The annual buyers advocacy industry report from Collings Real Estate compiles the most important market data, buyer behaviour trends, and advocacy industry benchmarks shaping Australian property in 2024-25. Whether you are a first-home buyer, seasoned investor, or simply researching your options, this report gives you a single, authoritative reference point for understanding how buyer advocacy is evolving and why it matters more than ever in a competitive Melbourne market.

What Is the Current State of the Buyers Advocacy Industry in Australia?

Buyer advocacy has moved from a niche service used by high-net-worth investors to a mainstream offering accessed by a broad range of Australian property buyers. According to the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA), membership of accredited buyers agents has grown by more than 35% over the past three years, reflecting surging demand for professional representation at auction and in private negotiations.

CoreLogic data from the 2024-25 financial year confirms that Australian dwelling values rose nationally by approximately 6.8% over the 12 months to March 2025, with Melbourne inner-ring suburbs recording auction clearance rates consistently above 68% through the autumn selling season. In that environment, buyers who enter the market without professional guidance are routinely outmanoeuvred by experienced agents acting for vendors.

The proportion of total residential transactions facilitated by a buyers agent is estimated at around 3-5% nationally, but in inner Melbourne that figure climbs considerably higher, particularly for investment-grade properties. SQM Research reports that total residential property listings in Victoria were tracking below five-year averages for much of 2024, compressing buyer choice and intensifying competition at every price point.

If you are still weighing whether professional representation makes sense for your situation, our detailed guide on whether you should use a buyers advocate walks through the honest trade-offs so you can make an informed decision before committing.

How Has Buyer Behaviour Changed in the 2024-25 Property Market?

The most striking shift recorded in this annual buyers advocacy industry report is the acceleration of the off-market transaction segment. According to PropTrack’s 2024 Market Insight Series, an estimated 20-25% of all residential sales in inner Melbourne now occur off-market or through pre-market channels, a figure that has roughly doubled since 2019. Buyers without a buyers advocate have essentially no access to this pipeline.

Key buyer behaviour findings

• Search duration: The median active search period for buyers in Melbourne’s inner and middle-ring suburbs has extended to 6.4 months, up from 4.1 months in 2021, according to REA Group buyer sentiment surveys.
• Auction participation: More than 72% of properties in Melbourne’s inner east sold under the hammer or immediately prior to auction in Q1 2025, per Domain auction data.
• Interstate buyer activity: The ABS reports that interstate migration into Victoria rebounded to net positive territory in 2023-24, adding fresh competition in already tight suburbs.
• Investor re-entry: RBA lending data shows that investor housing credit grew at an annual pace of 7.2% in early 2025, the fastest rate since the 2021 boom, intensifying competition for rental-yield properties.

These shifts explain why buyers engaging a professional advocate are consistently reporting faster purchase timelines, stronger negotiation outcomes, and greater access to properties that never appear on public portals. Understanding the full scope of what buyers advocacy involves is a useful starting point: our overview of what buyers advocacy means for Australian property buyers covers the fundamentals in plain language.

What Do Vacancy Rates and Rental Yields Tell Us About Investment Hotspots?

For property investors, the data in this annual buyers advocacy industry report paints a clear picture of where fundamentals remain compelling. SQM Research’s May 2025 data shows Melbourne’s overall residential vacancy rate sitting at 1.3%, well below the long-run equilibrium of 3%. Tightly held inner suburbs are recording vacancy rates below 0.8% in many cases.

Suburb-level yield and vacancy highlights

• Coburg: Gross rental yields for houses averaging 3.4-3.8% with vacancy below 1.1%, supported by strong infrastructure investment along the Upfield corridor. Our buyers advocate team serving Coburg and surrounds sources both on-market and pre-market opportunities in this precinct.
• Kew and inner east: Despite median house prices above $2.1 million (CoreLogic, Q1 2025), premium properties in Kew are delivering capital growth of approximately 5.2% per annum over the five-year horizon, underpinned by schools, parklands, and proximity to the CBD.
• Melbourne-wide unit market: CoreLogic’s May 2025 Quarterly Review records median unit values rising 4.1% year-on-year in the inner ring, driven partly by interstate migration and a structural undersupply of well-located stock.

Investors who treat suburb selection as a data-driven exercise rather than an intuitive one are significantly outperforming the broader market. The depth of local knowledge a buyers advocate brings to suburb analysis is difficult to replicate through online research alone.

