News

Congratulations to the following members who have all been elected to the REBAA Committee following this week’s annual AGM: Melinda Jennison (President), Zoran Solano (Vice President), Bryan Loughnan (Treasurer), Eva Coughran (Secretary), Lisa Parker (Learning & Development Coordinator), Michael Ossitt...

Media Release Homeowners with planning approval in place and those who have available funds on hand for renovations are the big winners in the Federal Government’s HomeBuilder program, according to the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA). REBAA president Cate...

REBAA welcomes our newest member, Lauren Moore, from Lauren Moore Property in Brisbane.⠀⠀Lauren Moore Property is an independent Brisbane buyer’s agency specializing in research and evaluation, appraisal and contract negotiations, auction bidding, off-market sales and vendor advocacy.⠀ Lauren lives and breathes real...

Media Release A new class of buyer is emerging in the time of COVID-19 – they’re called the contrarians. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA) president Cate Bakos said despite the challenging market conditions and restrictions on open homes and...

Media Release Downsizers are the favourites to get the most out of the property market in 2020, predicts Australia’s largest national body representing professional buyer’s agents. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA) president Cate Bakos said with softer lending conditions...

Media Release As the countdown to the festive season begins, many home buyers should be cautious about feeling pressured to buy before Christmas or risk making a costly mistake they may later regret, warns Australia’s largest professional body of independent...

Are you struggling to motivate your staff or wasting time training staff only to have them leave? In this month’s FREE interactive online member training, REBAA president Cate Bakos, will share her insights on how to plan, grow, choose, train...

Kate Hill, Adviseable

MEET OUR MEMBERS I KATHERINE SKINNER I NATIONAL PROPERTY BUYERS For the second year running our South Australian state representative, Katherine Skinner, has been named REISA Buyers Agent of the year after a gala dinner on Saturday night. We thought...

Keen to optimise your understanding of one of the most popular property intelligence online platforms? Want to hone in on some of the little known functions that are useful to buyer’s agents and advocates? Join Shirley Zhu from Pricefinder to...

Congratulations to our many members who have recently won awards or been named as finalists in the prestigious state-based REI Awards for Excellence. We are reassured to see our worthy members being recognised for their professionalism and contribution to the...

MEET OUR MEMBERS I LUKE ASSIGAL I PARLEY PROPERTY ADVISORY⠀Luke is a licensed real estate agent with property experience in Melbourne that spans property sales, advisory and advocacy. As Founder and Managing Director of Parley Property Advisory, he blends his...

Michael Murray, Byron Property Search

The fifth annual PIPA Investor Sentiment Survey is now open! The Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA) is currently surveying Australia’s existing and aspiring property investors to reveal the mood, confidence and key trends underlying the Australian property investment market....

Melbourne buyers advocate Cate Bakos has been elected president of the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA), the peak body representing professional buyer’s agents. Ms Bakos replaces Rich Harvey, from propertybuyer, who served as REBAA president for the...

Australia’s buying elite will descend on Melbourne this weekend for the 2019 REBAA Conference. The annual conference brings together independent professional buyer’s agents accredited through the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA). REBAA 2019 speakers will include international property buyer,...

Melissa Opie, Keyhole Property Investments

REBAA is the national industry association for buyer’s agents. Members abide by a strict code of conduct and full member status requires a minimum of two years’ of consistent buyer agency work. Licensing, appropriate insurances and sponsorship from two existing...

Media Release APRA’s proposed relaxation of the home loan lending rules will help property buyers even more than today’s interest rate cut, says Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA) president Rich Harvey. Last month the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA)...

REBAA is proud to announce three of our Victorian REBAA members, Cate Bakos (Cate Bakos Property), Kim Easterbrook (Elite Buyer Agents) and Miriam Sandkuhler (Property Mavens) have been shortlisted for the Women in Real Estate Awards 2019. The Women in...

Australia’s largest professional body of independent buyers’ agents is warning first home buyers not to jump head first into buying property based on government incentives alone. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor have both agreed to offer loan guarantees for...

Tony and Eva Coughran – Gold Coast Property Advisors

REBAA is the national industry association for buyer’s agents. Members abide by a strict code of conduct and full member status requires a minimum of two years’ of consistent buyer agency work. Licensing, appropriate insurances and sponsorship from two existing...

Media Release Australia’s largest professional body representing independent buyer’s agents is warning home buyers and investors not to delay buying property based on the outcome of the upcoming Federal election. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA) president Rich Harvey said...

Media Release Australia’s largest industry body representing independent buyer’s agents has warned that Labor’s proposed changes to negative gearing could see a rise in property spruikers marketing high-risk off-the-plan and new property investments. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA) president...

