Property investment in Australia, run as one engagement.
Three disciplines under one roof: a buyer's agent who finds the property, a broker who structures the loan, and a planner who positions both inside the wider portfolio. One brief, one timeline, one set of files.
Most property purchases stall in the gaps between advisers.
The buyer's agent finds a property the bank will not fund at that LVR. The broker pre-approves a loan the accountant later wishes were structured differently. The planner picks up the file after settlement and re-engineers what could have been done up-front.
The integrated thesis is simple. The plan sets the strategy. The broker pre-approves against that strategy. The buyer's agent writes a brief the broker can actually fund. The acquisition runs as one workflow rather than three.
That is the only reason these three pillars sit under one practice. Not because every client uses all three, but because the gaps between them are where most property mistakes are made. The buyer's agent cost guide covers what the fee buys when the bundle applies.
How each discipline contributes.
Buyer's agent
Brief, suburb research, shortlist, due diligence, negotiation and settlement under a licensed national partner.
Finance broking
Investment loan structuring, lender selection, pre-approval and settlement. Set up to read well at audit and at tax time.
Financial planning
Ownership structure, gearing position, cash-flow buffer and the place the property holds in the wider portfolio.
How a property purchase runs, step by step.
Three stages from first conversation to settlement and review. The order matters.
Plan first, then borrow
We start with the plan. Goals, time horizon, marginal rate, structure options, and the household's tolerance for vacancy and interest-rate movement. The plan dictates the brief.
Finance approved, brief tight
Pre-approval is in writing with a known lender, LVR and product. The buyer's agent brief is written off the back of that, so the shortlist matches what the bank will actually fund.
Acquisition and settlement
Shortlist, due diligence, negotiation and settlement run as one workflow. Solicitor, lender and vendor agent coordinated through to keys. Loan structure reviewed at first tax return.
Common questions before booking.
Buyer's agent is a fixed fee from $10,000 plus GST. Finance broking is paid by the lender under standard commission arrangements, disclosed in writing. Financial planning is a hybrid fee model quoted after the first conversation. A fee reduction applies on the buyer's agent fee when broking or planning is engaged at the same time.
No. Each pillar runs as a standalone engagement. The integrated path exists for clients who want one file across the whole purchase. If you already have a broker or planner you trust, we work alongside them.
The buyer's agent partner is licensed in every state and territory. Most acquisitions sit in metropolitan Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra, but the brief follows the strategy rather than a postcode.
Commercial, yes. Residential, no longer for new arrangements. From 10 August 2026 an SMSF cannot enter a new Limited Recourse Borrowing Arrangement to buy residential property. Commercial LRBAs are unaffected, and existing residential loans are grandfathered. An SMSF can also still buy residential property outright with fund cash. Opes holds the authorisations to advise on the strategy and arrange the lending. The long-form SMSF property investment guide covers the path end to end.
Both. The partner network sources off-market and pre-listing stock where it matches the brief. We do not treat off-market as a feature for its own sake. Plenty of well-priced purchases come straight off domain.com.au and realestate.com.au.
The loan is structured to read clearly at tax time. Interest-only versus principal and interest, offset placement, and split-loan arrangements all sit inside the planning conversation rather than being decided at the lender desk.
When the cash-flow buffer is too thin, when the household is about to start a family on one income, or when the marginal rate does not reward gearing. We tell clients when not to proceed. That is the part of the conversation that pays for the engagement.
Where to read next
- Buyer's agentFixed-fee buyer's agent service across Australia.
- Investment property loansLoan structuring for investment purchases.
- Tax-effective investingGearing, structure and the household balance sheet.
- Off-market propertyHow the partner network sources pre-listing stock.
- SMSF propertyProperty held inside an SMSF under an LRBA.
- Commercial propertyRetail, office and industrial acquisitions.
Ready to brief a purchase?
An initial conversation is free and obligation-free. If the numbers do not stack up, we will say so.