Now operating as a buyer’s agent across South East Queensland, from the Gold Coast to as far north as Mackay, Stacey has built a growing business based on relationships, not transactions.
“I’ve always had a love of property and I’m that sad person that sits there every night looking at Domain, looking at realestate.com,” Stacey said.
“I just love seeing how people live. I love seeing what people do with their houses, what’s on trend, what’s off trend.”
From Corporate Success to Property Passion
Stacey’s background in marketing took her around the world, but it was her hands-on experience with property that truly ignited her passion. She taught herself to render walls, lay tiles, and even build decks, all while successfully flipping properties in both the UK and Australia.
One notable success saw her and her husband purchase a home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches for $900,000 and sell it for just under $4 million five or six years later.
“I love the buy process and I love the sales process. I just have this thing about property,” she said.
Despite her success in marketing, Stacey felt unfulfilled at the top of her career and decided to make a change.
“I took a decision about three years ago that I’ve had enough of marketing because it just wasn’t fulfilling enough,” she said.
A Different Approach to Real Estate
While her husband suggested she become a selling agent, Stacey knew that wasn’t the right fit for her personality.
“I couldn’t sell people’s houses. It’s just not who I am. I’m too honest,” she said.
“I would end up saying that your house isn’t worth that. I’m not taking it on, so I’d never have a good business.”
Instead, a poor experience with a buyer’s agent when relocating from Sydney five years ago showed her a gap in the market.
“It made me realise there’s got to be more support for people coming up against selling agents,” Stacey said.
“First home buyers don’t know what they don’t know. They’re really like a lamb to the slaughter.”
Building a Relationship-Driven Business
What sets Stacey apart from other buyer’s agents is her fee structure and approach. Rather than charging the typical 2-3.5% of the purchase price that many buyer’s agents charge, she operates on a flat fee basis.
“I’m not doing it because I’m going to get all this money out of it. I’m doing it because I just love helping people,” she said.
“When I see that smile on their face and they’re like, ‘oh my god, we’ve been searching for six months and you nailed it. You’ve got exactly what we wanted. You’ve got it under the budget,’ everything aligned – that’s the right feeling for me.”
Stacey maintains close relationships with her clients, creating individual WhatsApp groups for each one and often responding to messages late into the evening. She stays in touch long after settlement, checking in on property values and even popping in for cups of tea.
“Some of them have called me their property godmother, which is really funny,” she said.
“They’re like, ‘I’m so used to talking to you. Where are you?'”
Working Smarter, Not Harder
Stacey’s approach focuses on finding off-market properties rather than competing at crowded open houses.
“I don’t tend to buy what’s on the market. I tend to look at what’s around the market and find that property for the client because that then stops the multiple offers,” she said.
Her strong relationships with selling agents mean she often hears about properties before they hit the market, giving her clients a significant advantage.
“I get the agents messaging me saying, ‘hey, I’ve just signed this particular property just to keep you in the loop if you’ve got a client,'” she said.
“That’s happening before it’s even hitting the market.”
This approach has proven highly effective – Stacey typically secures properties for her clients within a month, compared to the five or six months many buyers spend searching on their own.
Growing for the Future
Currently working with about six clients per month, Stacey is planning to expand her business by bringing on additional buyer’s agents.
“I’m buying at the moment out into Toowoomba and Ipswich and up in Hervey Bay and down on the Gold Coast,” she said.
“You want to get them raw and new and you can show them how we do things and how I do things in the Buy It For You way.”
Stacey works with everyone from first home buyers to downsizers, investors, and interstate relocators, though she’s selective about taking on clients.
“I won’t just take it on for the sake of taking it on. I will take it on if I truly believe that we can do something with that number,” she said.
To support her growing business, Stacey has teamed up with buyersagents.com.au, a partnership that has helped her generate more leads and connect with clients across her extensive service area.
Stacey believes the buyer’s agent industry is at a turning point, with approximately 30% of buyers now seeking professional assistance.
“There’s still a lack of education around the benefit that a buyer’s agent can bring to a buyer,” she said.
“I hope that it gets to a point where everyone that needs to buy a house, it’s just part of the sales process.”
Buyersagents.com.au is proud to support the professional growth of buyer agent Stacey Mitchell via a platform to connect them with more buyers. Discover more at Buyersagents.com.au.
