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The use and prevalence of buying agents

Journalist: Tom Dunstan, FTAdviser

ended 07. August 2024

Recent reports have suggested buying agents are becoming more and more popular in the UK market, having dominated the US market for some time now.

Some reports suggest that the popularity of buying agents, particualrly among those buyers will less than £1mn budget, have increased by 12% in the last few months.

Have you noticed an increased interest in utilising buying agents recently? Is this a good thing? Could more people stand to benefit from using buying agents? Could this be a permanent trend or could we see this reported interest fizzle out in the near future?

2 responses from the Newspage community

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There are a few out there already for niche markets such as high net worth but I am not sure what the benefit is other than them making money- I can't see this taking over. They will charge the finders fee, the agents charge the sellers fee so there is no real overall benefit from what I can see other than the property finders adding another layer.
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In the London markets buying agents have been prevalent for a number of years and can be an absolute must-have for some property buyers.
They can source properties for those who are time-poor or have particular requirements, and with their overall knowledge and Estate Agency relationships can often find properties before they come to market and help negotiate a good deal for their clients.
They are on hand to give valuable advice and we have worked with some exceptional Buying Agents in the past who our clients, and us, think are worth their weight in gold.