Name: Can I Use My Own Property Manager? (What You Need to Know)
Uploaded: 2026-07-16
Description: Clients who use our buyer's agency service are welcome to use their own property manager. However, the vast majority find that by having a holistic, end-to-end service, we are able to have a much smoother overall purchasing journey.

Question 1

How Much Does a Buyer's Agent Cost in Perth? (Fees Explained)

Accepted Answer

Fees for a buyer's agency do vary. It is usually pretty similar to what you would pay a selling agent on the other side of the transaction, and often a bit cheaper. There are discount buyer's agents who are really order takers. If you go to them and say, "Buy me a property in a certain suburb," they can probably deliver on that, and they are going to be down at the lower end, towards the $10,000 mark. Then we have the buyer's agents who do a lot more research and have developed a proven research methodology. There are not many of us. What you are really getting there is strategy. You are getting the research, the backing, and the confidence to know that you are not just buying any property or suburb that you think might be good—you are buying a property that has the best chance of performing and stacking up over the short, medium, and long term. Those buyer's agents tend to charge a bit more. Fees vary, usually anywhere from 1.5% up to 2.5%, which is very similar to what you would pay a sales agent. We are usually somewhere around the middle, and we want to deliver on our value many times over what we charge.

Question 2

Is a Buyer's Agent Worth It? (Perth Real Estate Guide)

Accepted Answer

I often get asked if a buyer's agent is worth it. There are so many ways that we can pay for ourselves—and we really want to pay for ourselves five to ten times over. Let's start with getting you into the market quicker. If you've been looking for six to 12 months, you know the pain of going to home opens every weekend and trying to contact agents who don't call you back. It can be very frustrating and causes most people to quit their search. So, that in itself is one way that working with us will be well and truly worth it. We have the relationships, we have our insider network, and we can fast-track that entire process. The next way is really about avoiding costly mistakes and purchasing the wrong property. This is the number one problem that investors face that holds them back. They buy a property that doesn't perform, which traps them and doesn't give them the equity to leapfrog into other purchases. If we find a property that is going to outperform in the short term, you will be in a much better position to refinance, pull equity back out, and recover the deposit you put in. Over the longer term, even if the property grows at an extra 2% compounded per year over 20 years, that is an extra million dollars. It doesn't take much for us to pay for ourselves financially and in terms of speed. The other reason clients use us is for peace of mind and a stress-free property search. Most people only buy one or two properties in a lifetime, but we buy one or two properties a week. We have the process completely ironed out and stress-free. All you need to do is make the key decisions, we will do all the hard work, and you can just come along for the ride and have a great experience.

Question 3

How to Choose the Best Property Buyer's Agent in Perth

Accepted Answer

When trying to choose the right buyer's agent here in Perth, I would start at the top level by looking at what their Google reviews are and what their reputation is. Have they won lots of industry awards, and do they have a proven research methodology for buying high-performing properties? Then, I would be looking at what their network is like for sourcing properties. Do they purchase properties off-market? I would also go deeper to look at whether they have guarantees to back up everything they say, and whether these are really strong guarantees or weak ones. Next, I would look at whether they have a holistic approach. There are a lot of buyer's agents who purchase properties and then aren't around for the success or failure of that property—it is just a "one and done" transaction. I would be looking for an end-to-end agent who has strategy, buyer's agency, property management, and preferably sales in-house like we do. The expertise from property management and sales can really feed into making your buyer's agency even more powerful in how they act for you.

Question 4

Why Trust Investors Edge Over Other Perth Real Estate Agencies

Accepted Answer

The reason to trust Investors Edge Real Estate with your property strategy and buyers agency is that we've got a proven track record. If you jump on Google, you'll see over 1,300 five-star reviews from happy clients. You will also be able to see that we're one of the most awarded real estate agencies in Australia now, and we've got an amazing team. It's not just about me; it's about the team delivering on our promise and guarantees. If you check out our guarantees for each of our services, you'll see that we really put our money where our mouth is and have very real consequences if we don't back up our promises. So that's why you should trust us. Hopefully, we're the right fit for working with you.

