Northern Beaches · Manly and the harbour end
Fairlight buyers agent
Apartments and houses on the slopes between Manly and Balgowlah, a short walk from the harbour. We help you buy here with evidence.
About the suburb
Fairlight at a glance
Fairlight sits between Manly and Balgowlah on both sides of Sydney Road, about 13 kilometres north-east of the city, in Northern Beaches Council. It is named after Fairlight House, built by Henry Gilbert Smith on land he bought in 1853, which took its name from a village near Hastings in England. Fairlight runs right up to Manly, where our office is, so as a buyers agent based on the Northern Beaches this is a suburb we are in most weeks.
Apartments clearly outnumber houses, and most homes are lived in by their owners. Couples with children are the largest household group, and the most common age group is 30 to 39.
At first the name covered only the area near the beach. The hilltop was called Red Hill, after the red gravel surface of Sydney Road before the Second World War. Fairlight Beach, on the harbour, has a small tidal pool and shell-grit sand, and is popular for swimming, snorkelling and watching yacht races.
Fairlight Beach sits on the Manly Scenic Walkway, which runs for several kilometres to the Spit Bridge. Cafes and shops line Sydney Road, and Manly Golf Club and Fairlight Cemetery on Griffiths Street are local landmarks. Manly's ferry wharf and town centre are a short walk or bus ride away.
The trade-offs are worth saying plainly. Much of Fairlight slopes towards the harbour, so steep streets, stairs and parking shape daily life more than the map suggests. Apartment buildings vary widely in age and quality, so strata records, levies and defects come first. For houses, the street, the slope and the block matter more than any suburb-wide figure.
How we work
How we help you buy in Fairlight
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 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 Fairlight apartment or house does not stack up, you will hear it from us first.
Thinking about Fairlight?
Tell us what you are looking for. In half an hour we can tell you honestly what Fairlight 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: Manly · Balgowlah · Balgowlah Heights · Northern Beaches suburbs and property market: all 42 suburbs
Questions buyers ask
Buying in Fairlight: 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 Fairlight home at the right price, or to tell you plainly to walk away.
Can you tell us what a Fairlight 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 Fairlight 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 Fairlight 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 Fairlight right for us, or should we look next door?
Sometimes the better answer is Manly, Balgowlah or Balgowlah Heights. In the first call we test your brief against Fairlight and its neighbours and tell you honestly where it fits best.
Who you will work with
Sarah and Mike, from first call to settlement
Our office is on North Fort Road in Manly, a few minutes from Fairlight. 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.