Northern Beaches · The mid-Beaches
Dee Why buyers agent
Apartments and houses around the beach and the lagoon. We help you choose the right building and the right home, on evidence.
About the suburb
Dee Why at a glance
Dee Why is a coastal suburb about 18 kilometres north-east of the city and the administrative centre of Northern Beaches Council. The name first appears as 'Dy Beach' in surveyor James Meehan's field book of 1815, and its meaning is still unclear. By 1840 it was written 'Deewhy', and it took its present form in the 1920s. Dee Why is a short drive up the coast from our office in Manly, and as a Northern Beaches buyers agent we know its buildings and the quieter streets behind the beach well.
Apartments far outnumber houses, and about half of homes are lived in by their owners. Childless couples are the largest household group, and the most common age group is 30 to 39.
Dee Why Beach runs about 1.2 kilometres, with Norfolk Island pines and ocean pools at its southern end. Dee Why Lagoon, behind the dunes, has been a wildlife refuge since 1973. Stony Range Botanic Garden grew from a former quarry in 1957, and the Dee Why Surfing Fraternity, founded in 1961, is described as Australia's oldest surfboard riders club.
Buses run mainly along Pittwater Road, and the B-Line to Mona Vale stops at Howard Avenue. There are four main shopping centres, among them Dee Why Grand and Dee Why Village Plaza. Schools include Dee Why Public School, St Kevin's Catholic Primary School and St Luke's Grammar School on Headland Road.
The trade-offs are worth saying plainly. In a suburb of apartments, the building is the decision: strata records, levies, defects and what the owners' corporation has planned all need checking before you bid. Pittwater Road is busy, and noise and traffic change a lot from street to street. For houses, the street and the block matter more than any suburb-wide figure.
How we work
How we help you buy in Dee Why
In a suburb of apartments, the work is choosing the right building as much as the right home, then judging it on evidence. On average, a search with us looks like this.
Director-led, start to finish
We are independent Northern Beaches buyers agents, 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 Dee Why apartment or house does not stack up, you will hear it from us first.
Thinking about Dee Why?
Tell us what you are looking for. In half an hour we can tell you honestly what Dee Why offers, which buildings and streets 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: North Curl Curl · Narraweena · Collaroy · Northern Beaches suburbs and property market: all 42 suburbs
Questions buyers ask
Buying in Dee Why: 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 Dee Why home at the right price, or to tell you plainly to walk away.
Can you tell us what a Dee Why 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 building, 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 Dee Why 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 Dee Why 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 Dee Why right for us, or should we look next door?
Sometimes the better answer is North Curl Curl, Narraweena or Collaroy. In the first call we test your brief against Dee Why 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 right across the Northern Beaches, from the harbour 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.