Homes we have secured for clients
The street and the suburb. Never the price, never the buyer.
Four recent purchases, start to finish
Across every price range. Who we were buying for, how we went about it, and what it taught us.
Amourin Street
An overseas couple buying their first home from abroad, sight unseen.
We secured it before it reached the agency's own off-market list. Register and street analysis stood in for the inspection they could not make. The pool did not comply, so fixing it became a condition for the vendor, and we set a December settlement around their return.
Buying sight unseen only works when the due diligence is better than an inspection.
Crown Road
First-home buyers. An earlier purchase of theirs had fallen over at contract, on a problem the vendor had not disclosed.
This time every document was checked. We traced the approvals history before making an offer. What was missing, we priced into the offer rather than walking away. We bought it before auction day, below the agent's guide.
A known risk, priced honestly, is not a reason to walk away; an unknown one is.
Pacific Highway
A first-home buyer working in the UK, looking for an apartment on the Upper North Shore.
She worked through more than 30 apartments with us from the other side of the world, from Hornsby to Lane Cove, on a shared board. Sarah inspected and filmed the best of them, calling out noise, stairs and light. Her rule was a low floor. The one she chose from Sarah's recording was on level four: new floors, a space that felt bigger than the plan, and a study that could become a guest room. We stayed with her through settlement, the tenancy and the insurance.
Buying from the other side of the world is not about being there. It is about having someone who will tell you what they would tell their own family.
Koala Place
An expat couple coming home after more than 15 years away, in the UK and then the US.
We took the date they were landing and worked backwards, starting the search about six weeks out. A private client portal did the early work: dozens of homes, each with its own videos and photos, narrowed with them to a shortlist we had already inspected. We also found them a short-term rental on the Beaches, so they could land and keep looking rather than start again. From there it was the shortlist plus a handful of new off-market homes. This one had been on the market since April. Rather than take the agent's guide, we valued it three ways ourselves, and they bought it below where the guide had started.
The search does not have to wait for the plane. Arrive with a shortlist, and somewhere to live, and coming home stops being daunting.
“They handled negotiations with integrity and maintained a smooth, cooperative dynamic from start to finish.”Selling agent · Google review, October 2025
Every purchase has its own story
First apartments, family homes, builders' sites and clifftop houses, across the Northern Beaches and the Upper North Shore.
Street against street
A family moving from the eastern suburbs. We compared two Mona Vale streets, sale by sale, before they committed.
Off the brief
A young couple who asked for a three-bedroom home further up the Beaches. We showed them an off-market Manly apartment they could grow into.
The deal that fell over first
An earlier Palm Beach purchase fell over. We kept going, and read this home's potential from approvals next door.
A builder's site
A builder buying a site to build on. The bank valuation became part of the negotiation.
One school catchment
A family set on one high-school catchment. About 45 homes reviewed, on and off market, and bought after the auction under the guide.
Coached through auctions
A young family we coached through earlier auctions with weekly calls. Secured four days after this one.
Called days before auction
Brief and research done in a day, and we bid on the day. After settlement we stayed on to see the strata approvals through.
Bought from overseas
A UK-based couple buying ahead of their return. Exchanged about two weeks after they engaged us.
Patience on price
Land, lake views and room to extend. We watched the asking price come down and moved when the number was right.
Reading the fine print
A family upgrading on a firm budget. Community-title by-laws and some unusual special conditions checked before exchange.
Room for everyone
A family who needed space for everyone, including a separate studio. Exchanged about 11 days after engaging us, once the auction passed in.
Back for a second site
The same builder, back for another site on the Upper North Shore.
Forty homes, then the one
A buyer who looked at more than 40 homes across five suburbs before this one.
Terms that fit
A couple moving from the south of Sydney. A three-month settlement and a deposit in two parts, built around their own sale.
Before auction day
A young family who had looked across five suburbs. Reports done and contracts signed before the auction.
Nothing too small
“As local real estate agents, we encounter buyer agents of all calibres, and Sarah Kaye & Co stands out for their exceptional professionalism, market knowledge, and dedication to their clients.”Laing + Simmons Real Estate Avalon · August 2025
Buying with a buyers agent: what people ask
Why don't you publish the price or the buyer's name?
Because the purchase belongs to our clients, not to our marketing. Many would rather their neighbours didn't know what they paid, and some contracts require that it stays private. So we show the street, the suburb, the month and a price range. That is enough to show the kind of work we do, without trading on anyone's name.
How long does it take to buy with a buyers agent?
Six to eight weeks from brief to exchange is typical. Some purchases on this page took two or three weeks, because the right home came up early and the client was ready. Others took months, because waiting was the better decision. We never rush a decision to meet a date.
Can you buy a property before it goes to auction?
Often, yes. Several homes on this page were bought before auction day. It works when the seller sees a clean offer that beats waiting for the auction, which means your finance, building report and contract review are done first. We will tell you plainly when a pre-auction offer is worth making and when it isn't.
Can I buy a home in Sydney while I live overseas?
Yes. Four purchases on this page were made for clients who were overseas when the search began, including a first home bought sight unseen. We inspect for you, film what matters, check the contract and the building, and stay with you through settlement. If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, check the foreign buyer rules first, as most established homes are currently off limits to foreign buyers.
What do you check before you exchange?
Whatever the home needs. On this page that has meant tracing council approvals for past building works, reading strata reports and by-laws, checking a pool for compliance, reviewing community-title rules and unusual special conditions, valuing a home three ways rather than relying on the guide, and comparing one street with another sale by sale. Your conveyancer handles the legal side. We make sure nothing on the property side is missed.
Do you only buy expensive homes?
No. This page runs from apartments under $2 million to homes above $5 million, and most of our purchases sit between $2 million and $5 million. The process is the same at every price, and the fee is fixed and agreed up front. Nothing is too small, and nothing is too big.
Can you help if I have already found the property?
Yes. Some clients come to us with one home in mind and an auction days away. We can appraise it, check it, and negotiate or bid for you. The Freshwater apartment on this page was one of those: we took the brief, did the research in a day and bid on the day.
How many homes do you look at before you buy one?
More than most people expect. Across our last 36 purchases we reviewed about 53 homes and inspected about 19 for every home we bought, and in our busiest three in ten searches, more than 60 and more than 25. There is no cap on either. Every one of those searches is shown on our Client success page, along with the reasons we say no.
What happens after settlement?
We don't disappear at settlement. For different clients we have helped with strata approvals for a renovation, leasing, landlord insurance and the final inspection. If you need a builder, a tradesperson or an inspector, we will introduce people we trust.
Tell us what you are looking for
Thirty minutes on Zoom with Sarah and Mike, free. Bring your brief and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.
Book a Zoom call Prefer to write first? Send us your brief · or call 1300 500 053