Guide
Investment property buyers agent: buying on the numbers, Australia-wide
Buying an investment is a different job from buying a home. Here's what an investment property buyers agent does, how we decide where and what to buy, what we check on every property, and how the process works.
By Mossy Taheri, licensed buyer’s agent · Updated
The short answer
An investment property buyers agent buys property for you on the numbers: rent, vacancy, growth drivers, holding costs and risk. Rising Returns is a national buyers agency, so we start with where to buy, compare markets across Australia, then find, check and negotiate the property that fits your budget and goals. We act only for you, never the seller.
What does an investment property buyers agent do?
An investment property buyers agent represents the buyer from the first brief to settlement. A selling agent works for the vendor and wants the highest price. A buyers agent works for you: choosing the market, finding the property, testing the numbers and negotiating the price and terms.
- Set the brief: budget, borrowing, deposit or equity, structure (personal, trust or SMSF), timeframe and goals.
- Choose the market: which cities, regions and suburbs suit that brief, compared on the same data.
- Search on and off market, including properties offered quietly before they're advertised.
- Check the property: comparable sales, rent and vacancy, building and pest, strata records and the contract.
- Negotiate price and terms, or bid at auction within the limit you approve.
- Manage the purchase to settlement, then hand over to a local property manager.
Buying an investment vs buying a home
The same house can be a good home and a poor investment. A home is chosen for how you’ll live. An investment is chosen for the income it earns, the costs of holding it and the likely demand from tenants and future buyers.
| Buying a home | Buying an investment | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Close to work, family and schools | Wherever the numbers and growth drivers are strongest |
| What matters most | Lifestyle, layout and the street you like | Rent, vacancy, land value, supply and holding costs |
| Who it must appeal to | You | Tenants now, and buyers when you sell |
| Tax | Main residence exempt from capital gains tax | Rent is taxable; costs and depreciation may be deductible; CGT applies on sale |
| Emotion | Expected, and part of the decision | A risk: it leads to overpaying |
Tax rules for investors are changing. Read negative gearing reform 2026 for what it means, and check your position with your accountant before you buy.
How we choose where to buy
A local agent tends to recommend the market they work in. As a national agency, we compare markets first, so the city and suburb are chosen for your brief rather than our postcode.
- Price and rent: what your budget buys, and what it rents for, in each market.
- Vacancy and days on market: how quickly properties let and sell.
- Supply: listings, new building approvals and land releases that could weigh on prices or rents.
- Demand drivers: population growth, jobs, infrastructure and household income.
- Risk: reliance on one industry or employer, flood and bushfire exposure, and oversupply of units.
We screen more than 15,000 neighbourhoods and assess each property with Presm 150, our 150-point decision framework. Our best suburbs to invest pages and rental yields by city show the kind of numbers we compare.
What we check on every investment property
- Price: recent comparable sales, so you don’t pay above market.
- Rent: achievable rent from recent leases, not the asking rent on a listing.
- Land and building: land size and share of value, age, condition, and the building and pest report.
- Strata for units and townhouses: levies, the sinking fund, defects, special levies and planned works.
- Zoning and overlays: heritage, flood, bushfire and any development that could affect value.
- Cash flow: rent against repayments, rates, insurance, strata and management fees.
- The contract: reviewed with your solicitor or conveyancer before you commit.
Run your own numbers with the property cash flow calculator and the rental yield calculator.
Investment strategies we buy for
- Growth: houses on good land in markets with strong demand drivers, accepting a lower yield.
- Cash flow: higher-yield markets where rent covers more of the holding costs.
- Balanced: a mix of both, often the starting point for a first investment.
- Rentvesting: rent where you live and buy where the numbers work (how rentvesting works).
- SMSF purchases: residential or commercial property bought in your super fund, with your adviser’s input.
- Portfolio building: several purchases spread across states, using equity as it grows (using home equity to invest).
Looking at offices, shops or warehouses instead? See our commercial buyers agent page.
How an investment purchase works with Rising Returns
- Discovery call: your budget, borrowing, goals and timeframe.
- Strategy: the type of property, the markets in scope and the numbers it needs to meet.
- Search: listed and off-market properties, short-listed against the brief. We review about 60 properties for every one we buy.
- Due diligence: sales evidence, rent, inspections, strata and the contract.
- Negotiation: price and terms, with your approval before every offer or bid.
- Settlement and hand-over: through to keys, then a local property manager.
Read more on how we work, or see our client results.
Who uses an investment property buyers agent?
- First-time investors who want the first purchase to be the right foundation.
- Busy professionals without time for research, inspections and negotiation.
- Interstate and overseas buyers purchasing in a city they can't inspect easily.
- Investors building a portfolio across more than one state.
- SMSF trustees and trust buyers who need the purchase to fit their structure.
Comparing agencies? See the best buyers agents in Australia and national vs local buyers agents.
Investment property buyers agent fees
Buyers agents usually charge a fixed fee or a percentage of the price. We quote after a free discovery call, once we understand your brief. For how fees work generally, see buyers agent fees in Australia.
Planning your next investment?
Book a free discovery call. Tell us your budget, borrowing and goals, and we'll show you which markets fit and how we'd approach the purchase.
Book a free discovery callInvestment property buyers agent: common questions
What does an investment property buyers agent do?
An investment property buyers agent finds, checks and negotiates an investment property for you, and acts only for the buyer. The difference from a home buyer's agent is the brief: the property is judged on rent, vacancy, growth drivers, holding costs and risk, rather than on where you'd like to live.
Is an investment property buyers agent worth it?
An investment property buyers agent is usually worth it when the choice of market matters as much as the property, which is the case for most investors. Buying in the wrong suburb or overpaying can cost more than the fee for years. It also saves time, and helps when you're buying in a city you can't inspect easily.
Can a buyers agent buy an investment property in another state?
Yes. Most investors buy outside the city they live in. A national buyers agency compares markets first, then inspects in person or through trusted local contacts, runs the building and pest and strata checks, negotiates, and hands over to a local property manager after settlement.
How do buyers agents choose where to invest?
Good investment buyers agents choose markets on data, not on where they happen to work. They compare prices, rents, vacancy, stock levels, population and jobs growth, infrastructure and supply in each market, then short-list suburbs and streets that fit your budget and goals.
Do I need pre-approval before using an investment buyers agent?
It helps. A buyers agent can start research before you have it, but you'll need pre-approval before making offers, and your borrowing capacity shapes which markets are realistic. Our borrowing capacity page shows how much investors can typically borrow at current rates.
How much does an investment property buyers agent cost?
Buyers agents usually charge a fixed fee or a percentage of the purchase price, and many charge part of the fee up front. Rising Returns quotes after a free discovery call, once we understand your brief. Our buyers agent fees guide explains how fees are usually structured and what's included.
General information only. It doesn’t consider your personal circumstances and isn’t financial, tax, credit or legal advice. Speak to a licensed professional before you act.