Northern Beaches · The peninsula
Palm Beach buyers agent
Houses between the ocean and Pittwater, at the top of the peninsula. We help you buy here with evidence, not guesswork.
About the suburb
Palm Beach at a glance
Palm Beach sits at the northern tip of the peninsula, about 41 kilometres north of the city, in Northern Beaches Council, with the postcode 2108. It is the northernmost beach in Greater Sydney, and takes its name from the cabbage tree palms near Cabbage Tree Boat Harbour, shown on a map from 1832. As a buyers agent based on the Northern Beaches, we make the drive up from our Manly office often, and both directors inspect here in person.
It is mostly a suburb of houses, with few apartments, and a large majority of homes are lived in by their owners. Childless couples are the largest household group, and the most common age group is 70 to 79.
Governor Arthur Phillip explored the area in 1788 and named the headland Barrenjuee. A navigation light went up on Barrenjoey Headland in 1855, and the stone lighthouse designed by James Barnet followed in 1881. The ocean beach curves 2.3 kilometres from Barrenjoey Head to Little Head, and since 1988 it has stood in for Summer Bay in Home and Away. In 2024 Palm Beach Headland became Australia's first Urban Night Sky Place.
On the Pittwater side, Careel Bay and Paradise Beach face calm water, ferries run from the wharf to Ettalong Beach, Great Mackerel Beach, Coasters Retreat and The Basin, and seaplanes fly to Rose Bay. Bus 199 runs to Manly. The nearest public schools are Avalon Public School and Barrenjoey High School, and Maria Regina is the local Catholic primary school.
The trade-offs are worth saying plainly. Many homes sit on steep, bushy slopes, so access, building costs and bushfire planning all need checking. Waterfront and beachfront homes need their own checks for erosion, seawalls and moorings. It is a long drive from the city, and summer weekends bring crowds.
How we work
How we help you buy in Palm Beach
In a suburb of family houses that rarely come up, the work is finding the right one before it is advertised, then judging it on evidence. On average, a search with us looks like this.
Director-led, start to finish
We are an independent buyers agent on the Northern Beaches, based in Manly. You deal with Sarah and Mike directly. No juniors, no hand-offs. Over 75% of the homes we buy are secured off-market.
A fixed fee, agreed upfront
Our fee is set before we start and is not a percentage of the price, so we are never better off when you pay more.
We will tell you when to walk away
We are as proud of the houses we talk clients out of as the ones we buy. If a Palm Beach house does not stack up, you will hear it from us first.
Thinking about Palm Beach?
Tell us what you are looking for. In half an hour we can tell you honestly what Palm Beach offers, which streets and pockets to look at first, and whether a nearby suburb might suit you better.
Prefer to write? Send us your brief and we will get back to you. Not ready yet? Join our newsletter.
Nearby: Whale Beach · Avalon Beach · Northern Beaches suburbs and property market: all 42 suburbs
Questions buyers ask
Buying in Palm Beach: your questions answered
Is a buyers agent the same as a real estate agent?
No. A real estate agent is paid by the seller, and their job is to get the seller the highest price. We are paid only by you, and our job is to help you buy the right Palm Beach home at the right price, or to tell you plainly to walk away.
Can you tell us what a Palm Beach home is worth before we bid?
Yes. For every home on your shortlist we prepare a price assessment from recent comparable sales in the same street or pocket, so you bid against evidence rather than the agent's guide. It is our advice as your buyers agent, not a formal valuation, and we will tell you plainly when a guide looks out of line.
Can you find Palm Beach homes before they are advertised?
Often, yes. Over 75% of the homes we buy are secured off-market, through our relationships with selling agents across the Northern Beaches. Where good homes rarely come up, hearing about one early can make all the difference.
We are overseas or interstate. Can you buy in Palm Beach for us?
Yes. We regularly buy for expat, overseas and interstate clients, sometimes sight unseen. We inspect and film each home for you, run the checks, and negotiate or bid on your behalf. If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, get advice on the foreign investment rules first; we can point you to it.
What does it cost, and how long does it take?
A $5,500 engagement fee (including GST) and a fixed success fee, both agreed in writing before we start, so there is never a percentage tied to the price you pay. You get at least 100 hours of director time, and a search takes 6 to 8 weeks on average. The detail is on our services and fees page.
Is Palm Beach right for us, or should we look next door?
Sometimes the better answer is Whale Beach or Avalon Beach. In the first call we test your brief against Palm Beach and its neighbours and tell you honestly where it fits best.
Who you will work with
Sarah and Mike, from first call to settlement
We are based in Manly and work the whole peninsula, up to Palm Beach. You will deal with the two of us directly, never a junior.
Sarah Kaye
Founder
Sarah was a top-tier selling agent before she crossed to the buyer's side. She knows how a campaign is run, what a guide is really telling you, and where an agent has room to move.
Mike Kaye
Co-founder and director
A former Accenture global partner and Australian Army officer, and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Mike studied surveying, town planning, valuation and land law, and leads the research behind every price we put to you.