A local agency knows its market but is paid by the seller. What each side does well, where the gaps are, and how to combine them without paying twice.
Many buyers start the same way: search for an agency in the country they like and contact the first one that answers in their language. It works often enough, and a good local agent is worth having. But the structure of the arrangement leaves a gap that is easy to overlook. This article sets out what a local agency does well, what it is not built to do, and what an independent adviser can add. It is general information, not legal advice, and it applies to any adviser, including us.
What a local agency does well
- Knows the stock, the streets and what a realistic price looks like in that town.
- Handles viewings, keys, owner contact and the pace of local paperwork.
- Has working relationships with notaries, surveyors, banks and utilities.
Nothing here can be replaced from another country. If you buy in a town you have never visited, you need someone on the ground.
What the structure does not give you
- Whose side the agent is on. In many markets the agent is paid by the seller or the developer, see who pays the estate agent abroad.
- A comparison. An agency sells its own market. It will not tell you that the same budget buys more elsewhere, because that is not its business.
- Independent legal checks. The lawyer the agent recommends may be a good one, but the buyer should be able to choose, see the lawyer recommended by the agent.
- Verification you can run yourself. Licence rules differ widely, from compulsory registers to none, which is why we wrote a country-by-country guide to checking an agent.
- Language that you can verify. Sharing a language is not the same as being protected, see the Russian-speaking agent abroad.
What an independent adviser can add
An independent adviser works on the buyer's side of the table. In practice that means:
- Defining the goal first (living, investment, residence, rental income) and comparing countries against it, instead of starting from one market.
- Shortlisting from more than one agency or developer, so that no single seller frames the choice.
- Choosing a local lawyer for the buyer, and asking the agent the questions in writing: who pays you, how much, do you own any of these properties.
- Reading the contract and the reservation terms before money moves, see agent contracts and forms that bind you.
- Keeping the process in the buyer's language when the paperwork is in another.
D.H. Realting works in this role from Warsaw: an independent, multilingual consultant that is not tied to one country or one developer, and that introduces local lawyers, tax advisers and agents it has checked first. Being in Poland also means that, if you live in Poland or elsewhere in the EU, the adviser is in your region and your time zone. That is a practical advantage, not a guarantee of results.
No adviser is free of interest
An independent adviser is also paid by someone. Ask us, or anyone, the same questions you would put to an agent:
- Who pays you, how much and when?
- Do you receive anything from the agency, developer, lawyer or bank you recommend?
- What will you do for me, and what will you not do?
- Is this in a written agreement?
Disclosure matters more than the label "independent". If an adviser cannot answer clearly, treat that as an answer.
How to combine both
You do not have to choose. A workable order is:
- Decide the goal and the budget, and compare two or three countries.
- Shortlist properties through the adviser and one or two local agencies.
- Appoint your own local lawyer before you pay any deposit, see why a deposit before title checks is the costliest mistake.
- Use the local agent for viewings and negotiation, and the adviser and lawyer for checks.
FAQ
Will I pay twice? You pay the adviser for the adviser's work, as agreed in writing. Whether the seller's agent is also paid by the seller does not change with that. Ask for the full cost picture in advance.
Is a local agency without an adviser a mistake? Not necessarily. If you are experienced in that market, speak the language and have your own lawyer, you may not need one.