What buyers agent fees actually cost in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth
The percentage is the same across Australia. The dollars are not, because the percentage is applied to a median price that ranges from under $800,000 to over $1.2 million.
The short answer
Buyers agent fees in Australia usually run 2% to 3% of the purchase price plus GST, or a flat fee agreed before the search starts. Most agents also charge an engagement fee upfront to begin.
On the percentage model that is about $24,900 to $37,300 in Sydney, $15,900 to $23,900 in Melbourne, $22,100 to $33,100 in Brisbane and $20,600 to $30,900 in Perth, before GST.
Those are the industry body's figures applied to each city's median, not ours. What matters is not the fee. It is what the fee has to save you before it pays for itself.
Buyers agent fees: percentage versus flat fee
How much do buyers agents charge in Australia?
The Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) is the industry body for buyers agents. Its published guidance covers a full search, inspection, due diligence and negotiation service. For that work, REBAA says the industry average fee sits between 2% and 3% of the purchase price, plus GST and an engagement fee to get started. The alternative it names is a flat fee based on the purchase price, plus an engagement fee.
- 2% to 3% plus GST, or a flat fee, plus an engagement fee to start. That is the full-service range for a buyers agent in Australia. (Source: REBAA FAQs, rebaa.com.au, checked 8 August 2026.)
- There is no maximum fee, and the fee can be negotiated. NSW Fair Trading states a buyers agent "may charge a fixed fee or a percentage of purchase price" and that "you can negotiate this price as it is not set by law". (Source: NSW Government, Using a real estate agent to buy a property, checked 8 August 2026.)
- Your agent must not be paid by the other side. The same NSW Government page states that a buyers agent "must not accept any payment for referring you to a selling agent". Those rules of conduct sit under the Property and Stock Agents Regulation 2022. (Source: NSW Government, Using a real estate agent to buy a property, checked 8 August 2026.)
- The same service costs about 56% more in Sydney than in Melbourne. Not because the work is harder, but because the percentage is applied to a higher median. (Derived from the Cotality Home Value Index, July 2026, as reported by PIPA.)
All figures on this page exclude GST unless stated. Add 10% for the GST-inclusive number. If you want the role explained before the price, start with our guide to what a buyers agent actually does.
Buyers agent fees by city, at the 2% to 3% industry range
Source: REBAA fee range applied to Cotality Home Value Index medians, July 2026, as reported by PIPA.
Buyers agent fees in Sydney
Sydney's median dwelling value was $1,244,617 in July 2026. (Source: Cotality Home Value Index, July 2026, as reported by PIPA.)
$24,900 to $37,300 plus GSTApply REBAA's 2% to 3% to that median and that is where buyers agent fees in Sydney land, or about $27,400 to $41,100 once GST is added. On top of that, most Sydney agents charge an engagement fee before the search begins. A higher fee is not automatically a worse deal, but it does have to buy you something you can name.
Flat fees in Sydney are usually quoted in price brackets rather than as one number, because the work on a $900,000 purchase and a $2 million purchase is not the same. Sydney has the widest price spread of any capital. A search in the inner west and a search in the eastern suburbs sit in different price brackets, so the same buyer's agent will quote you two different numbers for the same job. If you are buying here, our Sydney buyers agent service page sets out how we work and what each bracket covers.
Buyers agent fees in Melbourne
Melbourne's median dwelling value was $797,354 in July 2026. (Source: Cotality Home Value Index, July 2026, as reported by PIPA.)
$15,900 to $23,900 plus GSTThat is about $17,500 to $26,300 including GST, and it is the lowest of the four cities here, purely because the median is the lowest.
The trap in Melbourne is that a percentage fee falls as the price falls, so an agent on a percentage has a quiet incentive to move you up a price bracket. Ask any Melbourne buyers agent to quote a flat fee as well, then compare the two. Our Melbourne buyers agent page names the growth corridors and established suburbs we actually buy in.
Buyers agent fees in Brisbane
Brisbane's median dwelling value was $1,104,094 in July 2026. (Source: Cotality Home Value Index, July 2026, as reported by PIPA.)