How Is Technology Reshaping the Buyers Advocacy Sector?

One of the defining narratives in this year’s annual buyers advocacy industry report is the role of technology in changing how buyers advocates source, assess, and transact on property. Proptech adoption within the buyers agency space accelerated sharply after 2022, with AI-powered comparable sales tools, automated valuation models, and real-time listing alert platforms all becoming standard in professional practices.

However, the data consistently shows that technology augments rather than replaces human advocacy skill. PropTrack’s 2024 Agents and Technology Survey found that 91% of buyers agents now use automated valuation tools, yet 78% of the same respondents identified off-market relationship networks as their single greatest source of competitive advantage for clients. Algorithms cannot replicate the phone call to a selling agent made the evening before a campaign launch.

Collings Real Estate has invested in a proprietary client portal that gives buyers live visibility over shortlisted properties, due diligence checklists, and negotiation updates. For buyers curious about how digital tools compare to traditional advocacy models, our analysis of what buyers advocacy means and how the Collings Portal compares provides a transparent side-by-side assessment.

Emerging technology trends to watch

1. AI-assisted comparable sales analysis compressing due diligence timelines from days to hours.
2. Real-time auction result feeds allowing advocates to recalibrate bidding strategies mid-campaign.
3. Digital settlement platforms reducing post-purchase administration friction for interstate and overseas buyers.
4. Predictive suburb analytics identifying emerging capital growth corridors 12-18 months ahead of mainstream recognition.

What Should Australian Buyers Expect from a Quality Buyers Advocate in 2025?

Standards in the buyers advocacy industry have risen markedly, and buyers are now better positioned than ever to distinguish capable operators from those simply adding a buyers-agent label to a generalist real estate licence. According to REBAA’s 2024 industry standards paper, a quality buyers advocate should demonstrate all of the following:

• A current and unrestricted real estate licence in the relevant state
• Exclusive buyer representation (no dual-agency arrangements)
• Documented, transparent search and negotiation methodology
• Access to off-market and pre-market property pipelines
• Independence from developer commissions and referral arrangements
• Clear contractual terms with defined service scope

Melbourne’s inner east and northern growth corridors continue to attract the highest volume of buyers advocate enquiries, reflecting investor and owner-occupier confidence in long-term fundamentals. For investors specifically, understanding the nuances of how a buyers advocate operates in competitive submarkets is essential. Collings Real Estate’s profile as a leading buyer advocacy service for investors in Melbourne is built on exactly these principles: exclusive representation, deep submarket knowledge, and a genuine off-market pipeline.

The ACCC’s 2024 review of real estate service disclosures also highlighted that buyers should always request written confirmation that their advocate holds no financial interest in the properties being recommended. This is a non-negotiable standard in professional buyers advocacy practice.

What Does the Data Predict for the Buyers Advocacy Market in 2025-26?

Forward indicators drawn together for this annual buyers advocacy industry report suggest continued robust demand for professional buyer representation over the next 12 to 18 months. The RBA’s May 2025 Statement on Monetary Policy projects Australian housing demand will remain elevated relative to supply, supported by population growth running at approximately 1.7% per annum according to the ABS’s most recent projections.

REBAA forecasts that the number of accredited buyers agents operating nationally will increase by a further 20-25% by 2027, as awareness of buyer representation services grows and more buyers enter the market needing professional guidance to compete. Meanwhile, the proportion of transactions occurring off-market or pre-market is expected to continue rising, making the relationship networks of established buyers advocates an increasingly valuable commodity.

CoreLogic’s Hedonic Home Value Index projects Melbourne dwelling values to rise between 4% and 7% in the 2025-26 financial year under a base-case scenario, with upside risk if the RBA implements further rate reductions in the second half of 2025 as markets are currently pricing. That trajectory reinforces the cost of remaining on the sidelines or entering the market without adequate professional support.

This annual buyers advocacy industry report underscores a consistent theme: in a market defined by low supply, high competition, and a growing off-market transaction segment, professional buyer representation is no longer a luxury reserved for the wealthy. It is a practical, evidence-based strategy that gives buyers a measurable advantage at every stage of the purchase process. Collings Real Estate remains committed to publishing transparent, data-driven analysis that empowers Australian buyers to make better-informed decisions, backed by genuine advocacy on the ground.