The short answer: a real estate agent works for the seller, and gets paid to achieve the highest possible sale price. A buyers advocate works only for the buyer, and is paid to get the best possible outcome for you — never the seller.
Whose side is the agent actually on?
It's easy to assume the real estate agent standing at an open home is there to help you. In reality, that agent has been engaged and is being paid by the seller — their legal and financial obligation is to get the seller the best price and terms, full stop. That's not a criticism of agents; it's simply how the role is structured, and it's worth remembering every time you're negotiating directly with one.
A buyers advocate (sometimes called a buyers agent) exists specifically to balance that out. We're engaged and paid by the buyer, and we owe no duty at all to the seller. Every property we search for, every inspection we arrange, and every negotiation we run is done purely in your interest.
What a buyers advocate actually does
At Baxa Property Services, our process runs in four stages:
- Search — every listing, on and off market, matched against your brief rather than whatever happens to be advertised.
- Inspect — building, pest and contract checks, backed by our own building background.
- Negotiate — including bidding at auction on your behalf if that's how the property is being sold.
- Settle — support that continues after you've got the keys, not just up to the point of signing.
Why the difference matters to your outcome
The practical effect of who's representing whom shows up in three places: information, negotiation, and access. A seller's agent has no reason to point out a property's flaws to you, disclose a comparable sale that would weaken their client's asking price, or tell you an off-market opportunity exists elsewhere. A buyers advocate's entire job is to surface exactly that kind of information, because it's what gets you a better result.
It also changes who's actually doing the negotiating. Going up against a professional negotiator — whose income depends on getting the seller the highest price — without your own professional in the room tends to favour the side with more experience at the table. A buyers advocate levels that up.
Is a buyers advocate worth it?
It depends on what you value: time saved, stress avoided, and — often — the gap between what you'd have paid without representation and what you end up paying with it. We've had verified clients save anywhere from around $40,000 to over $500,000 against the original asking price or comparable sales, depending on the property. For a full breakdown of how buyers advocates typically charge, see our guide to buyers advocate costs in Australia.