$22,100 to $33,100 plus GSTAbout $24,300 to $36,400 with GST. REBAA publishes no Queensland-specific figure, so this is the national range applied to the Brisbane median rather than a Brisbane survey.
Brisbane surprises people. It has overtaken Melbourne on median dwelling value, so the fee you were quoted for a Melbourne search two years ago is not the fee you will be quoted in Brisbane now.
Buyers agent fees in Perth
Perth's median dwelling value was $1,029,797 in July 2026. (Source: Cotality Home Value Index, July 2026, as reported by PIPA.)
About $20,600 plus GST at 2%REBAA's Western Australian guidance says most buyers agents there charge "roughly around 2% plus GST on the purchase price", and that plenty of Perth buyers advocates charge a fixed fee instead. (Source: REBAA, Buyer's Agent Perth, checked 8 August 2026.) At 2% that is about $20,600, rising to roughly $30,900 if an agent charges 3%. Perth sits closer to a straight 2% than the eastern capitals do.
Do buyers agents charge a percentage or a flat fee?
A percentage fee is calculated on the final sale price, so it rises as the purchase price rises. A flat fee does not. That difference is not really about money. It is about incentive.
You will see the same money described as fees or commissions. It is the same thing. Both models are agreed before you purchase a property, but only one of them tells you the number in advance.
Percentage of purchase price
- Your agent is paid more when you spend more, at the exact moment they are advising you on how much to spend.
- You cannot know the final fee until the property is found.
- The same work costs about 56% more in Sydney than in Melbourne.
- It can work out cheaper on a low purchase price, and some agents will cap it.
Flat fee, agreed upfront
- The advice on price and the invoice are completely separate.
- You can budget it alongside stamp duty, legal fees and a building and pest inspection.
- The number does not move if the search runs long or the price runs high.
- On a cheap purchase it can be the more expensive of the two.
Which fee model is cheaper depends entirely on the purchase price. Most agents on a percentage still do the right thing. You just have to trust them to argue against their own invoice. If you are buying under about $700,000, ask for both quotes and compare them properly.
What is included in a buyers agent fee?
Before you compare two quotes, check you are comparing the same job. A full-service fee normally covers six things.
The brief
What the property has to do for you, and what you can afford to carry if it sits vacant.
The property search
Listed stock across every suburb on your brief, plus off-market approaches where the relationships exist. The search process should be reported to you weekly, not summarised at the end.
Inspections and shortlisting
So you are not spending three months of weekends on it yourself.
Due diligence
Comparable sales, rental appraisal, contract review coordination and building and pest inspection coordination.
Negotiation or auction bidding
The part most buyers are doing for the first time against someone who does it weekly.
Settlement support
Conditions, final inspection and handover. Our how we work page walks through the full sequence.
What the fee does not cover: stamp duty, your solicitor or conveyancer, the inspection reports themselves, and loan costs. Those are separate, and they are yours.
What are the hidden costs of using a buyers agent?
Four costs sit outside the headline number. None of them is a trick. All four are avoidable surprises if you ask first.
- GST. Both percentage fees and flat fees are usually quoted before GST. Add 10% to get the number that leaves your account.
- The engagement fee. Also called a retainer fee. Ask one question: is it deducted from the final fee, or charged on top of it?
- A success fee or completion bonus. Some agencies advertise a low headline fee and add a variable component at the end, so the number you compared was never the number you pay. Ask for the total, in writing, before you sign.
- Payments from the other side. A "free" buyers agent is paid by a developer, a project marketer or a selling agent. The money still comes out of the purchase price. It just does not appear on your invoice, and it buys their loyalty rather than yours.
So ask every agent you interview for one number: the total cost to you, including GST, from brief to settlement, if the search runs twelve months and you inspect forty properties. Then ask whether they take any payment from any selling agent, vendor or developer. If the answer is yes, the fee you can see is not the whole fee.
Are buyers agent fees tax deductible in Australia?