Chris Waterman: Principal, Waterman & Waterman

Media Release More and more Australians are appreciating better lifestyles in locations outside of capital city areas, according to Australia’s leading professional body representing independent buyer’s agents. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) president Rich Harvey said with...

Media Release REBAA President Rich Harvey was awarded national ‘Buyers Agent of the Year’ at the prestigious Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) Awards for Excellence 2019 in Perth last night. Rich Harvey, who is CEO and founder of propertybuyer.com.au,...

Matthew Ward, Aspect Buyer’s Agency

REBAA is the national industry association for buyer’s agents. Members abide by a strict code of conduct and full member status requires a minimum of two years’ of consistent buyer agency work. Licensing, appropriate insurances and sponsorship from two existing...

Media Release Australia’s peak industry body representing independent buyer’s agents is backing calls to protect competition in the home lending market. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) president Rich Harvey said changes announced last week to mortgage brokers’...

Scott McGeever, PS Property Advisory

Media Release Upgraders are the favourites to get the most benefit out of the property market in 2019, predicts Australia’s largest national body representing professional buyer’s agents. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA) president Rich Harvey said 2019 was definitely...

Media Release 2019 will be the year of the home buyer as tighter lending conditions force many investors out of the market and present new opportunities for home buyers, according to Australia’s largest professional body representing buyers agents. Real Estate...

Media Release A survey by the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA) has revealed the nation’s top 10 property wish list just in time for Christmas. By collating the answers from Australia’s leading accredited buyer’s agents, the results give a...

Looking to engage a buyer’s agent? NSW Fair Trading has released a fact sheet to help consumers understand the skills and motivations necessary for a professional buyer’s agent.  The fact sheet, which is entitled ‘Using an agent to buy property‘...

Janet Spencer, Buyer Solutions

Media Release Concerns over low barriers to entry and the emergence of online training courses that take five days to complete have prompted calls for tighter training requirements for buyer’s agents. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA) president Rich Harvey...

Media Release In the lead-up to Christmas, Australia’s largest body of professional buyer’s agents is urging home buyers and investors to strike now while the property market is taking a breather and make the most of the current opportunities. Real...

When Luke Assigal started his real estate career as a selling agent, he recognised the gaping need for buyers to have independent representation. Why should vendors be the only ones to have professional help to sell their property while buyers...

Media Release With new technology making it easier than ever before for home buyers and investors to research property, buyer’s advocates say there are hidden flaws that require an experienced eye and an expert inspection to avoid costly mistakes. Real...

Media Release With tighter lending conditions since the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority put the squeeze on investors, buyers are taking less chance with their finance and opting for more conditional offers, according to Australia’s largest independent body of professional buyer’s...

REBAA member and financial planner, Kiril Ruvinsky, reveals his journey to becoming a successful buyer’s agent and founder of Strategic Investor Group in Sydney. Finding a gap in the market for clients looking for quality property advice he launched his...

We surveyed our REBAA state representatives on their property predictions for this spring. Here’s what they had to say: ACT state representative Claire Corby REBAA ACT state representative Claire Corby is expecting an influx of properties to be hitting the...

Media Release As we approach the start of the spring selling season this weekend, it’s hard to predict what the supply of new listings will be but it’s likely that competition in the property market is hotting up to increase....

The finalists in the Buyer’s Agent category of the REINSW Awards have been named and it’s fantastic to see our REBAA members dominating the field with five of the six finalists NSW members. Here’s a glimpse of who they are:...

Media Release Young professionals and families would rule a property out if there was not a study or at least an area to have one, according to the latest survey by the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA). The survey...

When I was looking into becoming a buyer’s agent, I looked into many avenues of which associations to join and who I was going to learn from. I felt pretty alone in the early days as I was starting up...

1,063 people per day: that’s how much Australia’s population grew by during the 2016/17 financial year. It’s estimated that the population clock will tick over to 25 million in early July 2018. Last year’s population increase of 388,124 was the...

Media Release Buying blind is the new way to buy property as long as buyers put the search in the hands of a qualified, independent buyer’s agent, says multi-award winning buyer’s agent, Rich Harvey, who is part of the expert...

Media Release A leading industry body has warned consumers are becoming increasingly more vulnerable to potential conflicts of interest through real estate agencies that have “double agents” offering to act for both sellers and purchasers. According to Real Estate Buyers...

Earlier this year REBAA launched a new initiative to support buyer’s agents who reach out for help; from new buyer’s agents starting out to any REBAA member who feels that some peer support would help them succeed. We spoke to...

Our very own REBAA president, Rich Harvey, is about to star in a brand new property thriller coming soon to Channel Nine. Would you hand over your entire life savings to complete strangers? Six couples do just that on the...

