When Canberra Raiders centre Matt Timoko started looking to buy his first home in Canberra, he was surprised at how much time and stress was involved.
"I didn't really realise how hard it was looking for houses, because I had no experience doing that," he said.
"The more I started to look the more overwhelming the process [was]."
But the New Zealand international became a home owner earlier this year with the help of a buyer's agent.
After months of searching on his own, Timoko said it took about four weeks to find his future home with the help of a professional.
Buyer's agents are becoming the secret property weapon of choice for many Canberra buyers - not just NRL players.
Busy families and those relocating from interstate or overseas are also among the people seeing value in outsourcing their property purchase.
Canberra buyer's agent Claire Corby, who has operated Capital Buyers Agency for 10 years, says she has as many clients with a $500,000 budget as she does buyers with millions to spend.
"It's not like everyone is at a certain price point - absolutely not," she says.
"It's more about people that need advice and recognise that they don't know what they don't know."
What is a buyer's agent and how do they work?
Buyer's agents are licensed real estate agents who act on behalf of the buyer, as opposed to a real estate agent who represents the seller.
They usually offer a range of services, including finding and short-listing properties, inspecting homes and bidding at auctions or negotiating a private treaty sale on behalf of buyers.
Sometimes they can find properties that a regular buyer couldn't, through pre-market or off-market sales.
A buyer's agent can charge a fixed fee for their service or work on a commission structure, usually charging somewhere between 1.5 and 3 per cent of the purchase price.
Generally buyer's agents are independent businesses and not affiliated with a real estate agency.
The rise of the buyer's agent
Awareness about buyer's agents has grown over the past decade, thanks in part to real estate reality shows and naturally through word-of-mouth marketing, Ms Corby says.
"People are talking about it more and suggesting [it] to their friends," she says.
With more people looking for advice, the number of buyer's agencies has also grown.
The Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia has about 90 members across the country, up from 53 in 2014.
To be registered with the association, a buyer's agent must not have properties listed for sale or be involved in the direct selling of properties.
In that regard, a newcomer to the Canberra property scene is disrupting the market.
Fyshwick-based real estate agency Jonny Warren Properties has introduced a new buyer's agency arm of the business, helmed by Ben Power.
Mr Power says while he will show clients properties advertised for sale through Jonny Warren Properties if they are suitable, he has no obligation to do so.
"Essentially I still work independently under the Jonny Warren brand and I'll source the best property for the client and purchase that property from any sales agent out there," he says.
Who's using buyer's agents?
Since launching the Jonny Warren buyer's agency in May, Mr Power has worked with a variety of clients, including a retired woman who lives in regional NSW and is relocating to Canberra.
"It's the first time she's ever bought a property," he says.
Mr Power says high-profile people, like his client Timoko, also see value in the service.
"They like privacy sometimes or they're just time-poor and not available on the weekends," he says.
He's also worked with busy families, buyers relocating from overseas and people who are unwell or unable to physically attend properties.
Ms Corby's client list is also diverse.
"We have bought units [for clients] as low as $250,000," she says.
She says buyers who use agents don't have a budget in common, rather they share the same desire for advice and advocacy.
"We don't mind how much you spend on your property because our duty and our responsibility is to get it for the best possible price," Ms Corby says.
What to look out for when using a buyer's agent
Buyers can check if a buyer's agent holds a current real estate licence by searching the ACT public register.
Ms Corby, who is the ACT state representative at REBAA, says a good buyer's agent will have a clear policy on how they deal with conflicts of interest, if they were to arise.
That can help buyers know how the agent would respond in a situation such as having two clients looking for the same type of property.
Under ACT legislation, an agent must disclose if they receive any rebate, discount, commission or benefit for referring a buyer to a service provider, such as a developer or a sales agent.
The nature and value of any benefit must also be disclosed.
Ms Corby says the real estate industry is "full of referrals and kickbacks", so it is important for buyers to find independent agents who do not accept commission.
It is also worth asking the agent how many clients they are working with, Ms Corby says.
"The amount of work that goes into analysing properties and doing up reports - we count our clients on one hand," she says.
