Buyers Agent vs Real Estate Agent: What’s the Difference in Victoria?

Buyers Agent vs Real Estate Agent: The Key Difference

A buyers agent vs real estate agent comparison comes down to one thing: who they work for. A buyers agent represents the buyer, is paid by the buyer, and has a legal duty to act in the buyer’s interests. A real estate agent (the selling or listing agent) represents the seller, is paid by the seller, and has a legal duty to get the seller the best possible price.

Both are licensed under the Estate Agents Act 1980 (Vic) and regulated by Consumer Affairs Victoria – but licensing is where the similarity ends. Once you understand who represents the buyer, the rest of the property process makes a lot more sense.

What a Real Estate Agent (Selling Agent) Does

In a sellers agent vs buyers agent comparison, the selling agent – sometimes called the listing agent – is appointed by the vendor to market the property, manage inspections, field offers, and negotiate the highest possible sale price. Their fee is typically a commission paid by the seller on settlement, which is a direct financial incentive to push the price up.

Under Victorian law, the selling agent’s duty of loyalty sits with the seller, not the buyer. Every inspection, every conversation, every piece of advice they give a prospective buyer is filtered through that obligation. This isn’t a criticism of selling agents – they’re doing their job properly when they act this way. It’s simply worth remembering: a friendly, helpful selling agent at an open home is still working for the other side of the negotiating table, not for you.

What a Buyers Agent Does

So who represents the buyer in a property transaction? That’s the role of a buyers agent, also known as a buyers advocate. In short, a buyers agent searches the market, evaluates properties, carries out due diligence, negotiates or bids at auction, and manages the purchase process – all on behalf of the buyer, and only the buyer.

We won’t go into full detail here, since we’ve covered it thoroughly in what a buyers agent does, our pillar guide to the end-to-end buying process. The key point for this comparison is simple: a buyers agent exists specifically to put someone in your corner during a transaction where, otherwise, no one is.

Side-by-Side Comparison: Who They Represent and Who Pays

The clearest way to see the difference between buyers agent and real estate agent roles is side by side.

In one sentence: the selling agent works to get the seller the most money, while the buyers agent works to get the buyer the best outcome – and no one on the seller’s side is doing that job for you.

Can One Agent Act for Both Buyer and Seller in Victoria?

No. An agent cannot act for both the buyer and the seller in the same transaction in Victoria. Doing so would create an obvious conflict of interest – one party wants the price as high as possible, the other wants it as low as possible, and no agent can serve both masters in the same deal.

This is exactly why independence matters when you’re choosing a buyers agent. A genuinely independent buyers agent takes no commissions, kickbacks, or referral fees from selling agents, vendors, or developers. Their income comes solely from the buyer who engages them. That structure removes the conflicts of interest that can creep in when a “buyers agent” is quietly being paid or incentivised by the other side of the transaction. If you’re comparing buyers advocate vs real estate agent options, always ask how the buyers agent is paid and by whom – the answer tells you who they really work for.

Which One Do You Need?

If you’re selling, you need a real estate agent. If you’re buying, the selling agent you meet at an inspection is not on your side – they’re doing their job for the vendor. A buyers agent levels the playing field by giving you the same calibre of representation, market knowledge, and negotiation skill the seller already has.

So, do I need a buyers agent or real estate agent when buying? You’ll always encounter a selling agent as part of the process – that’s unavoidable. The real question is whether you also want someone representing you. A buyers agent tends to benefit certain buyers most: first home buyers who are unfamiliar with the process and vulnerable to sales pressure, busy professionals who don’t have time to inspect dozens of properties, investors who want unemotional, numbers-driven due diligence, and interstate or overseas buyers who can’t attend inspections or auctions themselves.

If any of that sounds like you, it’s worth exploring how to engage a Melbourne buyers agent, or reading more on do you really need a buyers agent? to weigh up your specific situation.