Generally, no. Not immediately.
For an investment property, a buyers agent fee is treated as a capital cost. It is added to the property's cost base, which reduces your capital gain when you eventually sell. It is not claimed against this year's rental income the way interest and negative gearing losses are.
For a home you live in, the fee is not deductible at all.
The treatment can differ for property bought inside a company, a trust or a self-managed super fund. Confirm the treatment with your accountant, and check the ATO's current guidance on property and capital gains tax, before you rely on any of this.
Is a buyers agent worth the fee? Run this one calculation
Forget the marketing maths. Do this instead.
Divide the fee by the purchase price.
That is the discount the agent has to find, on price alone, just to break even. Everything after that is the return.
| City | Median dwelling value | Example fee | Break-even discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | $1,244,617 | $30,000 | 2.4% |
| Brisbane | $1,104,094 | $27,000 | 2.4% |
| Perth | $1,029,797 | $21,000 | 2.0% |
| Melbourne | $797,354 | $18,000 | 2.3% |
Medians: Cotality Home Value Index, July 2026, as reported by PIPA. Example fees are illustrative, chosen inside the REBAA range for each city. They are not quotes.
Now ask two questions. Would you have negotiated 2.4% better on your own? And is 2.4% the whole benefit, or does the agent also change which property you buy?
That second question is usually the bigger one. A price saving happens once. Property selection compounds for as long as you hold it. But price is the only part you can check honestly before you sign, so start there. Our investment property buyers agent page covers how the selection side is done.
It makes little difference whether you buy a house or a unit. The fee is set by the price, not by the property type.
When the fee is not worth it
You already know the suburb street by street. You have the time to inspect properly. You are buying under about $500,000, where the fee is a large share of the purchase. Or you want someone to confirm a decision you have already made.
When it usually is
You are buying in a city you do not live in. You are time-poor and the search has already dragged. You are new to that property market. Or the purchase is large enough that a 2% to 3% swing on price is worth more than the whole fee.
Still not sure?
That is what the first call is for. Forty-five minutes, no cost, and if a buyers agent is the wrong move for you right now we will say so.
You get the exact fee for your bracket on that call. No pitch.
What Get RARE charges
A flat fee. Fixed, and set by the price bracket you are buying in, with no variable component and no percentage.
You know your bracket and your exact fee before you engage us. There is no success component, no uplift if the purchase price goes up, and nobody on the other side of the deal pays us anything. Client fees are our only income.
We do not publish the bracket table, because the right answer depends on the state, the property type and whether the brief is residential or commercial. You get the exact number on the first call, before you commit to anything.
Buyers agent fees FAQ
How much do buyers agents charge in Sydney?
Roughly $24,900 to $37,300 plus GST at REBAA's 2% to 3% industry range, applied to Sydney's July 2026 median dwelling value of $1,244,617. Flat fee agents quote by price bracket instead. Most also charge an engagement fee before the search starts.
How much do buyers agents charge in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth?
At REBAA's 2% to 3% range applied to July 2026 median dwelling values, about $15,900 to $23,900 in Melbourne, $22,100 to $33,100 in Brisbane and $20,600 to $30,900 in Perth, all before GST. REBAA's Western Australian guidance puts most Perth agents closer to a straight 2%.
How are buyers agent fees calculated?
Two ways. A percentage fee is the agreed rate, usually 2% to 3%, multiplied by the final purchase price, so the exact number is only known once you buy. A flat fee is set from your price bracket before the search starts and does not move. Both are normally quoted before GST, and both usually sit on top of an engagement fee.
Do buyers agents charge a fee if they do not find a property?
The engagement fee is normally kept either way, because it pays for work already done. In most agreements the balance is only payable once a contract is exchanged, but that is set by the agreement itself and not by law. Read the clause, and ask what happens if you walk away or the search runs past its term.
What is a free buyers agent?
An agent whose fee is paid by a developer, project marketer or selling agent instead of by you. It is not free. The payment is built into the purchase price, and it means the person advising you is paid by the person selling to you. Ask every agent in writing whether they take any payment from any other party.
