Fees, plainly

What a buyer's agent costs

Three fee models, the typical Sydney ranges for each, what the fee usually buys, when it is not worth paying, and how Foleo makes its money.

How agents charge

The three fee models

Every agent on Foleo lists which of these they work to. The definitions below are the same ones the questionnaire shows when you tap the (?) on the fee question.

Fee model	Typical Sydney range	Who it suits
Flat fee A single fixed amount agreed up front, irrespective of the final purchase price. Typically $10k to $25k. Common for buyers who want fee predictability and don't want the agent's incentive tied to the purchase price.	$10k to $25k, agreed up front	Buyers who want to know the number before they start, and who would rather the agent's incentive was not tied to the purchase price.
Tiered fee A staged fee structure with a base amount that escalates based on the purchase price band. Sometimes paired with a success bonus on settlement. Common for buyers who want partial alignment with outcome but capped exposure.	A base amount that steps up by price band, sometimes with a success bonus on settlement	Buyers who want some alignment with the outcome but a cap on what they could end up paying.
Percentage of price A percentage of the final purchase price, typically 1.5% to 2.5%. Aligns the agent's fee with the size of the deal. Common for higher-budget engagements where the workload scales with price.	1.5% to 2.5% of the purchase price	Higher budgets, where the work scales with the price and the buyer is comfortable with a fee that does too.

Fee model

Typical Sydney range

Who it suits

Flat fee

A single fixed amount agreed up front, irrespective of the final purchase price. Typically $10k to $25k. Common for buyers who want fee predictability and don't want the agent's incentive tied to the purchase price.

$10k to $25k, agreed up front

Buyers who want to know the number before they start, and who would rather the agent's incentive was not tied to the purchase price.

Tiered fee

A staged fee structure with a base amount that escalates based on the purchase price band. Sometimes paired with a success bonus on settlement. Common for buyers who want partial alignment with outcome but capped exposure.

A base amount that steps up by price band, sometimes with a success bonus on settlement

Buyers who want some alignment with the outcome but a cap on what they could end up paying.

Percentage of price

A percentage of the final purchase price, typically 1.5% to 2.5%. Aligns the agent's fee with the size of the deal. Common for higher-budget engagements where the workload scales with price.

1.5% to 2.5% of the purchase price

Higher budgets, where the work scales with the price and the buyer is comfortable with a fee that does too.

Published ranges, with sources

What the market charges

The ranges above are drawn from these published sources. Each is dated; none is Foleo's own figure.

Source	Range	Date checked
REBAA	2% to 3% of the purchase price plus GST, plus an engagement fee	12 Sep 2026
Finder	1% to 3% of the purchase price, or flat fees to $15,000	4 Apr 2025
Property Update	Sydney 2% to 3% plus GST; $1,000 auction-only to $30,000 full service	9 Sep 2026
Canstar	Up to 3% of the purchase price	25 Jul 2024
Buyer's Domain fee page	Full search from $17,500, with a $5,000 retainer credited on completion	29 Jun 2026

Sources checked 12 September 2026

Each Foleo partner's fee model is on their profile. Fee ranges appear there once the agency has supplied one.

Where the money goes

What the fee usually buys

Off-market access

Properties that never reach the portals, or reach them late. A working agent's network is weeks or months ahead of what a buyer can find alone.

Pricing intelligence

A read on what a street actually trades for, from someone who has been inside the comparable sales rather than reading the guide.

Negotiation

A specialist sitting opposite the selling agent, without the emotional stake. On a single purchase this is usually where the fee is recovered.

Auction representation

Someone bidding to a plan on the day, who has done it many times and will stop when the plan says stop.

Time

The evenings on the apps and the Saturdays at inspections, done in parallel by someone whose job it is.

The honest cases

When a buyer's agent is not worth it

Budgets under about $650k in Sydney

A flat fee at the bottom of the range is a large share of the purchase, and the negotiation upside on a smaller property rarely covers it. Do the search yourself and spend the money on the building and pest report.

Off the plan only

Off-the-plan sales run through the developer's channel at a set price. There is little to source and little to negotiate, which is most of what the fee pays for.

Already engaged elsewhere

If you have signed with an agent, a second one adds cost without adding access. Finish the engagement or end it cleanly before starting another.

The referral fee

How Foleo is paid

Foleo is free for buyers. There is no cost to use the questionnaire, to see your shortlist or to be introduced.

When you engage an agent you met through Foleo, that agency pays Foleo a referral fee: once when you sign an engagement, and once again when you settle.

It never changes what you pay. The agent's fee is the same whether you came through Foleo or walked in the door, and every agent on Foleo lists their fee model on their profile.

Position on Foleo is earned through vetting, not bought. Foleo does not sell ranking, sponsored slots or featured profiles.

See which agents fit your brief

Five minutes, a handful of questions, two to four vetted buyer's agents with their fee models shown up front.

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