Media Release Australia’s largest body of professional buyer’s agents is warning home buyers and investors to make sure their loans are pre-approved before making an offer to avoid hefty consequences which can include losing their deposit or being sued for...

NSW buyer’s agents are bracing themselves for changes to current real estate legislation which will see a raft of new licensing requirements. REBAA is currently lobbying the NSW State Government to ensure that consumers have a clear understanding of whether...

Media Release Thinking of making a pre-auction offer? Then make sure you understand the rules. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA) vice president Cate Bakos said buyers looking to make a pre-auction offer needed to understand the possible processes around...

REBAA is proud to call Melbourne buyer’s advocate Cate Bakos from Cate Bakos Property, Your Investment Property’s Magazine’s number one buyer’s agent in the country. Cate took out the award last week beating some fierce competition in the property industry....

Media Release Australia’s largest body of professional buyer’s agents is warning home buyers not to listen solely to their parents’ advice when making what is likely to be the biggest investment of their lives. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA)...

Media Release Australia’s largest professional body of buyer’s agents is calling on the NSW government to include a separate license for buyer’s agents and selling agents to avoid a potential conflict of interest. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia...

Q&A with REBAA Treasurer Matthew Ward from Aspect Buyers Agency: Q: How long have you been a buyer’s agent? A: Four years although providing acquisition advice for 20 years. Q: What are you qualifications are why did you decide to...

Consumer Affairs Victoria has issued a warning after discovering an email hacking scam that has pocketed more than $200,000 from home buyers. Fraudsters are continuing to target the email accounts of real estate agents and instructing home buyers to deposit...

Media Release Australia’s largest body of professional buyer’s agents is warning home buyers not to make their purchasing decisions based on median house price values alone. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) president Rich Harvey said many buyers...

Media Release Home buyers will need to look at renovations and value adding strategies to manufacture equity rather than wait for long-term capital growth as prices soften and flatline in several key Australian property markets in 2018, warns Australia’s largest...

With prices softening in many of Australia’s capital cities, the Real Estate Buyers Agents of Australia (REBAA) is warning buyers not to succumb to mounting pressure from selling agents. Last week global investment bank UBS called Australia’s housing boom over...

REBAA member, properytbuyer, has been shortlisted to be the Property Business of the Year in the Optus My Business Awards, aimed at small and medium sized enterprises. Propertybuyer was founded in 2001 and offers buyers’ agent services in NSW, Victoria...

REBAA’s newest member Lisa Parker started her career as a ‘property investment consultant’ but the ambiguity around the role left her feeling compromised so she turned to  buyers advocacy as an alternative profession. “Starting my career as a ‘property investment...

REBAA congratulates our Victorian members Melissa Opie (Keyhole Property Investments), Lisa Parker (Parker Investment Properties) and Janet Spencer (Buyer Solutions), finalists in the REIV Awards for Excellence 2017 Buyer’s Agent of the Year category. All three finalists have more than...

The Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) today revealed its predictions for the 2017 spring property market. In summary: Better buying opportunities in Sydney with stock levels higher than at the same time last year seeing clearance rates...

Following on from the success of our AGM last weekend we are pleased to announce the new REBAA executive committee and state representatives for 2017-2018: President: Rich Harvey (Property Buyer) Vice President: Cate Bakos (Cate Bakos Property) Secretary: Richard Evans...

Media Release With competition still fierce for property in most states of Australia, wish lists are beginning to look like a thing of the past. But in the scramble to get on the property ladder, Australia’s leading buyer’s agents reveal...

From tomorrow, homeowners will be required to obtain a clearance certificate before they sell on property sales of $750k or more to prove they are not a foreign investor. Changes announced in this year’s Federal Budget to the foreign resident...

For someone who’s made a profession out of putting a roof over people’s heads, REBAA president Rich Harvey has found a worthy reason to sleep on the streets. For the 6th year running Rich will be joining business and community...

Media Release Australia’s largest body of professional buyer’s agents is reassuring home buyers and investors that it is possible to find value in the property market post boom. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) president Rich Harvey said...

The 2017 Federal Budget boasts several measures designed to increase housing affordability. Here’s a snapshot of the main ones: First home buyer savings incentives From 1 July 2017 buyers saving for their first home will be able to voluntarily contribute up...

By Fred Haggar, Property Search 4U Opinion The current debate around whether or not first home buyers should be able to access their superannuation to buy their first home has been polarising but it’s important to look at the facts....

Media Release A survey of Australia’s peak body of professional buyer’s agents has revealed the biggest fear buyers have buying at auction. The survey by the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA), showed 60 per cent of respondents...

