Commercial Property Buyers Agent for Australian Investors
The lease is the asset. Not the building.
We are an independent commercial property buyers agent. We check the lease, the tenant and the outgoings before you commit, and we take nothing from the other side of the deal.
Book my free 20-minute callNo pitch. If commercial property is the wrong move for you right now, we will say so.
Commercial property is not residential with bigger numbers
If you have bought houses before, you know how to judge a building. Commercial property does not work that way. The money is in the lease, and the lease is a document most buyers skim.
The risk is in the paperwork
Rent reviews, option periods, who pays which outgoings, what happens at the end. Two commercial properties at the same price can be worth very different amounts once you read the leases properly.
The tenant is the income
A strong tenant on a long lease is an asset. A weak one on a short lease is a countdown. Most buyers look at the building and barely check who is paying the rent.
Empty means months, not weeks
A vacancy in residential property is a few weeks. A commercial one can run for months, sometimes longer. If your position cannot carry that, commercial property is the wrong asset for you right now.
Most buyers only discover this after they have signed. That is the part we think is avoidable.
How a commercial property buyers agent differs from real estate agents
We work only for you. Nobody else pays us.
A commercial real estate agent is hired and paid by the seller. They are good at their job, and their job is not looking after you. A buyers agent for commercial property is hired by you instead. That only matters if the agent is genuinely independent, and many are not. Ask directly whether they take any payment from selling agents, vendors or developers. If the answer is yes, the property you get shown may be the one that pays them, not the right property for your investment goals.
Commercial acquisitions at Get RARE are led by Adrian Allen. Adrian holds a NSW Class 1 real estate licence, has transacted on $50+ million of commercial investment opportunities and has built a large property portfolio over 15 years. He has been a buyer's agent since 2022, residential first then transitioning to commercial, and an active property developer since 2021.
Adrian works inside Get RARE, which has bought more than $300 million of property for over 550 client families.
Between Adrian and Rasti, that is 42 properties bought with our own money. We invest with our own money, so we look at yours the same way.
Rasti Vaibhav sets the strategy. He is a CFA Charterholder who spent 15+ years managing more than $2 billion at Westpac and AMP Capital. He answers one question first: does commercial property belong in your portfolio at all, and when. That happens before any search starts.
We take no commission, referral fee or payment of any kind from any agent, vendor or developer. Client fees are our only income. Ask any commercial buyers agent that question before you hire them.
The commercial property buying process, in three steps
We talk for 20 minutes
You tell us what you already own and what you want this property to do. We tell you honestly whether commercial property suits your position yet. Often it does not, and we say so.
We build the brief
What the property has to earn, what you can carry if it sits empty, and which of the five commercial property types fits. Only then does the property search start.
We check it and buy it
We run six due diligence checks on every commercial property, then we negotiate the terms, not just the price. Rent reviews and outgoings are often worth more than shaving the purchase price.
The six due diligence checks we run before recommending a commercial property
Every commercial property we assess goes through the same due diligence, and we publish it rather than describe it vaguely. Commercial properties are priced off the lease and the tenant, not off what the building next door sold for, so the checks that matter are not the residential ones. How a commercial property buyers agent thinks is more useful to you than a list of what they have bought.
The lease
How long is left, what the options are, and how the rent goes up. Fixed, linked to inflation, or reset to market.
The tenant
Who is actually paying the rent, how long they have traded, and what happens to the value if they walk.
Outgoings
Which running costs the tenant pays back and which you carry. This is where the advertised return and the real one part company.
The building
Condition, compliance, essential services, and the repair bill the next owner inherits.
Zoning and planning
What the site is allowed to be used for now, and what it could be used for if the tenant left.
The exit
Who buys this commercial investment property from you in ten years, and what has to be true for them to pay more than you did.
Get the commercial due diligence checklist
Six pages. Every question above, in the order we work through them, with what a good answer looks like and what should stop a purchase.
Get the free checklistSee what is included and get your free copy on the next page.
The five commercial property types we take briefs on
We take briefs on five commercial property types. Each behaves differently in the commercial property market, and each rewards a different kind of tenant analysis.
Industrial
Demand here is driven by delivery and logistics, and by limited land near transport routes. Leases are often long and the buildings are simple to run.
Retail
Rewards a good location and the right mix of tenants. Punishes both when they are wrong.
Office
The type most changed by working from home. Grade, floor size and location now separate the buildings that keep tenants from the ones that do not.
Medical
Long leases and tenants who stay, because fitting out a new clinic is expensive.
Childcare
Driven by the lease and the operator. Who runs it matters more than the building does.
If your brief sits outside those five commercial property types, we will say so on the first call rather than three weeks in.
Where we take commercial property briefs
We take commercial property briefs nationally, including Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Get RARE is licensed in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.
Your brief sets the geography, not a fixed list of postcodes. If the right commercial property for your brief is in a Brisbane industrial precinct rather than a Sydney retail strip, that is where the property search goes. Commercial properties in different cities can look identical and behave nothing alike, because the tenant market underneath them is different.
