How to get a Competitive Edge with Kirstie Klein Hunter
In the competitive world of buying and selling property, a Buyer’s Agent could be the key to ensuring you get what you want, as Jennifer Swaine discovers.
As the property market tightens across South East Queensland, more and more people are reaching out to Buyer’s Agents to help them find their dream home. This is especially the case in the Noosa region where stock remains tighter than ever and buyer demand is not likely to ease for some time. Although Buyer’s Agents have been around for quite some time, they have tended to be more prevalent in other capital cities where engaging one is not out of the norm, as viewers of the Million Dollar Listing television franchise know.
Kirstie Klein Hunter has been buying and selling property in Australia, New Zealand and even London for more than 21 years. With a corporate background and a career working in financial markets, she is no stranger to buying and selling. She has worked for some of the largest financial exchanges in the world including the New York Stock Exchange and Euronext where she specialised in exchange traded futures and options. Solid grounding for her current career as a Buyer’s Agent.
“While most clients understand what we do, there are still many people who are initially unsure on how engaging a Buyer’s Agent will benefit them,” she said. “Our service was once considered something that only wealthy people could afford. However, that is changing as more people are turning to us to give them a competitive edge in securing the property of their dreams. We’re becoming a service that buyers can’t afford to not have.”
The current market has only served to increase the demand for Buyer’s Agents.
“It is important for anyone looking to purchase a property to understand that while buyers are important to real estate agents, they are engaged by the seller and so need to put their wishes first.”
And this is why, according to Kirstie, you need a Buyer’s Agent in your corner, when you are negotiating on a property.
“If you’re looking to buy, it’s understandable that a real estate agent may not be returning your calls in this current climate,” she said. “They are receiving hundreds of emails and phone calls every week so they need to prioritise qualified buyers who have the greatest likelihood of purchasing the listed property, at the best possible price,” Kirstie said.
Buyer’s Agents do not compete with real estate agents but work with them and a good Buyer’s Agent will have relationships with numerous real estate agents that is built on respect and trust.
“Agents know that when we say we have a buyer looking for a specific property, in a specific suburb or street, that our buyers are serious and in a position to transact quickly. We often know before a property comes to market because when we approach an agent, we have already done our research and have everything ready to proceed should the right property become available.
“Many of my clients are interstate and simply do not have the time (or are unable) to continually fly to Noosa to inspect properties.
This is where Kirstie can take a comprehensive brief and do all the work for them.
“I know what their budget is, what inclusions the property must have, what is and is not negotiable and the exact locations they wish to purchase in.
“When a Buyer’s Agent specialises in an area as I do, we pretty much know every property and street in our patch and can guide people if their expectations are unrealistic or suggest other areas to consider,” Kirstie said.
It is important to note that a Buyer’s Agent will not generally take on more than one client looking for a specific property in a specific price range. They need to show their client everything that meets their brief so cannot have clients competing for the same property.
Kirstie says a Buyer’s Agent should be completely independent and never accept commissions from real estate agents or vendors; they must always act in the interests of the buyer that engaged them to be truly independent.
While engaging a Buyer’s Agent is not for everyone, for those who want to have a professional helping them find their dream property, it’s an investment that more people are choosing to make.
