Buying at $3m and over in Sydney? Who you trust matters as much as what you buy.
The 5 questions to ask any buyers agent before you sign, and what to check before you buy.
Book a free 20-minute callBuyers agents for homes at $3m and over, Inner West and Eastern Suburbs
Having the budget isn't the hard part
You can afford the home. What's harder to see is whether it's the right one, and what it's really worth when the sale prices around it often aren't disclosed.
And every buyers agent you speak to will tell you they're on your side. How would you know?
Right now there's another layer. A lot of homes at this level sell quietly, off-market. When vendors aren't sure of the result, they're slower to spend thousands on styling, photography and marketing. So many of the homes you'd want never reach the portals.
The 5 questions
The 5 questions to ask any buyers agent before you sign
Ask them in this order. A good buyers agent will answer every one of them straight. Here's how we answer them.
Are you licensed in NSW, for how long, and can I check it?
In NSW, a buyers agent must hold either a real estate agent's licence, or a certificate of registration and work under the direction of a licensed agent. You can check any licence yourself on Verify NSW, the NSW Government's public register, or by calling NSW Fair Trading on 13 32 20. It shows the licence class, the dates and the full history.
Read more
Look at the history, not just the class. In NSW, a Class 1 licence normally takes about three years to reach: at least a year as an assistant agent, then at least two years on a Class 2, with supervised work logged at each step. That supervision is the point. It's where an agent learns the job on real purchases, with someone experienced checking their work.
There's a shortcut around it. Queensland's agent licence needs the training but no supervised experience, and someone holding an equivalent interstate licence may be able to apply for a NSW licence under mutual recognition. So a NSW Class 1 can appear with very little supervised work behind it. If the history looks short, ask how they got there.
It matters because most of what a buyers agent does can't be learnt in a course. It's lived experience, and the connections and relationships built over years that help you get the best possible home and the best possible deal. You don't want your buyers agent practising their skills on your money and your purchase.
In my view, a buyers agent shouldn't be working on their own until they've had at least five years buying for clients. Sales experience isn't the same. Many buyers agents were trained in objection handling. That's a sales skill. It doesn't teach you to tell an A-grade property from a C-grade one, or whether a home is worth your time and money at all.
Our answer: I've been a buyers agent since 2008. I hold a NSW Class 1 licence, and so does every buyers agent on our team.
Is your fee tied to the price I pay?
If your buyers agent charges a percentage of your budget or the price you pay, the more you spend, the more they earn. That's a conflict of interest, and it sits right where it matters most: when they're negotiating the price for you.
Our answer: No. Find & Buy is a flat fee, quoted on how complex your search is, never on the price you pay. We'll talk you through the figure on a call.
"The fixed prices for bidding are transparent and also mean Michelle doesn't have a conflict of interest or incentive to bid auction prices up for a higher commission."Robyn, April 2026
Does anyone else pay you in this deal?
Referral money can run both ways, so ask about both. Do they pay selling agents for sending buyers to them? And will they take a fee for recommending a selling agent when you come to sell? Either way, it's fair to ask who they're really looking after.
In NSW, a buyers agent must declare any conflict of interest. Any referral relationships they have, like with a broker or a conveyancer, go on a form called the Section 47. Ask to see it before you sign.
Our answer: No. I don't accept or pay referral fees. Our Section 47 shows Nil, and you sign it on the day you sign up with us. You're the only one paying us.
Will you act for anyone else who could bid on the same home?
If two of an agent's clients want the same home, one of them misses out. You won't always know which one is you.
Our answer: No. We don't take on clients with competing briefs. That means two buyers looking in the same area, at the same budget, for the same kind of home. If your brief would compete with a client we're already working for, we won't take you on yet. We'll put you on our waitlist until they've bought. There's only a limited number of good properties for sale at any given time, and I don't want to play favourites.
How many buyers are you working for right now?
An agent's attention only stretches so far. The more searches one person runs, the less of them each client gets.
Our answer: Nobody on our team looks after more than four clients at a time. One buyers agent leads your search, and every big decision gets a second experienced set of eyes before it reaches you.
How we work: find it, check it, buy it well
- Your brief. What you need, where, and what matters most to you.
- The search, including off-market. Yes, we find off-market homes. It's part of the job. But finding is the easy part. It's what happens next that matters.
- Every home on your shortlist gets the same assessment. On the market or off it. We review the building and pest and strata reports and give you in-depth advice, check the street and surrounds, and work out what the home is really worth. We look at every risk, now and in the future: flooding, nearby development applications, zoning changes, flight paths, main roads and school catchments. Your solicitor or conveyancer reviews the contract.
- We negotiate or bid for you. The work that wins an auction happens before you walk into the room.
I call it Buy Smarter: choose well, read the field, win the room.
