Seller’s Agent vs. Buyer’s Agent: A Difference You May Not Notice at First

When buying a property on the Croatian coast, you may come across many different real estate agents. At first glance, it may seem that they all do the same thing – offer properties, arrange viewings and assist with the purchase.

In reality, however, it is important to understand who the agent represents and which properties they are choosing from when presenting options to you.

Seller’s Agent

A seller’s agent is responsible for selling the properties listed by them or their real estate agency. They work for the property owners, so naturally they will primarily offer potential buyers properties from their own portfolio.

If you contact a Croatian real estate agency looking for a property, in most cases the agent will choose from the agency’s own portfolio – perhaps fifty or a hundred properties they have listed. This does not mean that your ideal property cannot be among them. But it is important to understand that they are not searching the entire market.

It is equally important to know that a seller’s agent primarily represents the interests of the property owner. As a buyer, you therefore cannot necessarily expect them to proactively point out every issue or circumstance that could influence your decision.

I have encountered this repeatedly in my own practice. When representing buyers, we have sometimes discovered important information about a property only after requesting additional documentation. On other occasions, an issue was identified only by the lawyer we had engaged for the client.

This is why it is so important to know who is on your side during the purchase – and who is representing the seller’s interests.

Buyer’s Agent

A buyer’s agent starts from the opposite end.

They don’t start with the property. They start with the client.

First, they need to understand what you are looking for, why you are buying the property, what your budget is and what matters most to you. Only then do they begin searching for properties that genuinely match your requirements.

They are not limited to the portfolio of a single real estate agency. They search and compare properties offered by different local agencies, developers and property owners.

But their role does not end once a suitable property has been found. They look at the property through the buyer’s eyes. They ask questions, verify information and draw your attention to issues that may be important to your decision – including things you may not even realise you should be asking about.

An experienced buyer’s agent also knows which documents to request, what needs to be checked before the purchase and when it is appropriate to involve another professional.

Their job is not to find a buyer for a particular property.

Their job is to find the right property for a particular buyer and help them purchase it safely.

Why Does It Matter?

I know of a case where a buyer believed that his agent was searching for the best property based on his requirements. He eventually bought a house that required fairly extensive renovation.

Only after the purchase did he discover that another house right next door had been for sale at exactly the same time – in better condition and without the need for such extensive renovation. His agent knew about it but did not show it to him because the sale of the first property was more advantageous to the agent in terms of commission.

The buyer later said that if he had known about the other property, he would have chosen the neighbouring house instead.

This is another reason why it is important to know not only who is showing you properties, but whose interests they are actually representing.

How I Work

The vast majority of properties I present to my clients are properties I search for on the market according to their individual requirements. I work with various local real estate agencies, developers and property owners directly, so I am not limited to the portfolio of a single agency.

I only occasionally take properties into my own portfolio. Often, these are properties belonging to clients who bought with me years ago and have now decided to sell.

For me, the most important thing at the beginning is always to understand what you are looking for – how you intend to use the property, what you expect from it and what really matters to you when making your choice.

And if, during a viewing or the subsequent checks, we discover that a property is not as good as it first appeared?

We keep looking.

Because the goal should not simply be that you have bought a property by the sea.

It should be a property you would choose again, knowing everything you know today.