Does the buyer pay the buyers agent fee?
Yes. You pay your buyers agent. The seller pays the selling agent. That separation is the whole point, because it is what makes the buyers agent accountable to you rather than to the vendor.
Can you claim buyers agent fees on tax?
Not as an immediate deduction. For an investment property the fee is added to the cost base and reduces your capital gain on sale. For an owner-occupied home it is not deductible at all. Confirm your position with your accountant.
Are buyers agent fees negotiable?
Yes. NSW Fair Trading states the fee is not set by law and can be negotiated, and no maximum fee is fixed by regulation. In practice there is more movement on a second or third purchase than on a first one. Ask what changes in the service if the fee changes.
What is a buyers agent engagement fee?
An upfront amount paid when you sign, sometimes called a retainer fee. It covers the early research and the start of the property search. Ask two things: is it deducted from the final fee, and what happens to it if no suitable property is found.
Can buyers agent fees be added to a home loan?
Usually not. Lenders size the loan against the property, not the costs around it, so the fee is normally paid from your own funds alongside your deposit and stamp duty. Ask your broker before you assume otherwise.
Are buyers agents worth it in Sydney?
It depends on the gap between what you would pay alone and what an agent pays. Divide the fee by the purchase price to get the break-even discount, then decide honestly whether you would have beaten it. Sydney is the market where the answer is most often yes, because it is the most competitive and the least forgiving.
Where every number on this page comes from
Fee pages are easy to write and hard to check. So here is the whole evidence base in one table, with the date each source was read. If a figure is not in this table, it is not on this page.
| What we published | Where it came from | As at |
|---|---|---|
| 2% to 3% of the purchase price plus GST, plus an engagement fee, or a flat fee based on the purchase price | REBAA FAQs, Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia | Read 8 Aug 2026 |
| Perth buyers agents charge "roughly around 2% plus GST", and many buyers advocates there charge a fixed fee | REBAA, Buyer's Agent Perth | Read 8 Aug 2026 |
| The fee is not set by law and can be negotiated. There is no maximum fee. No payment for referring you to a selling agent. | NSW Government, Using a real estate agent to buy a property, which sets out the rules of conduct under the Property and Stock Agents Regulation 2022 | Read 8 Aug 2026 |
| Median dwelling values: Sydney $1,244,617, Brisbane $1,104,094, Perth $1,029,797, Melbourne $797,354 | Cotality Home Value Index, July 2026, as reported by PIPA. We read these from PIPA's write-up, not from the Cotality release itself, and we say so rather than dress it up as a primary source. | July 2026 index |
| A buyers agent fee is a capital cost, added to the cost base, not an immediate deduction | Australian Taxation Office, Property and capital gains tax. General guidance only. Confirm your own position with your accountant. | Read 8 Aug 2026 |
| Every dollar range on this page | Our own arithmetic: the REBAA percentages applied to the medians above. Not a survey of agencies, and not a quote from any of them. | Calculated 8 Aug 2026 |
We cite REBAA here because it is the industry body that publishes a fee range for buyers agents across Australia, not as a claim about ourselves. Get RARE Properties is licensed in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, and is a member of PIPA, REINSW, REIV, REIQ and REIA.
Get your exact fee before you commit to anything
Forty-five minutes on the phone. You get the flat fee for your price bracket, and an honest answer on whether a buyers agent is worth it for the purchase you are actually making.
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. Rasti spent more than 9 years managing institutional portfolios at Westpac and AMP Capital, and has bought 22 properties with his own money over 14 years. Get RARE Properties is licensed in NSW, VIC and QLD and is a member of the Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA), REINSW, REIV, REIQ and REIA. Last updated 3 September 2026.
This article is general information. It does not take your objectives, financial situation or needs into account, and it is not tax, financial or legal advice. Fee figures cited from third parties are those sources' figures, not ours, and were correct as at the dates shown. Speak to your accountant about tax treatment, and to your own adviser, before acting.