Creazione · 20 settembre 2026
How a search mandate works, and when it is genuinely needed
It is needed when you ask somebody to work for you rather than on somebody else s property.
Realux · 5 minute read
The answer, straight away
A search mandate is the instruction a buyer gives a professional to search on their behalf, for an agreed fee. It is needed when you want somebody working on your side rather than on somebody else's property.
It is not compulsory, and without one the professional is doing you a favour, with everything that implies about priority.
What it should contain
The scope of the search. Area, band, type, essential requirements. This is the part that protects both sides: without it, any property can be argued to fall outside the mandate.
The duration. Three to six months is reasonable in prime property, where cycles are long.
The fee and when it becomes due. On signing the preliminary, at completion, or partly upfront as a commitment.
Exclusivity, if there is any. It has to be written and understood: it means that if you buy through another channel the fee is still owed.
What the professional does. Not only finding: verifying, negotiating, coordinating the technical checks, seeing it through to completion.
Why exclusivity suits the buyer, not only the professional
It seems the other way round and it is not. A professional without exclusivity shows you what is to hand, because investing weeks in a search that may close elsewhere is not rational.
With exclusivity you can demand the serious work: canvassing every agency, approaching owners who are not selling, spending weeks.
When it is not needed
When you are buying on your own street. When the market is liquid and compatible properties number in the dozens. When you enjoy searching.
An honest professional will say so.
The right duration
Too short and nobody invests time. Too long and you are tied to somebody who has stopped working.
The practical answer is a medium term with a review halfway: what has been done, how many properties identified, how many discarded and why.
What to ask before signing
How many searches they have closed in the last two years, and how many they closed without a purchase.
The second is the honest question, because anybody who has never closed a search empty-handed is either extraordinarily lucky or not telling you.
Want to know whether it makes sense for your search?