Many Australians ask their financial planner for property advice. Most financial planners are not qualified to give it — and some have conflicts of interest when recommending property. A property advisor fills a completely different role.
What Does a Financial Planner Do?
A financial planner helps you build a financial strategy. They assess your income, assets, debts, superannuation, insurance, and tax position. They may recommend property as part of a broader investment strategy. They cannot assess individual properties, negotiate purchase prices, or evaluate suburb-level market data.
What Does a Property Advisor Do?
A property advisor focuses specifically on property decisions. They assess individual properties, review comparable sales, evaluate suburb growth fundamentals, develop negotiation strategy, and negotiate on your behalf. They do not provide financial planning, tax advice, or superannuation advice.
The Key Differences
| Service | Property Advisor | Financial Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Individual property assessment | Yes | No |
| Comparable sales analysis | Yes | No |
| Negotiation strategy and execution | Yes | No |
| Suburb growth and yield analysis | Yes | Limited |
| Financial strategy and planning | No | Yes |
| Tax and superannuation advice | No | Yes |
| Typical cost | $4,500 + GST fixed fee | $3,000 – $10,000+ per year |
Common Mistakes
- Relying on your financial planner to tell you if a specific property is a good buy — they cannot assess individual properties
- Accepting a property recommendation from a financial planner who earns a referral fee — this is a conflict of interest
- Skipping both and buying blind without any professional guidance
Why Collings Property Advisory?
Collings Property Advisory provides independent, fixed-fee property advice at $4,500 + GST. We assess the property, analyse comparable sales, develop your negotiation strategy, and negotiate on your behalf. We are not a financial planner and we do not earn commissions from developers or third parties.
FAQs
Can my financial planner recommend a specific property to buy?
Most cannot. Financial planners assess financial strategy. Individual property assessment requires a different skill set — local market knowledge, comparable sales analysis, and negotiation experience.
Do I need both a financial planner and a property advisor?
For investment property purchases, ideally yes. Your financial planner helps you structure the purchase tax-effectively. Your property advisor helps you find, assess, and negotiate the right property.
Ready to talk to a property advisor? Collings Property Advisory is $4,500 + GST — a fixed fee that covers property assessment, comparable sales analysis, negotiation strategy, and agent negotiation. Learn more at collings.com.au/portal.
Find your next property with Collings
Track suburbs, get matched to on-market and off-market listings, and manage your whole property search in one place. Access the Collings property portal.
