Buyers’ Agents tend to bring new meaning to the phrase “all in a day’s work”. When you look at the typical day in the life of a Buyers’ Agent you soon realise that there’s nothing really “typical” about it, which may be a big part of the job’s appeal.
At least that’s what we discovered when we caught up with Buyers’ Agents, Nick Viner, Principal at Buyers Domain and REINSW Buyers’ Agents Chapter Committee Chairperson, and Michael Ossitt, Director at STRAND Property Group and REINSW Buyers’ Agents Chapter Committee Member.
So what are some of a Buyers’ Agent’s key tasks? Here are five things Buyers’ Agents typically do in a day, including some tasks that may surprise you.
1. Inspections
Visiting properties whether it’s an open house or a final inspection of a client’s property is a significant part of a Buyers’ Agent’s role.
Michael Ossitt visits between eight and 15 properties on a typical open home day and arranges private inspections throughout the week.
“Private inspections might include viewing off-market and pre-market properties that haven’t been advertised yet, or we might be accompanying a client for a private inspection with the sales agent,” Ossitt says.
“It is best practice for a Buyer’s Agent to view other properties for sale in the area that might be slightly outside of the scope of the buyer’s brief. This gives you an opportunity to ‘bookend’ properties on the market but also another opportunity to meet and discuss other properties with local sales agents.”
Nick Viner uses open houses and inspections as an opportunity to “discover hidden gems in local neighbourhoods such as new coffee shops and pocket parks”.
When it comes to inspections of client properties no detail is overlooked.
At a typical final inspection Viner “checks the condition of the property, checks the inclusions as per the contract and answers all the client’s questions”.
Since each and every property and client are different, the Buyers’ Agent could be dealing with many different issues. On one recent inspection Viner needed to locate the water meter. After “digging around in the front flower bed” and failing to find it, he needed to liaise with the vendor’s solicitor to resolve the issue.
Viner also recounts having to “get into some unusual spaces within roofs or in subfloors to check out the condition of a property” at least on a few occasions.
2. Research
Both Ossitt and Viner spend much of their time researching properties, looking for new stock, shortlisting options to go and view and doing searches for client properties.
From their research, the Buyers’ Agents update their property lists and provide the new information to clients to keep them up to date with the market.
Part of the research process Ossitt says is “completing due diligence on shortlisted properties, this might include searching council records, reviewing the building and pest report or strata reports.”
3. Client Relationships
Maintaining relationships with past, current and potential clients is a key part of a Buyers’ Agent’s day.
In January, Viner “called prospects, clients and previous clients to wish them a Happy New Year and to let them know I’m back at work”.
A typical Buyers’ Agent day will usually include meetings, phone calls and emails with both prospects and current clients.
“It could be a sales meeting with a prospect who is looking to engage you or it could be a briefing session with a new client to get their search underway. It could also be a meeting with an existing client to sign a contract, get a cheque or talk through their search,” Ossitt says.
4. Networking
Ossitt says one thing he hadn’t expected to be so important for a Buyers’ Agent was the business-to-business relationships.
“I thought that you would have a few key referral partners, but I’ve found that having a wider network of complementary business owners is powerful in terms of referrals, especially from partners who have the same client base. What has been important is meeting with these people regularly and building those relationships.”
5. Expect the Unexpected
While there are many other tasks a Buyers’ Agent may undertake on a typical day, from writing reports to marketing, there are also some you may never expect.
“Once I went down to check out a rural property for a very good client in the Southern Highlands. During the property inspection, I found myself assisting the agent, who was also a stock and station agent, rounding up cattle in his ute!” Viner says.
Ossitt says he hasn’t experienced “too many strange moments” on the job but “it’s always a bit weird when you are inspecting a property on a private inspection and there is someone asleep in a bedroom or tenants in the property that you have to tiptoe around”.
As a Buyers’ Agent, what does your day look like? Have you had any unusual things happen in your everyday life as a Buyers' Agent? Let us know in the comments section below.
If you would like to find out more about becoming a Buyers’ Agent, contact Nick Viner, Chairperson of the REINSW Buyers’ Agent Chapter Committee.
“Once I went down to check out a rural property for a very good client in the Southern Highlands. During the property inspection, I found myself assisting the agent, who was also a stock and station agent, rounding up cattle in his ute!” Viner says.
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