Question 5

What Does a Buyer's Agent Do for Property Buyers?

Accepted Answer

What does a buyer's agent actually do? Well, it all starts with helping you develop your brief. Your brief is really your criteria for what you're looking for. We are going to do a lot of research before you even come along, keeping our research up to date. Once you decide on your price point, then we can help you decide on the trade-offs between growth and rental yield, and what sort of price is going to get you into a higher quality asset for what you have in mind. Once we've really nailed down that brief, we're then going to go off and do a whole bunch more research to decide on the suburb, the area, and the property using our trifecta method. Once we identify those suburbs that we're going to look in, we will use our insider network to reach out and let agents and all of our contacts in those areas know exactly what we're looking for. It is very hard to find something if you're not super clear on what you're looking for, so that's why this is important. We've got existing relationships and rapport, and this gives us off-market, pre-market, and on-market opportunities. Even if a property is on the market, we can use that relationship to get the insider knowledge to position us in the negotiation. If it all checks out, we can use that inside info to come over the top of the other buyers, if it makes sense for us to pay that price. Now, once we identify a property, we will then go deeper to look at the hyper-local area to make sure that stacks up. We will look at the property itself to make sure that stacks up, and then we'll decide what is a reasonable amount to pay and work that out before we go into a negotiation. You don't want to be making this up on the fly. One of the other big things we do in handling that negotiation is making sure you don't overpay for the property and pay an over-the-top emotional price. That is about knowing when to push and when to walk away, holding us to making the right decisions that are going to set you up for long-term success with buying this property.

Question 6

What Does a Buyer's Agent Actually Do? (Explained)

Accepted Answer

A buyer's agent really helps you get super clear on your brief and choose your suburbs. Hopefully, if they've got a great research methodology, they will select the suburbs that are most likely to outperform. We then commence the search, reach out to our insider network, and find properties that are off-market, pre-market, and on-market. We're going to use our agent relationships to give you the edge when it comes to negotiation, making sure you don't overpay. We are also going to go deeper to fully vet the property and make sure it stacks up using our trifecta method, which is going to set us up for success over the short, medium, and long term. Finally, we're going to coordinate everything through to the settlement period. We'll make sure that the building and pest inspections stack up, and ensure that we're fully set up to rent your property out or have you ready to move in come settlement time.

Question 7

Do You Only Buy Property in Perth, or Across Australia?

Accepted Answer

At the moment, our primary focus for buying is in Perth, but we're always looking at where the next undervalued location is around the major capital cities in Australia. For some clients who have already built out their portfolio in Perth, we have purchased properties in Melbourne. We are licensed in Melbourne at the moment. While it is not a huge part of our business, as the market cycles continue to shift, we'll be looking at where represents the most value. We will always focus on what is going to be the best type of property, location, price point, and yield for your overall plan, presenting options that are entirely comfortable for you.

Question 8

How to Buy an Investment Property: Where & How to Start

Accepted Answer

So the first step to get started, if you're considering the sale of your property in Perth, is really an online appraisal. We don't want to be upsetting your tenants if you've got them, and we don't necessarily need to be inspecting the property if you're living there. We just need some recent photos. Usually, these days, we can prepare an accurate online appraisal if we're managing the property. We've got the routine inspections, and we've got the property condition reports. We can assess that for the appraisal, but we want to give you a conservative appraisal so that you're basing your decisions on what's actually achievable. Then, if that's going to stack up, I'd really be using what we call our Strategic Decision Framework. This is where we look at the asset quality, we look at your current situation, and we look at your future plans so we can just decide if it makes sense to sell. So many times, I actually talk people out of selling if it's not the right time or if it's not really going to help them achieve their goals. We really want to be looking deeper, and from there, if it makes sense to sell, we can then go into the strategy for getting the best price.

Question 9

First-Time Property Investor? Here is Where to Start

Accepted Answer

So when should you start? When you're buying your first investment property, I'd start with a clear Strategic Portfolio Plan. That's going to really make sure that you're not going to make any mistakes, and that the first property is not going to hold you back from either what you want to do with your home or future investment properties.One of the best next places to start is our Property Investor Readiness Scorecard. It will actually uncover your blind spots and make sure that you've got everything you need before you start your search. It's very expensive to change things afterwards, and this is really going to step you through all the things you need to look at.

