Buyer’s agents are creating madness in Geelong’s hottest suburbs – realestate.com.au

Home sellers could easily celebrate 2025 as the year of the buyer’s agent, according to data revealing Geelong’s most popular suburbs.

The professional homebuyers who are rushing into Geelong’s suburbs to connect properties with interstate investors have played a major role in rising prices since the market turned earlier this year.

Local real estate agents say they get calls, texts and emails every day from buyer’s agents looking to get an edge on properties before they hit the market or, if necessary, buy through negotiations or at auction.

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Some local agents are suggesting that things are getting a bit out of hand, reporting that some are making exaggerated offers to get quick deals for out-of-town customers.

It may be a great outcome for the sellers, but not for people who buy into the hype that buying at the bottom of the market is a clear way to get better returns from real estate in regional Victoria.

Some of the fees reportedly charged pale in comparison to what real estate agents would expect to earn in commission for the sale of a house in Norlane, for example, with upfront fees quoted as high as $24,000 to reportedly more than $40,000.

Consumer Affairs Victoria will not confirm whether it is investigating complaints made about potentially illegal buyer’s agents operating in Geelong, but warns they have the same legal obligations to their clients as real estate agents.

The house at 5 Donax Rd, Corio, is for sale with a price estimate of $600,000 to $660,000.

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“Anyone acting on behalf of buyers as a buyer’s agent or solicitor to negotiate the purchase of a property must hold a real estate agent’s license or be employed by a licensed real estate agent as a real estate agent’s representative,” a spokesperson for Consumer Affairs Victoria said.

“We take reports of bad behavior from brokers very seriously and will investigate and take action where necessary.”

National property valuation company Herron Todd White recently upgraded Geelong from ‘bottom of market’ to ‘beginning of recovery’ on its national property clock, joining cities such as Melbourne and Hobart that are starting to rise again.

Herron Todd White’s Perron King said Geelong had entered a correction and stabilization phase following the post-pandemic boom.

Herron Todd White’s national real estate clock for December 2025.

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“The most affordable suburbs in the Geelong metropolitan area have recently shown signs of recovery, indicating the market is bottoming out and attracting buyers and investors constrained by high interest rates while seeking strong rental yields,” King said.

He said the biggest surprise of the past 12 months was the recovery of the lowest-priced suburbs and the unit market, which started to rise faster than many had predicted.

This is evident from the region’s most in-demand suburbs, according to realestate.com.au.

The data shows that Whittington, where according to PropTrack the median home price of $570,000 has risen almost 12 percent in a year, is the unlikely most in-demand suburb, ahead of Norlane, Corio, Newcomb and Belmont.

GEELONG’S MOST DEMANDED SUBURBS

Source: realestate.com.au, PropTrack

REA Group senior economist Anne Flaherty said Australia’s most in-demand suburbs were overwhelmingly in more affordable pockets.

“This highlights the fact that more and more buyers have priced out a growing number of established suburbs in the inner and middle rings,” she said.

Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) president Melinda Jennison said high demand and lack of supply could make things tougher, creating FOMO (fear of missing out) as buyers fear that if they don’t act quickly, prices will only rise further in a few months.

“The problem with that (FOMO) is that it can lead to buyers making irrational decisions that put them at financial risk,” she said.

Consumer Affairs Victoria advises that before signing a contract with a buyer’s agent, potential buyers should ensure that it clearly states whether the agent expects to be paid on a commission basis or on a fixed fee basis.

For more information about to sell a property or for advice or to get a complete picture of an estate agent, consumers can contact us on 1300 55 81 81 or at consumer.vic.gov.au/contact-us

with Samantha Healy