FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. How is a buyer’s agent different from a selling agent?
A selling agent works for the seller. Their job is to achieve the highest possible price for the property. A buyer's agent works exclusively for the buyer — paid by you, accountable to you, with no financial ties to the seller. At East Point, that independence is structural. We don't earn referral fees from developers, building inspectors, or mortgage brokers. Every recommendation we make is documented before it's delivered — so you can hold us to it.
2. Why should I use East Point instead of buying on my own?
Most buyers who go it alone have access to the same listings as everyone else. The gap isn't information — it's interpretation. Which suburbs are actually positioned for growth. Whether a price is fair relative to what the data shows. What risks the listing doesn't disclose. East Point adds structure to that gap. We apply the same scoring framework to every suburb, document every recommendation, and stay accountable for every judgment — before and after settlement.
3. What is your process for finding the right property?
We start by mapping your investment criteria, budget tier, and constraints — so the search has a defined profile before it begins. We then apply the East Point Scoring Framework across Greater Brisbane suburbs, scoring each on Growth, Risk, Demand, Land, and Resilience. You receive a documented shortlist ranked on your criteria, not our instincts. From there, we field-verify shortlisted properties, evaluate each one against the same framework, and document the buy decision before any offer goes in. You see the case for the property — and the case against it. We handle negotiation and coordinate with your solicitor through to settlement. Twelve months later, we come back to review the outcome.
4. Do you work with investors, SMSF, trusts, companies, and owner-occupiers?
We work with buyers who need a clear property strategy before they buy — including interstate investors, SMSF buyers, trust or company purchasers, and owner-occupiers buying a principal place of residence. For investors, our focus is established Greater Brisbane houses with long-term fundamentals: land quality, suburb demand, rental resilience, growth potential, and risk control. We do not build strategies around negative gearing alone, developer incentives, or generic off-the-plan stock. For SMSF, trust, and company buyers, the investment criteria are similar — yield, growth, risk profile, and asset quality — but the structure affects what qualifies and how the purchase should be assessed. We work alongside your accountant, SMSF adviser, solicitor, or financial adviser where required. Independent tax, financial, and legal advice is recommended before proceeding. For owner-occupiers, the framework still applies — suburb selection, risk assessment, and market positioning — but lifestyle factors such as school catchments, commute, and neighbourhood amenity are weighted alongside the investment fundamentals. The same rigour. Different weights.
5. Do you charge a fixed fee or a percentage of the purchase price?
We charge a percentage of the purchase price, agreed upfront before we begin. This aligns our incentive with yours: we're motivated to find the right property at the right price — not to push through a deal for the sake of it. Our fee is documented in your engagement agreement before any work starts. No surprises.
6. Do you take commission from the seller or selling agent?
Never. We are paid solely by you, so our loyalty and focus remain 100% on your best interests. As fully independent buyer’s agents, our Code of Conduct ensures zero financial ties to sellers or developers.
7. How do I know you’re working in my best interest?
Every recommendation we make is documented before it's delivered — the suburbs we considered, the criteria they met, and why the alternatives didn't make the cut. That record belongs to you. You can question it, revisit it, and compare it against what actually happens. Our loyalty is structural: we're paid by you, with no financial ties to sellers, developers, or selling agencies. And twelve months after settlement, we come back — to put our original judgment next to the actual result and share both. The record we keep is the accountability we answer to.
8. Do you check building and pest reports for me?
Yes. Building and pest findings are reviewed as part of our documented property evaluation. Any issues — structural risks, maintenance costs, compliance concerns — are captured in writing before an offer goes in. No commitments are made before you have the full picture.
9. Do you only work in Brisbane?
Yes. We focus exclusively on Greater Brisbane across five LGAs: Brisbane City, Logan, Moreton Bay, Redland, and Ipswich. Our scoring framework covers 230+ Greater Brisbane suburbs, updated regularly as new market data comes in. That depth of local coverage is what makes the shortlists meaningful — and why we haven't stretched into other markets. Brisbane specialists by choice, not by default.
10. Do you work with investors based in Sydney or Melbourne?
Yes — most of our clients are based interstate. We built East Point specifically for that gap: the distance between understanding your home market intuitively and having the local depth to invest in Brisbane with confidence. Our framework covers 230+ Greater Brisbane suburbs, so you're not relying on a local agent's instinct about which areas are moving. Every engagement runs the same way regardless of where you're based.
11. What happens after settlement?
Twelve months after settlement, we come back. We review the original suburb recommendation against actual market outcomes, compare our documented buy decision against how the property has performed, and share the findings — the calls we got right, and the ones we'd assess differently with hindsight. That post-purchase review is part of every East Point engagement. It's also how we make sure the framework keeps improving.
12. What is the East Point Scoring Framework?
The East Point Scoring Framework scores Greater Brisbane suburbs across five dimensions — Growth, Risk, Demand, Land, and Resilience. Every suburb goes through the same framework, so recommendations are comparable across suburbs and consistent across clients. It isn't a black box. When we deliver a shortlist, you see what each suburb scored, what the data showed, and why the alternatives didn't make the cut. Full suburb scores are provided to clients as part of the engagement.