On the residential side, our Melbourne buyers agent service covers named growth corridors and the established east.
Two ways a commercial property purchase goes
Buying the building
- The yield looks great, so you move quickly.
- The tenant leaves in eighteen months and you did not check their trading history.
- Half the outgoings turn out not to be recoverable.
- It sits empty for seven months while you pay the loan.
Buying the lease
- You know the tenant, the term and the review structure before you offer.
- You know what the real return is after unrecoverable costs.
- You have priced in a vacancy, so one would not break you.
- You know who buys it from you, and why.
What a commercial buyers agent costs: a flat fee, known before you start
Commercial property buyers agents charge either a percentage of the purchase price or a flat fee agreed before the search begins. On a percentage, the agent earns more when you spend more. We do not think that is right.
We charge a flat fee, fixed and set by the price bracket you are buying in. You know your bracket and your exact fee before you sign anything. No percentage, no variable part, no surprise invoice at the end. Our guide to what a buyers agent charges works through how to calculate the return before you engage anyone.
And nobody on the other side pays us anything.
Who commercial property investment suits, and who it does not
This is for you if
You already own residential property, you have cash set aside, and you can meet the deposit. Commercial lending usually needs 30% to 40% down, against 10% to 20% for a house.
This is not for you if
This would be your first investment property, or you need the rent to arrive every single month. A commercial vacancy is measured in months. If that would break your position, this is not the right asset yet.
Not sure?
That is exactly what the call is for. It is 20 minutes, it costs nothing, and if commercial property is the wrong move for you right now we will tell you plainly.
A self-managed super fund (SMSF) is one of the more common routes into commercial property, particularly for business owners buying their own premises. Adrian handles those briefs. If you are still weighing up whether to invest in commercial property at all, start with how commercial property investing works in Australia. This page is for people who have decided.
Commercial buyers agent FAQ
What does a commercial property buyers agent do?
A commercial property buyers agent works for the buyer, not the vendor. The job has four parts. Setting what the asset has to do in your portfolio. Searching listed and off-market commercial properties. Checking the lease and the building. Negotiating the terms.
Commercial property buying differs most from residential in that last part. You are negotiating rent reviews, outgoings, make-good (what the tenant has to restore when they leave) and option periods, not only the price. Two offers at the same headline number can be worth very different amounts once the lease terms are settled.
What are the benefits of using a commercial buyers agent?
You get independent analysis of the lease and tenant before you commit, the terms negotiated rather than just the price, and access to off-market commercial properties where those relationships exist. The biggest benefit is usually the purchase you avoid.
How do I choose the right commercial buyers agent?
Ask three things. Are you paid by anyone other than me. What happens if you tell me not to buy. Who does the lease analysis and who does the negotiating. Then ask them to explain the thinking behind a recent recommendation, not just the address.
Is a commercial buyers agent worth it?
For most first-time commercial investors, yes. In commercial real estate the risk sits in the lease rather than the building, and it is not obvious to a buyer whose experience is residential. The right property on the wrong lease terms is still a poor investment.
What is a commercial buyers advocate?
The same thing as a commercial buyers agent. Same job, same licence. Both work for the buyer, not the seller. Which word people use depends mostly on the state.
How do I find the right commercial property?
Start with what the asset has to do in your portfolio, then filter the commercial property market against that brief. Buyers who start by browsing listings tend to buy the most appealing building rather than the best investment. Get the brief right and the building itself is almost incidental.
Do you find off-market commercial properties?
Yes, where access exists. It depends on relationships with selling agents and asset managers, and not every good commercial property is off-market. Off-market commercial properties are usually shown to a buyer the agent already knows can settle.
How much deposit do I need to buy commercial property in Australia?
Most commercial lending needs 30% to 40% of the purchase price, compared with 10% to 20% for residential. Loan terms are shorter and interest rates are usually higher.
Can I buy commercial property through an SMSF?
Yes, and it is one of the more common reasons investors move into commercial property investing, particularly business owners buying their own premises. The rules are specific and worth understanding before you commit. Our guide to buying property through super covers them.
Where do you buy commercial property?
We take commercial property briefs nationally, including Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Get RARE is licensed in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Your brief sets the geography, not a fixed list of postcodes.
Start with a conversation
Twenty minutes to work out whether commercial property belongs in your portfolio at all, and if it does, what the brief should be. No pitch and no obligation.
Or call 02 5022 5450 · Suite 5.03, 309 George Street, Sydney · Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm
Written and reviewed by Rasti Vaibhav, CFA Charterholder and Founder of Get RARE Properties. Commercial property acquisition is led by Adrian Allen, Lead Commercial Buyer's Agent. Last updated 6 August 2026. Get RARE Properties is licensed in NSW, VIC and QLD and is a member of PIPA, REINSW, REIV, REIQ and REIA. This page is general information and does not take your personal circumstances into account.
Suite 5.03, 309 George Street,
Sydney NSW 2000
Sydney NSW 2000
Ground Floor, 161 Collins St,
Melbourne, VIC 3000
Melbourne, VIC 3000
