Real Estate Agents In Sydney
Looking for a real estate agent in Sydney? Below are the top agencies and agents near Sydney, plus important agent and market performance metrics you should be aware of, especially in today’s market.
For most people your home represents your largest asset and maximising its sale price can be the difference between heading off on a round-the-world cruise vs. another holiday staying with the in-laws!
When embarking on the journey to sell your property, it’s important to engage the services of a top real estate agent who will have the resources and local knowledge to help negotiate a great sale. With over 13,500 agents currently operating in Sydney it can be difficult to know where to start.
It’s also crucial you educate yourself on the state of the market in Sydney, which you’ll find below.
To get an expert opinion on what’s happening in your suburb and to compare and connect with your top local agents – click here.
Agents In Sydney
13,206
(Apr 2024)
Change In Value
+9.6%
(Year To Apr 2024)
Change in Number Sold
+17.3%
(Year To Apr 2024)
Table of Contents
Real Estate Agencies In Sydney
There are over 4,900 agencies currently operating in Sydney, including everything from well-known franchise brands to lesser-known independent agencies. Their local experience and service offerings can vary dramatically. To be sure you select the best brand for you, it is important to speak with agents from 2 or 3 agencies to understand the differences in experience, service and cost.
Below is our list of the top-selling agencies located in Sydney. To generate this ranking, we looked at the total value of sales conducted by each agency over the past 12 months. This doesn’t mean they’re the best! To see who is experienced in your area, click here
Best Real Estate Agents In Sydney
4.9 / 5 average rating of real estate agents in Sydney
From customer reviews
Individual agent performance within an agency can vary significantly. Most agents have a core focus (e.g. apartments within a particular postcode) and even if you are set on the agency you would like to use, it’s just as important to ensure that you select the individual agent that is most-suited to sell your property.
Some things to keep in mind: the agent should be focused on selling property in your suburb, experienced at selling homes like yours, have a track record of successful negotiations and have character traits that work well with you and prospective buyers.
Below is a list of the top-selling individual agents located in Sydney. To generate this ranking, we examined volume of sales conducted in the 2023 calendar year by each individual agent.
To start to create your shortlist of top agents in your area, click here.
Top 3 Agent Performance Statistics
There are countless articles out there all claiming to have the most up-to-date information on the performance of the property market in Sydney – and the messaging seems to change daily.
We’ve tried to simplify things and believe there are 3 key metrics that provide a clear picture on where things currently sit. They are:
- How many listed properties are actually selling (a rough indicator is auction clearance rates),
- How long it is taking for them to sell (days on market) and finally,
- What level of discounting is required to secure a sale.
Current CoreLogic data on these three areas is outlined below and compares Sydney with the rest of the country.
Days on Market
Days on market is the time it takes to sell a property, from when it is first listed to when it is listed as sold.
The time it takes to sell a home continued to trend slightly higher in March, with the median time on market rising to 36 days in Q1. While up from a recent low of 27 days in the three months to September, national selling times are still roughly in line with those seen this time last year (34 days).
Sydney’s days on market is 35 days, a decrease from last year when it took 36 days to sell the property.
Source: Corelogic – property market chart pack.
Vendor Discounting
A vendor discount is the difference between the original listing price and the final selling price, usually expressed as a negative percentage rate. A smaller vendor discount indicates that the market is in a seller’s favour.
National vendor discounting rates compressed through the year’s first quarter to -3.6%, down from -3.8% in December. Over the three months to March, capital city vendors were offered a median -3.1% discount to secure a sale, while regional vendors offered a larger -3.9% discount. However in Sydney it’s -3.2% versus -4.3%. to the same period last year.
Source: Corelogic – property market chart pack.
Auction Clearance Rates Sydney
The below chart shows Sydney’s auction clearance rates. It is a useful indicator as to the health of the market and the competition to buy a property. Generally, if clearance rates are 70% or higher prices will be increasing. If significantly below this, then it is considered a buyers market as there isn’t as much competition and may indicate prices may be falling.
Property Market Trends – Sydney
Whilst we believe that selecting the right agent vs. an agent inexperienced at selling property like yours can cost you tens of thousands of dollars (hundreds of thousands in some cases) we are the first to admit that there are some things that an agent can’t control.
Depending on your circumstances, these broader market factors should be considered when deciding when to sell your property.
We’ve looked through CoreLogic’s data, one of Australia’s leading property data providers, to give you these property market data insights.
CoreLogic Index Price Changes
Source: CoreLogic, updated daily, 13th April 2024
CoreLogic also produce small monthly update videos for each capital city’s property market. We’ve placed the Sydney housing market update playlist below.
Real Estate Agent Fees Sydney
When you’ve decided on your agent and understand the market you’re about to sell into, the question on everyone’s mind is, “how much will it cost to sell my property?”
The main costs when selling a property in Sydney are:
- Marketing Costs: payment is usually required by the agency upfront (but can be negotiated). Just to advertise your property online, expect to pay $300 at the cheapest and $500-$2000+ for premium advertising tiers, which involve extra photo slots and larger ads. Don’t forget that online advertising is just one part of marketing your property. Remember to factor in fees for the auctioneer, newspapers, photography and even the signboard out front.
- Agent Commission: negotiated at time of agent appointment and paid upon settlement. Agent fees generally range between 1% to 3%, depending on location, property value and commission structure. If you would like to see average fees per postcode, look here. Remember, fees vary by postcode. Coogee hovers around the 1.9% mark but Summer Hill agents typically charge around 2.4%.
- Conveyancing/Solicitor fees: to prepare the contract for sale and manage settlement process. Conveyancing fees in Sydney usually range between $500 to $1200. The final amount will depend on whether you hire a conveyancer or solicitor, and if they have to conduct additional searches.
We are believers in ‘you get what you pay for’. If you skimp on marketing, fewer people will see your property and it will be harder for the agent to create competition amongst buyers.
As for the commission, we certainly agree that you should negotiate, and talking to two or three agents will help you understand what is reasonable commission to pay for the sale of your home.
One question to ask yourself though,
“Can you be confident that the agent who dropped their commission to secure your listing will be best-equipped to negotiate seriously with the buyer?”
For further information see our article on agent fees in New South Wales.
Real Estate In Sydney
Sydney is a geographically and culturally diverse area, and one of the most famous and expensive cities in Australia. Agents and agencies working in Sydney are a similarly diverse and varied group of people.
Real estate in the Eastern Suburbs, especially in suburbs near the world-famous harbour like Potts Point or Edgecliff, can feature harbour views and astronomical property prices. The Sydney CBD is comprised mainly of apartments, units and commercial spaces, while suburbs further from the city centre are more likely to feature free-standing houses.
To the north lies the Sydney North Shore, and immediately to the west is the Inner West of Sydney. These are also property hot-spots, featuring suburbs like Newtown and Glebe in the Inner West and Chatswood and North Sydney on the North Shore. Their proximity to the city centre and larger living areas make them valuable properties to buyers.
The real estate agent landscape in Sydney is incredibly competitive, and the recent slumps in the property market highlight the increasing need to hire an agent based on proven experience. Agents desperate for listings often over-quote potential sale prices or lower their commission to secure business. Be sure to start your agent search by using our agent comparison tool.
