The short answer. Most Perth buyers agents charge an engagement fee when you sign and a success fee when you buy, with the success fee set either as a fixed amount or a percentage of the price. Some add a fee for auction bidding. WA law sets neither the amount nor the terms: you negotiate both before signing the Written Authority.
That is straight from WA Consumer Protection’s guide Using a buyers agent, and it is the most useful document on this topic that hardly anyone in the Perth fee results quotes. Below, we use it to explain what you are paying for, who is allowed to charge you, and what to check before you sign. For how we work in WA, see our Perth buyers agent service.
What does a Perth buyers agent charge, and when?
Think of the fee as a set of payment events rather than one number. The Consumer Protection guide lists the parts a fee structure may include: an engagement fee, a success fee (fixed or a percentage of the purchase price), and extra fees for particular services such as bidding at auction.
REIWA’s own explainer describes the same shape: an upfront fee, then a success fee that is only payable once the property settles (REIWA).
Two details catch people out.
First, the guide warns that some fees are payable even if you end the agreement, or find a property and buy it yourself. Ask which ones, in writing.
Second, under the Australian Consumer Law the agent must quote you a single price that includes GST. If a quote shows GST separately, a GST-inclusive total must be shown as well. A fee page that says “plus GST” and nothing else is not the full price.
Who is allowed to charge you a buyers agent fee in WA?
In WA, a buyers agent must be one of three things: a real estate agent licensed under the Real Estate and Business Agents Act 1978, a registered sales representative working under a licensed agent, or an agent licensed in another state working in WA under the Automatic Mutual Recognition scheme.
You can check any of them on the Consumer Protection licence and registration search. Using a WA licensed or registered person also brings you inside the Fidelity Guarantee Account if an agent or their employee steals or misuses your money.
Then there is the cheaper option you will see advertised. A property finder gives you a list of properties that match your criteria. The guide is blunt: property finders are not licensed under WA law and cannot negotiate purchases. If a low fee is attached to someone who will not be allowed to negotiate for you, you are paying for a shortlist, not representation.
What should the Written Authority say before you sign?
You must sign a written contract before a buyers agent can act for you in WA. It is usually called a Written Authority, an Appointment to Act or an Authority to Act. Its terms are not set by law, which means everything below is up for negotiation:
- Exactly which services the agent will provide, and the fee for each.
- When each fee falls due.
- What happens if you stop looking, or buy without the agent.
- What happens if you only use part of the service.
- Whether the agreement is exclusive, and for how long.
- That you pre-approve any extra charges, such as documents from the local council, Landgate or a strata company.
That list is adapted from Consumer Protection’s checklist. Ours, with the conflict-of-interest questions added, is at our full list of questions to ask a buyers agent.
Why WA’s lack of cooling-off changes what you are paying for
This is the Perth detail that makes the fee worth scrutinising. WA has no mandatory cooling-off period for real estate contracts, and a signed offer and acceptance becomes a binding contract of sale (Consumer Protection). WA also has no mandatory seller disclosure statement, although the selling agent must disclose relevant facts, particularly when asked directly.
So the protective work has to happen before you sign, not after. Finance and building inspection conditions go into the offer. Questions to the selling agent go in writing. Comparable sales are checked before the number is put down. A good share of what you pay a Perth buyers agent for is getting that sequence right on a property you may only have days to decide on.
Costs that sit outside the agent’s fee, whoever you use:
- Transfer duty, assessed by RevenueWA. Use the WA Government transfer duty page for current rates and concessions.
- Settlement agent (or a lawyer), licensed under the Settlement Agents Act 1981. In WA it is usually a settlement agent, not a conveyancer, who handles settlement (WA Government).
- Building, pest and strata reports, often paid on properties you do not end up buying.
- Loan costs, from your lender or broker.
A fee timeline to compare agents with
Rather than compare headline rates, put each agent’s answers into the same timeline.
| Fee event | When it is paid | Still payable if no purchase? |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement fee | On signing | Ask |
| Success fee | On securing or settling | Ask |
| Auction bidding | Per auction | Ask |
| Extra charges (council, Landgate, strata documents) | As incurred | Ask |
| Fee if you buy a property yourself | During the authority | Ask |
Make sure every figure an agent gives you is GST-inclusive.
What should the fee actually buy?