Your part: have your finance ready, have your own solicitor or conveyancer (we can recommend people we trust if you need one), and make every final call. We don't give financial, legal or tax advice, and we only ever act for buyers.
Who we buy for
Upsizing
Moving up usually means juggling a sale, schools and not much spare time. We do the searching and the checking, so you have the full picture when it's time to decide.
"Buying a house can be a stressful process, but having Michelle by our side made such a difference."Alex, Clovelly
Buying from overseas
Time zones, inspections you can't get to, and a market you're reading from a distance. Photos only tell part of the story. We inspect for you, bring the local knowledge you can't get from overseas, and keep you across every step.
"Her proactive communication made it easy to navigate time zone differences, and we felt supported every step of the way."Cesar, October 2024
Buying on your own
Deciding alone means there's no one to check your thinking. We're the second voice: experienced, independent and working only for you.
"Michelle is incredibly knowledgeable, patient, encouraging, compassionate, and ethical, in addition to being a fierce, determined advocate for her clients"Christy, March 2026
Our purchases
Some of our purchases at $3m and over
Clovelly
Repeat clients, a couple. Secured before auction.
Read the full Clovelly storyRandwick
A couple upsizing, referred by past clients. Secured by private treaty.
Read the full Randwick storyBirchgrove
A family upsizing. Secured before auction.
Read the full Birchgrove storyDrummoyne
A family upsizing. Secured at online auction.
Read the full Drummoyne storySince we started, we've bought the property at approximately 80% of the auctions we've bid at, including the ones secured by negotiation after they passed in.
"What I think sets Michelle's team apart is their experience, deep relationships with top agents and high level of discernment that allows them to trust their gut and strategise accordingly."Justine, August 2025
"Michelle created an extensive report (pricing research, flood plain information, upcoming council plans etc)"Simon, July 2024
"These guys don't hope you buy houses, they help you secure homes."Tim, July 2024
Free online session
The five checks to run before you buy any property
A free online session with Michelle. Including the one most buyers skip, and how to run each check yourself.
- The contract. What's in it, and what a 66W certificate means: it waives your cooling-off period, so know before you sign one.
- The building. Building and pest, and for strata, the strata report and five years of meeting minutes.
- The street and surrounds. Main roads, flooding, flight paths, school catchments.
- What's coming next door. Development applications, zoning and a call to council. This is the one most buyers skip.
- The price. Comparable sales, not the price guide or a bank's automated valuation.
- When
- Thursday 19 November 2026, 12pm to 1pm AEDT, hosted with ESBWA
- Where
- Online. You'll get the joining link when you register.
- Length
- 30 to 40 minutes, then questions
- Afterwards
- The recording goes on YouTube and on this page
General information to help you buy well. It isn't legal or financial advice, and we don't run the checks on your property in the session.
When you're ready for us to buy for you
Find & Buy is our full service, from the search through the checking to the negotiation or auction. One flat fee, never tied to the price you pay.
About us
Michelle May Buyers Agents is an independent Sydney buyers agency, founded in 2017. We're a team of experienced buyers agents, and we only ever act for buyers. I've been a buyers agent since 2008.
One of us leads your search, every big decision gets a second experienced set of eyes before it reaches you, and nobody looks after more than four clients at a time. We buy across Sydney, including the Inner West and the Eastern Suburbs, for clients based anywhere, including interstate and overseas, and we work in Dutch, English, French and German.
Questions buyers ask us
Is it worth using a buyers agent when you're buying at $3m or more?
At this level, finding a home is rarely the hard part. The risk is buying the wrong one, or paying too much for the right one. A buyers agent who works only for you gives you an independent read on every home on your shortlist and handles the negotiation or auction. Whether it's worth it for your search is a good question for a free 20-minute call.
How do I check a buyers agent's licence in NSW?
Search their name or licence number on Verify NSW, or call NSW Fair Trading on 13 32 20. Check the licence class, the dates and the history.
How do buyers agents in Sydney charge?
Fees aren't set by law. They can be a fixed fee or a percentage of the price. Ours is a flat fee, quoted on how complex your search is, never on the price you pay.
Can a buyers agent have a conflict of interest?
Yes, which is why NSW rules say a buyers agent must declare any conflict of interest. The 5 questions above are a good way to test it.
Can an Australian living overseas buy a home in Sydney?
Yes. Australian citizens living overseas don't need foreign investment approval to buy a home in Australia (FIRB guidance). Tax and lending work differently when you live overseas, so speak to your accountant and lender early. We buy for clients who live overseas: we inspect for you and keep you across every step.
What due diligence should I do before buying a house in NSW?
Start with the five checks: the contract, the building, the street and surrounds, what's coming next door, and the price. Our free online session, The five checks to run before you buy any property, walks through each one.