Waterman Property Advocates

YES – Chris & Matt are both Registered Land Agents here in SA.

Waterman Property Advocates commenced in 2003 and are Adelaide’s most experienced and longest serving Buyer Advocates.

Yes, we are located at 202a Gilbert St Adelaide in the CBD.

We cover all of Adelaide from Gawler to Sellicks Beach. We also service Rural and Lifestyle requirements for property throughout SA however, 90% of our business is within Adelaide metro.

YES – We are inaugural members of REBAA. Chris is part of the REBAA Hall of Fame for his work in the industry.

YES – however 90% of what we do is residential property.

YES – however the clients we act for are about 50/50 investors and owner occupiers.

YES – we have several Building Inspectors we utilise weekly to cover potential properties before we submit any offers. Fortunately, due to us giving them a large amount of work, they will usually drop everything to ensure we get the best service as soon as possible for our clients.

YES – we have access to several conveyancers that readily work with us to transfer titles into our client’s name at settlement.

YES – our boutique Waterman Property Management company have over 200 properties that we currently manage for our investor clients.

Mat and Chris have combined 65 years of real estate experience. We are Adelaide’s most experienced and longest serving Buyer Advocates having commenced in 2003. We have built a wonderful rapport with selling agents and agencies over time, just ask around. Networks and experience are the essential elements for buying successfully in Adelaide. We are in the market 24hour hours a day 7 days a week , no one knows Adelaide like we do.

Buyers should look for the following qualities when looking to engage a buyer’s agent:

• Experience, A buyer agent should be well experienced in the industry Chris and Matt have more than 60 years experience in all aspects of the profession.
• Credentials, Check that they are Registered agents in the state they operate and have the relevant qualifications, plus carry appropriate insurances
• Network and Contacts, Buyer agents should have a wide range of contacts and relationships with selling agents and all other professions that can help you in the journey. They should be able to access property off market or even privately.
• Track record, Ask for references from previous clients should you feel the need to check on their performance
• Member of the Real Estate Buyer Association of Australia, which is the only professional association for Buyer agents, and yes we are inaugural members and adhere to their Code of Ethics.

We would advise that you speak to your accountant regarding the tax benefits you may be able to acquire. – to confirm.

It is against the REBAA Code of Conduct and general best business practice. Plus REBAA members are exclusive buyer’s agents which means they only act for the buyer in their best interests.
We work exclusively for you the buyer only.

Between Chris Waterman and Matt O’Donoghue there is a wealth of real estate experience. Both are registered agents and auctioneers and have been involved in all aspects of Real Estate more than 60 years.

We have been operating as buyer agents over 20 years and have built great rapport with most of the agents and agencies here in Adelaide which enables us to acquire inside knowledge that the public may not have access to. A selling agent is much more likely to deal with a buyer’s agent they know and trust, versus a buyer who they have never seen because they are more likely they will make the sale.

Buyer Agents should have the relevant qualifications such as being a Registered Agent and as importantly Membership of the Real Estate Buyers’ Agents Association of Australia - REBAA

REBAA is Australia’s only national professional association for buyer’s agents. To become a member, agents must go through a stringent process. Once an agent is a member, they must adhere to a strict code of conduct.

Our agency are that we are your sole agent and the aim is to work together with our clients. We understand that our clients will continue to scroll through the property market, its human nature, even while we are looking for you. Should you come across property that we haven’t seen, we will continue to supply the same service with inspecting, creating reports, videos and negotiating or Proxy bid on your behalf. Once we are engaged to find (or negotiate) a property, full fees are payable, even if you find a property (or negotiate) on your own.
Open communication is the key to our mutual success in sourcing and securing the right property within the brief.

Our aim is to make sure our clients do not make a mistake, pay too much and where possible save them money, at least our fee.
Through our understanding of the property market and our negotiation techniques. We offer a fixed fee service. The advantage of the fixed fee structure is that you only pay the same fee regardless of the price of the property. There are three key areas where you will get great value for money by engaging buyer advocate.
Our moto is to Save you Time, Money, and Stress!!
Saving time
We are constantly working in this Adelaide market 24/7 and we are inspecting property every day.
We understand that you have your normal daytime job to address and having the daunting task of searching the net and attending multiple inspections takes its toll. We advise our clients that we can secure the right property for you within a three-month period. Let us do all the legwork – after all we are Adelaide locals.
Saving Money
We take the emotion out to ensure we do not pay too much We are local Adelaide Buyer Advocates on the ground every day – once again let us do all the legwork.
Our negotiation skills are second to none when extracting information from the selling agent to ultimately secure the property at the right price.
Saving Stress
An experienced buyers’ agent can save you stress, time and money with the property and market knowledge they have acquired over many years of servicing their clients. We take the emotion out of the negotiation and auction process and give you accurate advice on property values. We have an extensive database of agents, agencies and contacts amassed over our twenty odd year journey and it continues to grow to help you find off-market properties.

Yes, absolutely. We regularly work with expats and overseas purchasers. Be they investors or those looking to secure their dream home to come back to. We consistently stay in touch through zoom meetings, video calls, phone calls and emails, regardless of where you happen to be located, you will always feel well informed across the search for your ideal property. When inspecting suitable properties on your behalf we will take several photos, videos, and provide you with as much information required (property, suburb & comparable sales reports) to make.

We work on the standard Buyer Advocacy fee structure with an upfront retainer and then a success fee on signing of contract. The fee is normally approximately 1.5 – 2% of the purchase price. We have two main services that we provide being our “Full Service – we find it” where we source, inspect and negotiate on your behalf or “Secondary service – you find it” and we will negotiate and evaluate the property on your behalf.
We also provide our Proxy bidder service representing our client to bid at auction. These fees can be tailored depending on the level of service required.

Buying a home or investment will be the largest financial commitment someone will make in their life and there are so many potential risks that need to be avoided. Our fees are a small insurance policy to ensure that our clients have a professional in their corner, to ensure they mitigate the potential risks of making a mistake.
Through our negotiation experience, we will also set out to save you as much money as possible by deploying a strategy to secure your property at the best price possible. Experienced agents are very good at squeezing every dollar out of a buyer and we have witnessed that many times over, buyers pay a lot more for a property than they would have had they had an experienced professional guiding them.

To understand the current market in fact any market, one needs to be immersed in it 24/7. That is exactly what we do. We work with agents, agencies, conveyancers, solicitors and all professions every day to ensure we are totally up to date. An initial inspection will give us a better understanding of the quality of build etc and with contacts with Building Inspectors we can evaluate a property understanding the good and bad elements about a dwelling/property. Along with obtaining comparable sales reports and simply understanding the “current” market we are far better equipped to know what it will take to secure a property or realise what is value and what is not.
Over our twenty odd years of service as Buyer Advocates, we have built a binding rapport with agents and agencies here in Adelaide which enables us to acquire inside knowledge that the public may not have access to. A selling agent is much more likely to deal with a buyer’s agent they know and trust, versus a buyer who they have never seen because they are more likely they will make the sale.