Buying in Brisbane from Overseas

Making the invisible visible

There is a lot you cannot see in an online listing or a polished marketing video. We act as your local eyes and ears, reporting candidly and checking the things a camera does not show, so you can decide from anywhere in the world.

Video inspections

Detailed walkthroughs that cover what the photos leave out: the street, the neighbours, the noise and the light at the wrong time of day.

Full due diligence and coordination

We manage independent building and pest inspections, work directly with your conveyancer and coordinate with lenders who handle expat and non-resident finance.

Time zones

We structure communication around your time zone where we can, and set fixed update windows when the offset is large.

The rules that depend on your residency

Four things catch overseas buyers out, and which of them apply depends on who you are. Australian citizens living abroad do not need Foreign Investment Review Board approval and do not pay Queensland’s additional foreign acquirer duty, but lending from overseas is tighter and contracts still have to be verified and signed from where you are. Non-citizens and most temporary visa holders need FIRB approval before they contract, pay the additional foreign acquirer duty on top of transfer duty, and face lower lending limits. We settle which set applies to you on the discovery call, before the search starts, not after you have found the home.

Our approach

Honest reporting from someone strictly in your corner. If a property is not worth the long-haul flight or the money, we tell you plainly. Our job is to protect your capital and make sure the home you secure from afar matches what you expected the morning you turn the key.

What it costs

A percentage of the purchase price, quoted in writing before you engage us and locked in from then on. The discovery call and every step after it work over video, and the fee structure is the same as for a buyer down the road. Detail on the full service page.