The questions buyers actually ask.

A buyers agent — also called a buyers advocate — is a licensed real estate agent who acts exclusively for the purchaser. Where a selling agent is engaged by the vendor and is legally obliged to act in the vendor's interests, a buyers agent is engaged by you and acts in yours. The work covers searching, assessing value, coordinating due diligence, negotiating and bidding at auction.

No. Cross Consulting never lists or sells property for vendors. We hold no listings and have no sales appointments to protect, which removes the conflict of interest that arises when a firm acts for both sides of the market.

You pay us directly, on a flat fee agreed in writing before we begin — $16,500 for full advocacy up to $1.5M, 1.1% above that, $5,500 for negotiation or auction bidding only, or $1,650 for an appraisal and due diligence report. We accept no referral commissions, kickbacks or benefits from selling agents, mortgage brokers, developers, inspectors, solicitors or any other party. Full detail is on the fees page.

The opposite, in most cases. A fee calculated as a percentage of the purchase price rises when you pay more. A flat fee does not move at all, so there is no version of the transaction where we do better by you spending more. Above $1.5M we use a percentage because search depth and negotiation complexity genuinely scale with price at that end of the market — but the rate is fixed and disclosed before engagement.

An off-market or pre-market property is one being sold without a public advertising campaign, or before the campaign begins. Vendors choose this for privacy, speed, or to test the market quietly. Access comes from relationships — selling agents share these opportunities with buyers agents they deal with regularly, because we bring qualified, decisive purchasers. We will never promise a specific volume of off-market stock; the market determines that.

Yes. We register and bid on your behalf, in person or by phone, under a bidding authority and a maximum price you set in advance. You do not have to attend, and you do not have to hold your nerve in a crowd. This is available as part of full advocacy or as a standalone $5,500 engagement.

Yes. First home buyers are often the buyers most exposed — unfamiliar with the process, facing their first auction, and negotiating against a professional. Many first home buyers engage us at the negotiation-only or appraisal tier, which puts expert representation at the decisive moment within reach of a smaller budget.

We target an average of 60 days from signed engagement to exchange: three to four weeks of search, one to two weeks of negotiation or auction campaign, and one to two weeks to contract. A broad brief in a deep market can complete much faster. A narrow brief — a specific street, a rare floorplan — can take considerably longer, and we would rather it did than recommend the wrong property.

It happens, usually because the brief and the budget do not meet in the current market. We will tell you that early rather than run out the clock. How the engagement is handled in that scenario — including any adjustment or carry-over — is set out in the Buyers Advocacy Agreement before you sign, so there are no surprises.

Samantha Kate Cross holds Real Estate Agent Licence No. 20148753 in New South Wales, current to 20 July 2031 and verifiable on the NSW Fair Trading public register, and Real Estate Agent Licence No. 4963671 in Queensland, current to 7 July 2029 and verifiable on the Queensland Office of Fair Trading register. Buyers agents must hold a current licence in every state in which they act — a firm operating across a border without one is not compliant. Cross Consulting also carries Professional Indemnity insurance. Licence and insurance particulars are provided in writing with the engagement agreement.

We coordinate it — booking the inspector, attending or reviewing the report, and translating what it means for value and negotiation. The inspection is contracted between you and the inspector and paid by you directly. We do not mark it up and we receive nothing from the provider.

Third-party and government costs: building and pest inspections, strata report fees, legal or conveyancing fees, valuations, stamp duty and transfer charges, and any mortgage costs. We tell you what to budget for these at the outset so the total cost of acquisition is clear before you commit.

Yes. Overseas-based Australian buyers are a core part of our practice. We inspect, assess, negotiate and coordinate legal and settlement steps across time zones. Note that non-resident foreign buyers face additional FIRB approval requirements and surcharges — we will flag these early and refer you to appropriate legal and taxation advice.

Across New South Wales and Queensland — Sydney metropolitan and growth corridors, Newcastle and the Hunter, the Central Coast, Illawarra and Southern Highlands, and in Queensland, Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Logan, Ipswich, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. The full list is on the areas page.