What a buyer agent is, and when one is genuinely worth it

The answer, straight away

A buyer agent is a professional instructed by the buyer, not the seller. Their job is to define the search, canvass every available source, filter, negotiate on the buyer's behalf and see the transaction through.

The difference from a traditional agent is which side they sit on. An agent instructed by the seller has a duty to obtain the most for the seller, and rightly so.

What they actually do

Build the search, which is the part almost nobody does well: separating requirements from preferences and understanding the real reason for the purchase.

Canvass every agency in the area, including those you would never reach, and circulate the requirement anonymously.

Filter. Out of a hundred properties they show you four, and the value is in the ninety-six they spared you.

Negotiate knowing completed comparables rather than asking prices.

Coordinate the notary, the surveyor and any checks, which on a significant property is where things break.

Who pays them

In the clean model, the buyer, on terms agreed beforehand. That is what makes the service what it says it is.

There are situations where they receive part of their fee from the other side: in that case it should be disclosed in writing and in advance, because it changes the incentives and the buyer is entitled to know.

When it is worth it

When you are buying in an area you do not know. When you are buying from abroad. When the time you would spend searching is worth more than the fee. When you are looking for something rare, so the work is finding rather than choosing.

When it is not

When you are buying on the street where you live and already know everybody. When the budget is such that the fee weighs too heavily. When you enjoy searching, and that time is not a cost to you.

A serious professional will tell you, and occasionally will turn you down.

How to choose one

Ask how many transactions they have completed on the buy side in the last two years, in what price range, and how many searches they have closed without a purchase.

The last is the question nobody asks and the most honest: anybody who has never closed a search empty-handed is either extraordinarily lucky or not telling you.