Buyers Agent Fees in Brisbane: What You Pay, and Who Pays It

The five ways Brisbane buyer's agents charge

Fee structures come in a small number of shapes. Once you know which shape you're being quoted, the number is easier to judge.

These five come from Google's own AI summary for this search and from two Brisbane fee guides read on 5 August 2026.

• Percentage of the final purchase price. The dearer the property, the bigger the fee.
• Flat fee. One number, whatever you end up buying.
• Tiered flat fee. The number steps up as you move into a higher price bracket.
• Engagement fee plus success fee. You pay something on signing, then the balance when the contract goes unconditional or at settlement. The upfront amount usually comes off the total, and it's often non-refundable.
• Partial or standalone service. Bidding at auction for you, negotiating on a property you found yourself, or a single inspection report.
• Quotes are usually plus GST. Ask which shape you're in before you ask for a number.

Why no two guides agree on the typical Brisbane fee

Because there isn't one. Queensland's Office of Fair Trading puts it in its own words: "We do not set a limit on how much commission you may charge as a property agent. You are free to negotiate any commission with your client." That's from qld.gov.au, read 5 August 2026.

So the fee ranges you find are marketing pages describing what those particular firms charge. Read four of them on the same day and you get four different answers, with the flat-fee figures and the percentages both moving. No Australian regulator or industry body publishes a fee survey to settle it, which is why this page doesn't quote a going rate.

Two more things Fair Trading is clear about. The commission has to be set in writing at the time you appoint the agent. And once you've both signed, it can't be changed.

So the question worth asking is what your agent will write down.

What Queensland law makes a buyer's agent put in writing before charging you

One of the fee guides Google cites first for this search says Brisbane buyer's agents "are not regulated". Read on 5 August 2026. That's wrong, and the correction matters to your money.

Queensland has no separate buyer's-agent licence class. Anyone acting for you on a purchase does it under an ordinary real estate agent licence. Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld) s26 puts buying and negotiating a purchase inside that licence, and s159 defines a buyer as including "the buyer's agent authorised to act for the buyer". Acting as a property agent for reward without a licence is an offence under s97, carrying a maximum of 200 penalty units or 2 years imprisonment.

Before a fee-charging agent starts work for you, s102 says you appoint them first. The client signs, then the agent acts. That appointment is a Form 6 for residential property or a Form 6A for commercial. Under s104 it has to state:

• the fees, charges and any commission payable for each service
• when each of those becomes payable
• the expenses the agent is authorised to run up, including advertising and marketing
• any condition, limitation or restriction on the service
• the source and the estimated amount or value of any rebate, discount, commission or benefit the agent may receive on those expenses
• a prominent statement telling you to get independent legal advice before you sign

An agent who gets the paperwork wrong can't keep the fee

Read that fifth point twice. The rebate and benefit line is where money coming from somewhere other than you has to show up.

Section 89 of the Act says a person isn't entitled to sue for, recover or keep a reward or expense for acting as a property agent unless, at the time the work was done, they held a property agent licence, were authorised under it to do that work, and were properly appointed by the person being charged. Doing it anyway is an offence with a maximum of 200 penalty units.

Section 90 goes further. Charge more than the appointment states and the extra can't be sued for, recovered or kept either. Same for expenses above what was written down, or above what was actually spent.

You can check the licence yourself for free. Queensland keeps a public register of licensed agents, salespeople and corporations, searchable online at no cost. A record shows the name, any registered business name, the place of business, the licence number and class, and whether the licence is current, expired, refused, cancelled or suspended. The free version can't be used as evidence in legal proceedings, so there's a paid official extract for that.

Can you claim the fee on tax?

General information, not tax advice. FAA doesn't give tax advice. Your own position needs a registered tax agent.

The ATO nowhere names buyer's agent fees. What it does say, on its rental expenses page updated 23 July 2026, is that you can't claim a deduction for "acquisition and disposal costs, including the purchase cost, conveyancing and advertising costs", and that these are "usually included in the property's cost base, which would reduce any capital gains tax when you sell the property".

Its cost base page, updated 29 June 2026, sets out the incidental costs of acquiring an asset. The second element includes "remuneration for the services of a surveyor, valuer, auctioneer, accountant, broker, agent, consultant, or legal adviser", plus costs of transfer, stamp duty and search fees. Costs you can claim a tax deduction for don't go in the cost base.

Join those two pages together and a fee paid to find and buy an investment property generally reads as a capital acquisition cost rather than an immediate deduction. The ATO doesn't say that in those words. It's a reading of the two pages, so check your own position before you rely on it.

The ongoing fee is treated differently. "Property agent's fees and commission" sits on the ATO's list of rental expenses you can claim an immediate deduction for, alongside advertising for tenants, council rates, insurance and repairs. That page was updated 21 May 2026. Letting and managing a property is a different expense from buying one.

One more thing to keep in view if you're modelling the numbers. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 26 June 2026 and limits negative gearing on residential property to new builds from 1 July 2027, with an acquisition trigger of 7:30pm AEST 12 May 2026 and grandfathering for property held before that. Current-year deductibility is unchanged.

Last reviewed 5 August 2026.

How FAA Property gets paid, and what that should mean to you

Now our own side of it, in the same wording we publish everywhere else.

FAA Property earns a commission from builders and developers when a property purchase proceeds. The strategy session itself costs you nothing. Because we're paid by the supply side, you should weigh our recommendations with that in mind.

You don't pay us a search fee, an engagement fee or a success fee. FAA Property Pty Ltd holds Queensland OFT real estate licence 4220395, type Real Estate Agent, expiring 5 June 2027. Look the number up on the free register if you want to.

We're not required to tell you that. Section 157 of the Act makes a residential property agent disclose benefits an entity receives in connection with a sale, and then s157(2) carves out the agent's own fee, charge or commission from the seller. Our income sits on the carved-out side. We publish it anyway, on every buyer-facing page, because you can't weigh a recommendation without knowing who funded it.

What we actually do: FAA Property sources new-build and house-and-land investment property in Brisbane for Queensland and interstate investors. Property management is provided on the Sunshine Coast. One office, in Maroochydore, at Suite 3-7, Level 5, Tower 2, 55 Plaza Parade, Maroochydore QLD 4558. Phone (07) 5327 3469.

If you want the numbers on a specific property before anyone talks to you about a fee, run them yourself first, then book a strategy call.