Acting solely on behalf of the buyer, buyer's advocates offer a level of expertise that can significantly improve a purchase outcome for buyers, rather than sellers.
Carly Susic of Select Property Advocates is one such expert, and her negotiation approach consistently ensures buyers don’t overpay.
Why Negotiation Is Where It Counts Most
In the current market, Carly says, many buyers underestimate how much negotiation impacts the final sale price.
"I feel like our clients are getting the value from our service in the negotiation."
Even when an advocate has to compete with other bidders, it’s often about leveraging relationships and understanding the vendor's motivations.
"We did have another buyer that was interested, and I said to the agent, 'I can give you what you need.' I negotiated, and my client got the property, and she got it for $30,000 less than what she was prepared to pay."
This ability to read the situation and apply pressure at the right moment gives advocates an edge.
The Power of Positioning
Carly emphasises that much of negotiation success comes from strategy and timing.
"We're very good at positioning people. You know, we just have the experience to go, 'OK, this is what the agent's going to do next. This is how we need to counter it.'"
That experience, she explains, isn't something most buyers can replicate on their own.
"We can anticipate. We're not learning. You know, when you buy one property every seven years, you are learning. When you're buying property every day, you're a professional."
She adds that advocates know how to cut through the sales process to isolate the leverage points.
"If you understand the way the process works, you're in a much better position to negotiate a better price."
Avoiding Emotional Spending
One of the most common ways buyers overpay is through emotional decision-making — something Carly says buyer's advocates are trained to buffer against.
"We take the emotion out of it. So, we can sit back and say, 'OK, this is a really good property, but it's not worth what the agent's quoting.'"
By acting as a cool-headed intermediary, Carly and her team make sure buyers stick to the brief and don't blow the budget.
"We can always guarantee that we'll pay less than the buyer will getting inside."
Understanding What the Agent Really Wants
Having long-standing relationships with selling agents is another major advantage.
"We get the call. We get the nod. We get the wink. You know, when the agent says, 'Look, if you can give me this, I can probably make it work.'"
This inside knowledge isn’t about unethical behaviour; it's about trusted professionals speaking the same language and negotiating with mutual respect.
"It's because they know we have good buyers, we're good to deal with, we're respectful of their process. And we're not wasting anyone's time."
Knowing When to Push and When to Hold
Not every deal requires aggression. Sometimes, knowing when not to act is just as valuable.
"We might let another property go because we feel like it's not the right property or it's going to go too high. And then we're proven right."
Carly explains that staying patient and strategic often leads to better value.
"When you go in under pressure, that's when you're more likely to overpay. And we've seen it. We've had clients that have said, 'We want to go for this property,' and we've said, 'Don't do it,' and they do it. And then they call us a week later and say, 'We wish we had listened to you.'"
Experience You Can Leverage
While negotiation may sound simple in theory, Carly is clear that experience is what truly makes the difference.
"I've been buying property for 25 years. You get to a point where you just know how it's going to go down."
That intuition, combined with data and strategy, is what gives buyer’s advocates their edge.
"It's not just about paying less. It's about buying the right property, paying the right price, and doing it in the right way."
Final Word: Don’t Pay More Than You Have To
In 2025’s market, where competition remains strong and emotional buying is common, working with a buyer’s advocate can be the smartest financial decision a buyer makes.
Negotiating a better deal isn’t luck — it’s a skill.
"We save people a lot of money. We save them from making big mistakes. And we get them into better properties than they would find on their own."
