannot do.
What we can do is help you get clearer on what properties would actually support your lifestyle or financial goals. We do this through an obligation-free strategy session, where we ask the right questions to help you sharpen your criteria.
For anything outside that scope, such as formal financial planning, we’re happy to refer you to trusted financial advisers, mortgage brokers or accountants who specialise in that side of things.
Would you ever represent multiple clients with similar strategies at the same time?
No.
We never take on clients simultaneously if they’d be interested in the same properties. Instead, we work closely with each client to define their selection criteria around property type, location and budget. If a new enquiry matches a brief, we’re already actively working on, we’ll place them on a waitlist rather than create a conflict of interest.
Are you independent, or do you receive commissions from other parties?
We’re fully independent.
Beyond it simply being the ethical way to operate, taking kickbacks for recommending a property would also breach our obligations as members of REISA and REBAA. That independence extends to our referral partners too. Mortgage brokers, building and pest inspectors and conveyancers we work with have no financial arrangement with us. Our only goal is connecting clients with the best resources available, not the most profitable ones for us.
How can a buyers agent make buying a property easier?
In short, we do the legwork so you don’t have to. That means shortlisting and inspecting properties on your behalf, leaving no stone unturned in the process. From there, we handle the due diligence and negotiate to secure the best possible price. For busy professionals or anyone unfamiliar with the buying process, this can save enormous amounts of time and stress.
And this especially holds true for anyone that is trying to buy from overseas or interstate.
How do you research and assess what a property is worth?
We combine boots-on-the-ground market knowledge with data-driven analysis.
It comes down to finding truly comparable properties, not just similar-looking ones. We look closely at location, size, age and condition to make sure we’re comparing apples with apples, then back that up with data from the property databases we subscribe to, which give us access to detailed market figures. Together, this lets us form an accurate, well-rounded view of value rather than relying on guesswork or outdated listings.
How long does a typical property search take?
It genuinely varies.
Some searches wrap up in two weeks, while others take six months .
Adelaide’s property market has been undersupplied for some time, and the more specific your brief, the longer it can take to find and secure the right match. That said, most of our engagements run between six and eight weeks from the start of the search through to signing the Contract of Sale.
Will you tell me when to walk away from a property?
Absolutely, and we consider this one of our most important jobs.
If our due diligence uncovers structural issues or anything else that suggests a property won’t meet your goals, we’ll tell you to walk away. The same applies to investment properties where the numbers simply don’t stack up.
Our long-term success as a reputable business depends entirely on securing the right property for each client’s goals, not just one that’s available.
What’s included in your fee, and are there additional costs?
We offer a tailored suite of services, so you can be as involved or as hands-off as you like throughout the buying journey. Our fee structure depends on which services you need, and generally falls into one of three categories:
- Premium – full search, assessment and negotiation
- Assess and negotiate – you find the property, we evaluate and negotiate on it
- Auction Bidding or Negotiation only
Fees are typically fixed in advance once we’ve discussed your brief and budget, though we can offer flexible arrangements where the situation calls for it.
Typically, the only additional cost you many need to consider is paying for a Building & Pest inspection. And this you would pay directly to the inspector.
You can read the full breakdown of our fees on our Adelaide services page.
What happens if we haven’t purchased within the agreement period?
Our agreements run for an initial six months.
If we’ve been actively working together toward finding the right property in the right location at the right price, but haven’t quite gotten there, we’ll extend the agreement for a further six months at no additional cost.
We are committed to seeing the job through
Still have questions?
We hope this has answered some of the questions on your mind. For more, visit our full Adelaide FAQ page. Otherwise, we’d genuinely love to hear about your property goals and talk through how we can support you on that journey.