Brisbane buyer’s agents, Property Pursuit, have a vision for their business – to be the most respected buyers’ agency in Brisbane. Last month Property Pursuit moved a step closer to achieving that vision after it was awarded Buyers’ Agency of...

Media Release Australia’s largest independent body of professional buyer’s agents is warning home buyers and investors not to fall victim to the ‘wounded bull’ syndrome at the looming Super Saturday of hot auctions. With this weekend tipped to be the...

Tony Coughran’s dad has a saying. If you need a hand, look down your arm. That motto has stuck with him through life and the Gold Coast buyer’s agent has had to work hard for everything he’s ever achieved. A...

Given the strong Sydney market we’ve experienced, and especially in the last four years, buyers could be forgiven for viewing real estate agents as more “door men/women” rather than sales agents. After all, at many Saturday open inspections they take...

Media Release Australia’s largest body of professional buyer’s agents is recommending buying in suburbs with excellent established infrastructure, high demand and attractive amenities if you want to stay ahead of the property game in 2017. According to Real Estate Buyers...

 With the aim of helping property buyers make informed property purchases, Australia’s largest body of professional buyer’s agents is proud to unveil its new consumer website, www.rebaa.com.au and a fresh new logo. The new REBAA website is aimed to educate...

Earlier this year, REBAA member Performance Property Advisors was appointed the sole buyer’s agency for a new residential investment platform called BRICKX. REBAA talks to Performance Property Advisors’ Ramon Mitchell about the new venture: How does the BRICKX Platform work?...

Media Release.  Record property prices means now is a great time for those home owners considering downsizing to sell the family home and move into something more appropriate for their age and future needs, says Australia’s largest professional body of...

REBAA Victoria representative Janet Spencer has won the 2016 REIV Buyers Agent of the Year award announced at last night’s REIV gala dinner at Crown Towers. The REIV Awards for Excellence showcase the best of the property industry and celebrate...

Media Release A survey of Australia’s top buyer’s agents has revealed a lack of good quality established property is the number one issue facing today’s home buyers. The survey, conducted by the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA),...

Husband and wife duo Tony and Eva Coughran from Simply GC love buying property for their clients and they’re keen to share their local knowledge with their new lifestyle blog www.simplygc.com For them it’s personal. Eva grew up on the...

Congratulations to REBAA president Rich Harvey who was last night awarded Real Estate Institute of New South Wales’ Buyer’s Agent of the Year at a gala dinner at Sydney’s Sheraton Hotel. The annual industry awards encourage, promote and recognise excellence...

Melbourne based buyer’s agent Melissa Opie has a strong team behind her including two very special employees of the four-legged variety. Tibetan spaniels Coco and Bella have been coming to work with her for the past two years and according to Melissa,...

The state-based REI Awards for Excellence showcase the best of the property industry and celebrate leading real estate agency practices and professionals. The annual awards recognise and reward members who have gone the extra mile in pursuit of service, ethics...

A freak car accident at work almost a decade ago saw Michelle Winkler lose a leg at the tender age of 24. Life for the co-founder of Master Advocates in Melbourne would never be the same again and together with husband...

Media Release Help is at hand for first homebuyers losing sleep over finding their dream home, according to Australia’s largest professional body of independent buyer’s agents. Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) president Rich Harvey said it was...

In the first of a series of profiles on national markets, we take a look at North Queensland. REBAA member Jennifer Smith from NQ Buyer’s Agent tell us what’s special about her neck of the woods: North Queensland The tropical...

Media Release Australia’s leading body of professional buyer’s agents, the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association (REBAA), today slammed real estate companies misrepresenting themselves as buyer’s agents and offering free services. REBAA president Rich Harvey said it was regrettable that an...

As Australia’s leading body of professional buyer’s agents, we always get concerned whenever we see mention of anyone advertising “free buyers agent services”. Red flags instantly start waving when words like “the seller pays the fee not the buyer” and...

Media Release New technology is making it easier for home buyers and investors to assess property but the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) says it’s risky business to invest based on technology alone. REBAA President Rich Harvey...

REBAA talks to Matt Reeves, buyer’s agent and founder of Your Property Hound in Brisbane, about why he became a buyer’s agent: What do you enjoy about being a buyer’s agent? I am passionate about investing in property, and particularly enjoy...

Property markets are complex and very much intertwined with the economy. If only our political leaders and those empowered to manage federal, state and local economies had a better understanding of that. Recent policy announcements by the Queensland Government are...

Nick Viner gives the top 5 reasons why he loves his job: 1. No two days are the same You are constantly meeting interesting people and inspecting new properties in different suburbs every day. You can start the morning thinking...