Negotiation
Nobody can size it in advanceAn agent argues the price from comparable sales and the vendor's position rather than from the asking price. Ask how they set their last few offers, and what the homes sold for.
2026 ROI analysis
Buyers agent ROI: is the cost worth it?
Work it out on your own numbers: the break-even on your price and quote, and what the fee buys.
Find a High-Value AgentThe investment case for a buyers agent
A buyers agent fee buys their search, their negotiation and their due diligence. Whether that is worth more than the fee is the whole question, and the honest answer is that it depends on the purchase.
So this page does not tell you what you will save. It gives you the one number the arithmetic can settle: the break-even, the discount the fee has to be covered by, on your own price and quote.
2–3%
Industry average fee
of the price, plus GST (REBAA). With GST, a percentage fee breaks even at 2.2% to 3.3%
40%
Of investors surveyed
sought advice from a buyers agent or advocate (PIPA, 2025)
0
Typical savings we publish
nobody can substantiate one, so the calculator shows the break-even
Know your break-even
The fee as a share of the purchase price is what an agent has to negotiate off before they have paid for themselves
Price your own hours
Searching, inspecting and researching runs to weekends over months, and that return does not depend on the negotiation
Ask for the record
A shortlisted agent’s last five purchases, with asking price and price paid, beats any figure a directory could give you
How the ROI stacks up
The fee sits on one side and whatever the agent negotiates off sits on the other. Nobody can tell you the second number in advance, so the calculator below does not guess it. It tells you, from arithmetic alone, the break-even: the discount the fee has to be covered by.
Work it out on your own numbers
What you expect to pay
Ask for this in writing, including GST
The discount the fee has to be covered by
1.5%
For the $15,000 fee to pay for itself, an agent has to buy for 1.5% less than you would have paid on your own. Whether they can is a question for them, with their own recent purchases as the evidence.
We do not publish what an agent saves a buyer. It varies by property, market and agent, and we have not seen research we would stand behind. Ask a shortlisted agent for their last five purchases, with the asking price and the price paid, and set those against the figure above.
The calculation
Three steps to your break-even
01
Your price
What you expect to pay
Purchase price
02
Your quote
The agent fee in writing, including GST
Agent fee
03
Your break-even
(Agent fee ÷ purchase price) × 100
The discount the fee has to be covered by
Where the ROI comes from
What the fee buys, and which parts depend on the negotiation.
Off-market access
Agent-dependentA property with no public campaign has no auction premium and far less competition. How much of this an agent can open up varies enormously between agents, and it is a fair thing to ask about directly: how many of your last ten purchases were off-market?
Due diligence prevention
The tail riskA property that looks right can have structural issues, a difficult strata history or planning limits. An agent orders the reports and reads them with you before you commit.
Time value
Your hours backSearching, inspecting and researching a market properly runs to weekends over several months. Price it yourself: your hours, at whatever an hour of your time is worth to you. An agent returns most of those hours, and that part of the return does not depend on how the negotiation goes.
Agent-assisted vs DIY outcomes
What changes when someone is working for you, and what does not.
| With a buyers agent | DIY / without agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Who the negotiator works for | You, under a written agency agreement | Nobody. The selling agent is paid by the vendor |
| How the offer gets set | Argued from comparable sales and days on market | Anchored to the asking price, or the room on auction day |
| Off-market access | Can include homes not yet advertised: ask how many of their recent buys were | Public portals only |
| Time you spend searching | Inspections and decisions only | Every listing, every weekend, for months |
| What it costs you | A fee agreed in writing before the search starts | No fee, and no one on your side of the table |
| Due diligence | Building, pest and strata ordered and interpreted for you | Yours to order, chase and interpret |
Who the negotiator works for
With a buyers agent
You, under a written agency agreement
DIY / without agent
Nobody. The selling agent is paid by the vendor
How the offer gets set
With a buyers agent
Argued from comparable sales and days on market
DIY / without agent
Anchored to the asking price, or the room on auction day
Off-market access
With a buyers agent
Can include homes not yet advertised: ask how many of their recent buys were
DIY / without agent
Public portals only
Time you spend searching
With a buyers agent
Inspections and decisions only
DIY / without agent
Every listing, every weekend, for months
What it costs you
With a buyers agent
A fee agreed in writing before the search starts
DIY / without agent
No fee, and no one on your side of the table
Due diligence
With a buyers agent
Building, pest and strata ordered and interpreted for you
DIY / without agent
Yours to order, chase and interpret
What kind of ROI should you expect?
ROI varies by situation. Here is an honest read on who gets the most, and the least, from professional representation.
| High ROI scenarios | Lower ROI scenarios | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | A higher price, where the fee is a smaller share | A lower price, where the fee is a larger share |
| Market knowledge | Buying interstate or unfamiliar suburb | Experienced in target market |
| Time availability | Time-poor, professional career | Flexible schedule, time to search |
| Emotional distance | New to buying, or to this market | Seasoned investor, low emotion |
Purchase price
High ROI scenarios
A higher price, where the fee is a smaller share
Lower ROI scenarios
A lower price, where the fee is a larger share
Market knowledge
High ROI scenarios
Buying interstate or unfamiliar suburb
Lower ROI scenarios
Experienced in target market
Time availability
High ROI scenarios
Time-poor, professional career
Lower ROI scenarios
Flexible schedule, time to search
Emotional distance
High ROI scenarios
New to buying, or to this market
Lower ROI scenarios
Seasoned investor, low emotion
When ROI can be marginal
Lower-priced purchases, where the fee is a large share of the price, buyers who already have deep market expertise, or genuinely weak markets with ample stock and low competition. In these cases, a negotiation-only or auction-only engagement (lower fee) is usually the better structure.
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
More on costs, fees, and negotiating your engagement
How to Negotiate Buyers Agent Fees
Practical scripts and tactics for getting the best fee structure before you sign.
Read guideHow Much Does a Buyers Agent Cost?
Fee structures, city-by-city pricing, and what you should expect to pay.
Read guideIs a Buyers Agent Worth It?
The full case for professional buyer representation beyond just ROI.
Read guideExplore Buyer's Agent Agencies
Browse agencies across Australia to find the perfect team for your property journey.
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