Question 10

Upfront Costs of Buying Property in Western Australia (Hidden Fees)

Accepted Answer

The typical costs you'll be looking at when buying a property—I would budget around 5 to 6% in purchase costs. The big one is going to be transfer duty, and that's going to be calculated based on the purchase price. There's a stamp duty transfer duty calculator online, so you can punch that in and get a bit of an idea as to where that's going to be. There are also going to be some other minor government charges that go along with that. Then you've got your settlement agent costs. At a typical price point, you're usually going to be up for around $1,200 for a settlement agent. Then I'd also look at your buyer's agent. Now, if you're using a buyer's agent, you're going to be up for anywhere from ten grand at the low end to 2.5 to 3% at the upper end. I would look at what you're getting for that money and make sure that you're getting a really good return. Check out some of our other answers to other questions so that you can really go through what to expect and look for when choosing a buyer's agent. So that's going to be the majority of costs. Let's not forget, you've also got your building and pest inspection. That's typically around $800 to $1,000. That should be the majority of costs to expect.

Question 11

How to Choose the Right Investment Property to Buy

Accepted Answer

Choosing the right property isn't about throwing darts at a board. Over the last five years in Perth, you could have just about bought any property as an investor and done well. Now, we need to be much more selective. As the market is starting to change, we need to look at where represents value and where is most likely to perform over the short, medium, and long term. To do this, we have developed a research methodology which we call our "trifecta method" or "trifecta criteria." We start at the suburb level and look at where all the trends point. We look at the underlying fundamentals that are going to support medium- and long-term growth, and we choose a suburb that is most likely to perform at that level. We then go down to the area and do a hyperlocal review, looking at the factors that are going to influence desirability at the local level. This includes things like school catchments, proximity to any Homeswest housing, or other negatives that could hold back future growth. We want to identify the good pockets within the suburb, where the premium prices are being achieved, and where is most desirable for a tenant or a buyer for your future resale. Finally, we drop it down to the third area of our trifecta, which is the property itself. We want to look at the historical growth on that property type, its unique positives and negatives, and whether we are going to have to spend any money on it to make it suitable for a tenant. We also analyze what the property is worth, conservatively, to buy and to rent. With that complete picture, we can see if the property stacks up on all three levels. That is what is going to give us the best chance of growth over the short, medium, and long term.

Question 12

What You Must Do BEFORE Buying Property in Western Australia

Accepted Answer

When you're a buyer, it's really important to do due diligence. Right now, in the information age, there's more information available than ever. Because of that, it can be very difficult and overwhelming to know what's important and what to focus on.That's why we've developed our Trifecta Method™, where we look at the suburb, the area around the property, and the property itself to make sure that it's going to stack up. We've spent over a decade choosing the important metrics within each of these that really matter and have the biggest influence on growth and desirability—ultimately, for your tenants and future buyers whenever you come to sell.

Question 13

Can a Buyer's Agent Access Off-Market Properties in Perth?

Accepted Answer

Most buyer's agents can access off-market properties to varying degrees, and it is very much going to depend on how hot the market is. In a cooler market, we might buy as much as 70% or 80% off-market, and we have got a lot more negotiating power. Sellers are not as worried about taking their property to the open market to find the very best possible price. But things have changed slightly in Perth. With the market being super hot, it is more like 20% that we buy off-market and 80% on-market because sellers want to go to market just about every time. We can still get access to properties, but they have to be the right properties and they have to fully stack up using our trifecta method. That will change depending on market conditions as we move forward.

Question 14

Can a Buyer's Agent Stop Me From Overpaying for Property?

Accepted Answer

Hopefully, one of the main reasons to use a buyer's agent is to stop you from overpaying for a property. Our role as a buyer's agent is to guide you on what is a conservative price, and how much is too much to pay. We don't want to just be looking at what has recently sold or what is currently on the market. We want to be speaking to agents and finding out what is under offer and what prices have been paid. That is going to provide the most current and useful information to ensure that we're paying a fair price—enough to secure the property and beat out the competition, but without paying a highly emotional price that will take 6, 12, or 24 months for the market to catch up to.

