A buyer's agent is a licensed professional who specialises in searching, evaluating and negotiating the purchase of property on behalf of a buyer. They do not sell real estate.

The key difference between a buyer's agent and a traditional selling agent is whom they represent. A buyer's agent works exclusively for the buyer, whereas the selling agent works for the vendor (seller). By law, an agent cannot act for (and accept a commission) from both parties in the transaction.

Using a buyer's agent to purchase real estate is becoming more widespread throughout Australia as investors and homebuyers understand the benefits they provide. A professional buyer's agent can provide you with all the knowledge you need to make an informed decision about the value of a property without all of the sales "hype" often generated by sales agents and glossy brochures.

Using an independent buyer's agent essentially allows you to leverage the expert knowledge of the agent.

Some of the benefits of using a buyer's agent include:

• Independent advice and research
• Interpretation of complex contracts and purchase schemes
• Independent analysis of the financial impacts of the purchase
• Negotiating a better price from the vendor

It is worth noting that the owners of retirement complexes are likely to be large corporations who have spent considerable amounts of money on legal and accounting advice to set up their community scheme. Seniors looking to purchase a retirement home should ensure they have expert representation working for them as well.

We do not accept fees or commissions from Vendors - our service is funded only by our Client fees.

We charge our client (the buyer) a fee based on the amount of assistance they require - the service can be structured to suit the buyer's needs.

Many people think that using the services of a buyer's agent is too expensive, however this is not the case. A buyer's agent can save you money, time and stress, whatever your budget. In most cases they will save you the fee and provide a whole lot more benefits. In the US, over 50% of the population use a buyers agent to assist in the purchasing process.

Clients of Find My Retirement Home get to leverage our expert knowledge through our three step process:

1. Micro Market Analysis – independent research into the location of your choice which compares the retirement living offerings available against client criteria.
2. Financial Evaluation – detailed modelling and analysis of the purchase contract in the communities of your choice. Our modelling takes into account capital growth and inflation to arrive at one, easy to compare number for your selected options.
3. Negotiate the Purchase – once you have made your choice as to which option you would like to pursue, we go and negotiate the purchase on your behalf and try to get you the best deal possible.

You can. However it is worth noting that without a detailed understanding of retirement living purchase contracts and schemes, you will probably not be aware of what areas you can actually negotiate.

Additionally, the sales agent you speak to may also be the manager of the complex. It is best to avoid any residual bad feelings from the negotiations by letting Find My Retirement Home represent your interests

We strive to get the best deal possible for our clients every time, if fact, as a buyer's agent, we have a legal obligation to get the best deal for our clients. Sometimes we are unable to do this however, especially where a complex is popular and has a waiting list.

Lawyers specialise in the provision of legal advice and you should certainly get your solicitor to review your purchase contract for you. Make sure your lawyer has experience with retirement living contracts however, as this is a complex and specialist area, and if they haven't worked with retirement living contracts before they will struggle to understand them.

Your solicitor will not give you commercial or property advice and this is where the true benefit of Find My Retirement Home becomes evident. We are property experts specialising in retirement living. We make sure that you are making an informed decision with the best commercial and property advice you can get.

Typically no. It is rare for accountants and financial advisers to have property experience, particularly in the retirement sector.

One of the proprietary services we include for our clients is detailed financial modelling of your retirement living investment. This analysis will provide an overall picture of your financial outcome on different exit scenarios and allows you to compare different purchase arrangements as "apples with apples".

Unless your accountant or financial adviser has the requisite property and modelling skills, as well as a detailed understanding of retirement living contractual arrangements, they will be unable to do this for you.