How we secure your property.
Nine steps. One signature. One agreed fee.
STRAND's buyers agents work across the Northern Beaches, for buyers only. Fee-for-service, we don't receive any vendor or sales agent commissions on your purchase. Every step belongs to you.
Four things we do not compromise on.
Independent, always
We are paid by you and by nobody else in relation to your purchase, so there is nothing shaping the advice except the brief you gave us.
One side of the table
We do not list, we do not sell, and we do not run open homes. We act for buyers and nobody else. We do it having worked the other side of the fence, so the tactics you meet are ones we already know from the inside.
The brief is the boss
Briefs change, and that is fine. What does not happen is quiet drift toward whatever is available. If the brief and the market disagree, we say so and change one of them on purpose.
The work happens before the offer
Most of the cost of a bad purchase is locked in long before anyone signs anything. We put the time into the brief, the comparables and the due diligence, so the part with a deadline on it is the part we are ready for.
Our process.
From brief to keys.
This is Full Search and Acquisition, our comprehensive service, and the one that runs the full nine steps. We engage under an Exclusive Buyers Agency Agreement, so the search we run is yours alone and your search is only with us.
Brief
We identify your needs versus your wants and build a property brief, covering your budget, your expectations, and whether the wish list is achievable in this market. Finance pre-approval should be in place before the search starts.
Search
We work our extensive sales agent network for off-market and pre-market opportunities, and search on-market listings, to uncover as many options as possible. One focused team looking after your interests, rather than several different agents paid to represent their vendors.
Inspect
We physically inspect every property that appears to match your brief, and the ones close to it. With over 30 years combined experience we identify opportunities to add value, and spot the issues and defects that might affect your decision.
Shortlist
You get regular updates via our interactive tracker: every off-market opportunity shared, every property we inspected, what we dismissed, and what we recommend. You inspect the shortlisted options, give feedback and decide whether to proceed with further due diligence. You can see us working in real-time as well as the conversations being had.
Assess
For each shortlisted property we agree to negotiate on, we organise independent building, pest or strata inspections by qualified professionals. You also receive our Property Assessment Report: area information, market intelligence, due diligence, zoning, services, and potential risks.
Appraise
We run a thorough comparable sales analysis of the property and how it sits in the market, using several pricing methods to reach an independent price range that is not influenced by the sales agent's advertised price. You move forward knowing what you should or should not pay.
Negotiate
We handle all communication and offer making with the sales agent, and recommend a negotiation strategy based on market conditions. Private treaty offers, pre-auction offers, and sometimes bidding at auction, whichever the situation calls for.
Exchange
Once an offer is accepted, we handle the contract exchange along with the sales agent, the vendor, and your solicitor or conveyancer. You organise the deposit and sign the contract.
Settle
Usually six weeks after exchange. We organise and conduct a pre-settlement inspection with you and the sales agent just before settlement. Once the solicitors or conveyancers confirm settlement, we will coordinate the collection of keys for you.
Before you
make the call.
How long does a typical search take?
From brief to exchange, most Full Search engagements take around 4 to 10 weeks. Complex or niche briefs can trend longer. We will tell you at the briefing whether your timeline and your brief are compatible. If they are not, we will say so.
Do I have to sign an exclusive agreement?
Yes, for Full Search and Acquisition. An Exclusive Buyers Agency Agreement means our search work is only for you, and your search is only with us. It sits alongside finance pre-approval and a retainer fee as the commitment that unlocks serious search resources. The two smaller services we offer do not require one.
How is the fee worked out?
For Full Search and Acquisition, you pay a minimum flat fee on a budget up to $1.33m. Above that, the fee is a percentage of your maximum budget, so you know the total before the search starts. If you prefer, the same terms can apply to the price you actually pay instead, which works in your favour if you have a wider search range. We quote your fee on the initial call, and it is agreed in writing before any work starts.
What happens if we do not find the right property?
The fee is agreed before we start. The engagement retainer is non-refundable and comes off that fee, and it is what commits our search resources from day one. The balance falls due after exchange. If we genuinely cannot find a fit within your brief, we will have that conversation early, refine the brief with you, and either continue or pause the engagement. We do not push clients into the wrong property to close out a fee.
Can I change my brief partway through?
Yes. Briefs evolve as you inspect more properties and see what the market is actually offering. The interactive and personalised Property Tracker is designed to provide feedback early on. Material scope changes, like different search areas, a big step up in budget, or a change to the property type might trigger a scope review and sometimes change the fee.
Do you offer any other services?
Yes, Appraise and Negotiate Only is for when you have already found the dream property and want it priced properly and negotiated for. Auction Bidding is for when you have done the searching yourself and want somebody in the room who is not emotionally invested in the outcome. Most clients go with the full search, so tell us what you are after and we will say which one fits.
What if there is something else I want help with after settlement?
STRAND stays available to past clients for future acquisitions, portfolio reviews, and renovation or rebuild introductions through our post-settlement support. Many of our clients come back for future purchases or advice. We treat the first purchase as the start of the relationship, not the end of the engagement.
Where do
we start?
Tell us what you want and where. We will tell you what we think is realistic, and what we would do next.
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