How we rate Brisbane buyers agents
Methodology v1.0 · Updated 30 Oct 2026
Every buyers agent on this site gets a Rated Score out of 100 from the same 9 checks. The score sets the order of every ranking. Nothing commercial is an input: not referral fees and not paid placements. Commercial arrangements are kept in a separate record the scoring code never reads.
Who gets ranked
We list every firm we can find that buys for clients in Brisbane. To be ranked, a firm must:
- hold a current Queensland real estate licence, checked on the Office of Fair Trading register
- have an office in South East Queensland, or publish Brisbane purchases
- have at least 10 Google reviews
- look active: at least one Google review in the 9 months before the data was checked
- have been operating for at least 12 months (ABN records, or Google reviews more than 12 months old)
Firms that don't meet every rule still get a profile and a score, shown under "Listed but not ranked" with the reason.
The checks
9 checks share 100 points. Each bar length below is that check's share of the score.
- Google rating20The Google rating, blended with 30 reviews’ worth of the Brisbane average so a handful of reviews can’t top the list. An adjusted 4.5 or below scores nothing; 5.0 scores in full.
- Review volume5How many Google reviews, on a log scale. 200 or more scores in full.
- Recent reviews10Google reviews posted in the last 12 months, on a log scale. 40 or more scores in full.
- Works only for buyers20Buyer-only scores in full. Also acting for sellers as a vendor advocate scores 60%, also running property management 30%. Also selling property or marketing developer stock scores nothing.
- Fees published15A fee schedule with amounts and what’s included scores in full. A "from" price or range scores two thirds, a described structure with no numbers one third, "contact us" nothing.
- Years operating8Years since the business started, from its ABN records, or the start year the firm states where we can’t match an ABN. 10 years or more scores in full.
- Recent Brisbane purchases7Purchases in South East Queensland the firm has published (with suburb and month) in the last 12 months. 15 or more scores in full, 5–14 five points, 1–4 three points.
- Memberships and awards10REBAA member 5 points, REIQ member 2. Awards with published judging criteria in the last two years add up to 3 (finalist 1, winner 3).
- Conduct record5Full marks once we’ve checked QCAT, Fair Trading and ACCC records and found no adverse finding in five years.
Ties are broken by the adjusted Google rating, then reviews in the last 12 months, then years operating. Never by commercial status.
Why the Google rating is adjusted
Brisbane buyers agents mostly sit between 4.7 and 5.0 stars, so a raw rating barely separates them, and a perfect 5.0 from a dozen reviews says less than a 4.9 from two hundred. We blend each rating with 30 reviews' worth of the Brisbane average (currently 4.98). The more real reviews a firm has, the less the blend matters:
| Google shows | Adjusted rating we score |
|---|---|
| 5.0 from 14 reviews | 4.98 |
| 4.9 from 180 reviews | 4.91 |
| 4.8 from 95 reviews | 4.84 |
Score bands
Small differences in score aren't meaningful, so every score also gets a band: Top rated (85+), Highly rated (70+), Rated (55+), and Listed below that.
When a fact isn't published
A check we can't confirm from a public source scores zero and shows as "not confirmed". That's a statement about what the firm publishes, not a judgement of its work. Firms improve their score by publishing the information (a fee schedule, a page saying they act only for buyers, dated purchases), which we then verify. We don't accept private claims.
Where the data comes from
- Google ratings and review counts: each firm's Google Business Profile, recorded by hand on the date shown, with a link to the profile.
- Business model, fees, purchases, services: the firm's own website, linked as a source on its profile.
- Licences: the Queensland Office of Fair Trading public register.
- Years operating: the ABN Lookup history.
- Memberships: the REBAA and REIQ member directories.
- Conduct: QCAT decisions, Fair Trading notices and ACCC actions.
Keeping it honest
Monthly re-scoring, review-pattern checks and versioned method changes apply to every trade we rate. The rules every method follows
What the score doesn't measure
We haven't bought through every firm, so the score can't tell you how well a particular agent will negotiate your purchase. It measures what can be checked in public. Use it to build a shortlist, then interview two or three firms and get their fees in writing.