Question 15

Why Do Buyer's Agents Charge an Upfront Engagement Fee?

Accepted Answer

For our buyers agency, we have an upfront engagement fee because it sort of gets us all on the same page and ensures that you're serious about buying a property. We're going to be putting in our research time, our time speaking with our agents, and tapping our Insider Network™ to find you properties. A lot of time is going to be invested, so we want to make sure that you're on board, ready, and serious about buying the right property when it comes up and you're ready to pounce.

Question 16

Do Property Buyers Get a Cooling-Off Period in WA?

Accepted Answer

In WA, when you purchase a property, there is no cooling-off period for buyers. They usually have seven days to pay their deposit. If they do not pay the deposit, the recourse is fairly limited. Technically, you can sue them as a seller for any difference in the selling price later, but very few sellers would ever do that. So really, once the buyer has paid the deposit, they need to get finance. Typically, they have two to four weeks to do that. If the finance gets declined and the contract is subject to finance, then the deposit is usually returned in full, provided they can show evidence of that decline.From there, they would usually get their building and pest inspections to ensure that there are no major structural defects, the structural soundness is there, and there are no active timber pests or past damage. Providing that you as the seller fix those things, the buyer would typically have to proceed. Those are the protections in place and what you can expect along the way.

Question 17

What to Know Before Buying a Strata Property in WA

Accepted Answer

There's a number of things to know before you go buying a strata property in WA, and it's become more important. Now that affordability is tougher, everyone's budget doesn't extend to a green title full house. So strata is a really great option, but you need to be even more careful. I would be going deep into the strata meeting minutes. If you can get the last two years, you're really looking for issues that are reoccurring or coming up that haven't been dealt with. I would then be getting a copy of the 10-year plan. That's going to be critical to look at what the forward expected budget of maintenance is. If there are any big items coming up, they may be raising a special levy to increase the strata fees and have you fund that. Looking backwards in time, you can also see in the 10-year plan if they've done a whole bunch of work. Then you're going to be the benefactor of that coming into big things, having been done to improve the complex, with less chance of them coming up again. If the roof's just been replaced, then you're probably going to be right for another 20 years. Other things to look at are the financials. This is key because you want to make sure that the annual budget is not being overrun on a consistent basis, and you want to be looking to see what the reserve fund levels are to see what's in the kitty to handle the upcoming expenses. So those things are all really key. Then you can go a bit deeper if you want to look at what some of the bylaws are, and what some of the other restrictions are in the complex. I'd also be looking at the strata plan to see if the actual balcony, car parking, or courtyard—in the case that it has one—is part of the unit or common property. You'd really ideally like them to be part of your unit and for exclusive use so that there are no potential issues with that down the track.

Question 18

How to Know if a Buyer's Agent is Truly Independent

Accepted Answer

Is a buyer's agent independent? Well, they're appointed by you, they're acting for you, and they're there to take your instructions. If you go to a sales agent and ask them what you should do, buying one of the properties that they are selling is probably going to be the answer. The independence comes because we are there to find the right property that is going to suit your brief, and we are there to make sure it fully stacks up. With our proven research methodology, we are there to make sure that it's going to have the best chance of high performance over the short, medium, and long term. We are always acting in your interest, making sure you don't overpay and that you get into the right property quickly.

Question 19

How Do You Know if You Paid the Right Price for a House?

Accepted Answer

So how do you know if you've paid the right price? Well, it's a case of having as many data points and as much local knowledge as possible. A lot of people rely just on the data, but there's an art and there's a science to it. I would start by looking at recent property sales. You really want to go deep to make sure you are comparing apples with apples, because room size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the overall condition of the property, the total size of the land, and what can be done with that land—including its zoning—are all very critical to arriving at the price. Let's not forget the surrounding location and how desirable that is for tenants and buyers. That is some of the science. We then want to go deeper to look at a bit of the art. Ultimately, we are asking ourselves: is this going to be desirable? To answer that, we gather feedback from other agents in the area who have recently sold properties or have homes under offer. We also ask for their opinions on things like, "Hey, have you seen this property come up? What price do you think it's worth?" It's a case of collating all of this information and formulating a conservative view to ensure that you don't overpay.

