Frequently Asked Questions

A commercial buyers agent represents you — the buyer — exclusively. Unlike selling agents who are legally and commercially obligated to act for the vendor, we work solely in your interests from the first consultation through to settlement and beyond.

This means we source properties (including off-market), conduct rigorous due diligence, provide independent commercial advice, and negotiate hard to secure the best possible price and terms. We level the playing field between you and experienced selling agents.

Selling agents are paid by and legally obligated to act in the vendor's best interests. They are skilled negotiators working to achieve the highest possible price for their client.

When you engage a buyers agent, you have your own expert in your corner — someone with equivalent market knowledge, negotiation skill and the time to focus entirely on your outcome. Without representation, you are negotiating against a professional.

A property consultant typically advises on investment strategy without taking an active role in sourcing and negotiating property. A mortgage broker arranges finance. A buyers agent does both — actively searching for, identifying and negotiating property on your behalf.

Our unique position is that we act exclusively for buyers and can coordinate the full transaction team around you — including, where finance is needed, an experienced commercial finance broker (such as via Alvero Finance) — so your strategy, acquisition and financing work together rather than in isolation.

Yes. While many of our clients are experienced investors adding to existing portfolios, we regularly work with first-time commercial investors who are making the transition from residential.

In these cases, we spend additional time educating clients on the differences between commercial and residential investment — the lease structures, yield assessment, due diligence requirements and financing — before we begin searching. We believe an informed client makes a better client.

We work across the main commercial asset classes: commercial office (particularly strata and smaller whole-floor assets), industrial and logistics (warehouses, distribution facilities), neighbourhood retail (strip shops, neighbourhood centres), and mixed-use properties.

Our focus is the Brisbane and South East Queensland market. The right asset class depends on your investment brief, which we develop together during your consultation.

Commercial property yields vary significantly by asset class, location, lease term and tenant covenant. We do not provide generic yield benchmarks as they can be misleading — a property with a high face yield may carry significant risk, and a property with a lower yield may have superior long-term characteristics.

We assess each property on its specific merits against your investment brief and risk tolerance.

Commercial property differs from residential in several key areas:

Lease structures — longer leases with built-in rent review mechanisms. Tenancy risk — fewer tenants, so vacancy has a larger impact. Financing — different serviceability assessments, typically lower LVRs. Outgoings — tenants often pay council rates, insurance and maintenance. Due diligence complexity — lease review is a critical component.

These differences make specialist advice essential.

WALE stands for Weighted Average Lease Expiry — it measures the average time remaining across all leases in a property, weighted by the income each tenant contributes.

A high WALE means tenants are locked in for longer, providing income security. A low WALE can represent risk (if leases expire without renewal) but also opportunity — to renegotiate at higher market rents or reposition the asset. Understanding WALE is fundamental to any commercial property analysis.

The timeline varies significantly based on how readily available suitable properties are, your flexibility on price and terms, and financing timelines.

We do not give clients a fixed timeframe because we are unwilling to rush a purchase that does not meet your brief. In some cases, we identify the right property within weeks. In others, it may take months to find an asset that meets every criterion. Patience in acquisition typically pays dividends in outcome.

This depends entirely on market conditions and how closely available properties match your brief. We pre-screen every property before presenting it to you — we do not bring you properties that do not meet your criteria.

You can expect to formally assess a smaller number of properties than you might working independently, because our pre-screening filters significantly reduce noise.

Yes. We regularly work with investors based interstate and internationally who are looking to invest in the Brisbane market. Our process is designed to work remotely — we use video consultations, digital due diligence documentation and can represent you at inspections.

For clients unfamiliar with Brisbane, we provide extensive local market briefings as part of the engagement.

We do not believe in buying for the sake of buying. If we cannot identify a property that meets your brief at a price that makes sense, we will tell you — and we will continue searching until we do or until you choose to suspend the engagement.

Our reputation is built on the quality of our acquisitions, not the speed.

We typically charge a combination of an engagement fee (paid upon commencement) and a success fee (paid upon settlement). The specific structure depends on the nature and complexity of the engagement.

We are transparent about our fees from the outset — they are discussed and agreed before we begin work. Please contact us or book a consultation to receive a fee proposal tailored to your situation.

Our fees may be deductible depending on the structure of your investment and whether the property is held for income-producing purposes. This is a matter for your accountant to advise on based on your specific circumstances.

We recommend confirming the treatment with your accountant or tax adviser before engaging us.

Beyond the purchase price and our engagement fee, buyers should budget for:

Stamp duty — calculated on purchase price, varies by state. Legal and conveyancing fees — $2,000–$5,000+. Building and pest inspection — $500–$2,000. Lender fees if financing — establishment fees, valuation fees. Other disbursements — depending on due diligence complexity.

We provide a complete cost estimate at the commencement of every engagement.

No. We are engaged exclusively by buyers and receive no commissions or referral fees from vendors, selling agents, developers or lenders. This is fundamental to our model — the moment we receive any form of payment from another party, our independence is compromised.

Alvero Finance and Alvero Insurance are part of the Alvero Group and share common ownership with Alvero Property. If you choose to use them, any commission they receive from lenders or insurers is disclosed to you in full, as required by law. You are always free to use your own broker.