The Consumer Protection guide’s point about property finders applies more widely: two quotes can describe very different jobs. Put each one against the same scope before you compare dollars:
| Part of the job | Ask whether it is included |
|---|---|
| Brief and strategy session | Budget, strategy, property types in and out |
| Research and sourcing | Comparable sales, plus agents’ pre-market and off-market stock, not just reiwa.com and the portals |
| Inspection | Who physically walks through each shortlisted property, and what you receive afterwards |
| Due diligence | Building, pest and strata reports arranged, and conditions drafted into the offer |
| Negotiation or bidding | Included, or charged per property or per auction |
| Offer to settlement | Who works with your settlement agent once the O&A is signed |
| After settlement | Any ongoing support, and whether it costs extra |
A negotiation-only service, where you find the property and the agent negotiates it, is a fair option for some buyers. It should be priced and described as that, and it is different again from a property finder, who cannot negotiate at all in WA.
Should you use an interstate buyers agent in Perth?
Consumer Protection notes that interstate agents may not know WA’s market and processes, and suggests three questions for any non-WA agent: what experience they have buying in WA, how many purchases they have negotiated in WA, and what they have done to learn WA property laws, contracts and processes.
House Finder buys in five capital cities, so those questions apply to us. On inspection, our strategists inspect on the ground and send 100+ photos and videos of each property, focusing on defects.
Ask any agent you are considering, including us, to answer those in writing.
When is a buyers agent not worth it in Perth?
Some Perth buyers should keep their money:
- You already know the market. You live near the suburb, you have watched its sales, and you have time to inspect and write careful offers.
- You are buying to live in. House Finder only works with investors. An owner-occupier is better off with an agent whose practice is built around homes.
- The brief is simple and the budget is tight. A fee that comes straight out of your deposit buffer can leave you worse placed than buying without help.
It earns its place when you are buying from the eastern states or overseas, when you cannot get to Saturday inspections, when the timing of a binding offer worries you, or when you want to see off-market property in Perth before it is advertised. Our guide to buying in Perth covers the process end to end.
About House Finder
House Finder is a buyers agency that acts for property investors on the buy side only; we do not sell property. Founder Simon Loo won Buyers Agent of the Year, Residential Investment, at the Australian Buyers Agent Awards 2026. House Finder has helped 2,000+ clients buy 4,000+ properties and holds a 5.0 rating from 400+ Google reviews. We are not tax advisers, lenders or financial advisers, so talk to your accountant and broker about those parts of a purchase.
How our fee is structured: it is fixed upfront and agreed in writing, and it depends on the service you need (a full-service package, or negotiation-only support) and the city you are buying in. We take no commissions from sellers or agents. A full-service engagement runs from the brief through sourcing, inspection, negotiation and settlement, with ongoing mentoring and periodic portfolio reviews afterwards at no additional fee.
Want our Perth fee and Written Authority in front of you before you decide? Book a strategy call.
About the author. Simon Loo is the founder of House Finder. This article is general information about buyers agent fees in Western Australia, drawn from WA Consumer Protection guidance. It is not legal, financial or tax advice.
FAQ
How much does a buyers agent cost in Perth?
Perth buyers agents usually charge an engagement fee on signing and a success fee on purchase, set as a fixed amount or a percentage of the price, sometimes with extra fees for services such as auction bidding. WA law does not set the amount, so compare written, GST-inclusive quotes for the same scope.
Are buyers agent fees regulated in WA?
The amount is not set by law. WA Consumer Protection says you must sign a written contract, usually called a Written Authority, before a buyers agent acts for you, and that its terms, including fees, can be negotiated before you sign.
Do I still pay a Perth buyers agent if I buy the property myself?
Possibly. WA Consumer Protection warns that some fees are payable even if you end the agreement or find and buy a property yourself. Check the Written Authority for this before signing.
Is a property finder the same as a buyers agent in WA?
No. A property finder gives you a list of properties that match your criteria. WA Consumer Protection says property finders are not licensed under WA law and cannot negotiate purchases.
How do I check a buyers agent is licensed in WA?
Use the Consumer Protection licence and registration search. A WA buyers agent must be a licensed real estate agent, a registered sales representative working under one, or an interstate agent working in WA under Automatic Mutual Recognition.
Is there a cooling-off period when buying property in Perth?
No. WA has no mandatory cooling-off period for real estate contracts, and a signed offer and acceptance becomes a binding contract. Conditions such as finance and building inspection need to be written into the offer before you sign.