Question 20

How to Decide on the Right Offer Price for a Property

Accepted Answer

When pricing a property, we really need to look at the recent sales that have happened around the suburb and, most importantly, the ones most directly comparable to yours. We want to look at what's currently on the market for sale and what buyers are chasing. It's also worth speaking to other local agents to find out what is under offer and what prices people have recently paid that haven't yet shown up on the register. Between all those three things, we can look deeper at exactly how your property measures up, both for its positives and negatives, and adjust the price accordingly. Setting our asking price is really just a blunt tool to get people in the door and create the demand and buzz we need. This helps generate the competition we want to push the price up through negotiation and find the very best price out there. Ultimately, the market will tell us that.

Question 21

How Long Does It Take to Buy a Property in Australia?

Accepted Answer

One of the main advantages of using a buyer's agent is a much quicker time to buy a property. That is going to vary depending on the market, what we are looking for exactly, and how many properties come up for us—both off-market, on-market, and pre-market. Typically, our average search is one to two months. We regularly come across buyers who have been looking on their own for six, 12, or even 24 months, and they are blown away when we are able to find them a property within such a short period of time. It just takes the stress away, gets them into the market sooner, and gets them into their dream home much earlier too.

Question 22

What if We Don't Find a Property? (Buyer's Agent FAQs)

Accepted Answer

Many buyers can be worried about committing because they're concerned that they haven't been able to find a property, and they wonder, "Will we be able to find a property for them too?" To date, we haven't ever had a client who has not secured a property. That's not to say that it can never happen. Your situation might change where your goals change, or you no longer end up wanting to proceed. But from our side, we're going to be committed until we find the right property for you. That will take as long as it takes, but we'll put every effort into making sure that it's as quick as possible.

Question 23

What Happens if My Situation Changes Once We Commence Looking to Buy?

Accepted Answer

If your situation changes once we commence searching for a property, we can always adjust our brief. We want to pivot and make sure that we're ultimately buying a property that you're going to be super happy with. If it means that you need to take a pause, regroup on your finances, or regroup on your situation, then that's completely fine. We'll look at how much time and effort is invested to determine whether or not your engagement fee is refundable, and we will work with you whenever the timing is right to get back into things and recommence the search.

Question 24

Why You Need a Strategic Property Portfolio Plan First

Accepted Answer

A good reason to get a Strategic Portfolio Plan first, before you do any investing, is that you don't want to go making mistakes that you can't then correct later. It's very expensive to buy a property and to sell a property. Those mistakes compound if you hold a property longer and you miss out on returns that you should have otherwise had. So it's really important to get a clear plan that's not going to sabotage you or set you back later. You also really want to plan around your existing home. You want to work backwards from your end goals, and you want to make sure that it's going to suit your lifestyle along the way and not cause you to lose sleep at night.

Question 25

What is Included in the Game Plan Software License?

Accepted Answer

Our game plans' software license basically gives people lifetime access to have a dynamic plan. That way, we can work with you on updating it every year. So it's not a dusty old document that sits in your bottom drawer that you never look at again. It's something we're going to revisit. We're going to dynamically update it as your goals and your plans change. As you progress, we can revisit and make sure that we're on track.

Question 26

Can I Use My Own Property Manager? (What You Need to Know)

Accepted Answer

Clients who use our buyer's agency service are welcome to use their own property manager. However, the vast majority find that by having a holistic, end-to-end service, we are able to have a much smoother overall purchasing journey. It is a case of doing things that all go together so we can line up the settlement. We can try to find a tenant to put in place before then, advertise, and have that in place. We can then formulate a list of maintenance, pass it on to your property manager, and develop a plan as to what needs doing upfront versus what needs doing over the medium and long term, so that you know what to expect. This ensures we are all on the same page with how to implement it, meaning you do not have to keep telling lots of different people the same story and the same objectives. We are really here to work on that overall plan and achieve those goals for you.

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