WA Real Estate at a Crossroads: Why 2026 Will Reward Agents Who Think Differently

Barry Pound, Principal – BEAGL Buyers Agency (Perth) 35 years in the real estate industry.

Western Australia’s property market is no longer just “hot” — it is structurally different.

With fewer than 2,800 properties available for sale, compared to the 14,000 listings that define a balanced market, we are now operating in an environment where one in five transactions are happening off-market or pre-market. This is not a trend. It is a shift.

And yet, many agents are still operating as if the old rules apply.

The Real Problem Sellers Are Facing

After 35 years in this industry, I can confidently say that sellers have always had one core fear — but it has never been louder than it is today:

“If I sell… where do I go?”

In a market starved of stock, listing agents are increasingly struggling to answer that question. But there is a solution hiding in plain sight — one that forward-thinking agents are already embracing.

Why Buyers Agents Are No Longer the ‘Other Side’

At BEAGL Buyers Agency, we’ve quietly grown over the last three years by working with listing agents, not against them.

When a listing agent introduces a buyers agent before a property hits the market, three powerful things happen:

1. Sellers gain confidence knowing there is a pathway forward

2. Agents solve the seller’s biggest objection upfront

3. Transactions occur faster, cleaner, and often off-market

This isn’t a threat to traditional agency — it’s an evolution of it.

In the United States, buyer representation already accounts for 50% of the agent ecosystem. Australia has lagged behind, but make no mistake — we are heading in the same direction.

The Next Disruption Is Bigger Than Most Realise

While agents are fighting over listings, a far bigger change is quietly approaching.

Google is now testing direct property listings within search results, bypassing traditional real estate portals entirely. If this model rolls out in Australia, it could dismantle the high-cost, high-control portal system almost overnight.

Australia is unique globally in allowing a single portal to dominate listing distribution and pricing — and the ACCC is now investigating that dominance.

If Google opens the door to cheaper, faster, direct listings, the question won’t be if the market changes — but who is ready when it does.

The Opportunity for Agents in 2026

The agents who thrive in the next phase of real estate will:

• Build direct relationships with buyers and sellers

• Reduce reliance on expensive third-party portals

• Collaborate with buyers agents rather than resist them

• Use smarter content and marketing tools to stay visible and relevant

• Provide off market and pre market listings to buyers agents they can trust  .

A Challenge to the Industry

Real estate has always rewarded those willing to adapt.

In 2026, success won’t belong to the loudest agent, the biggest advertiser, or the one clinging to old models. It will belong to those who understand that scarcity changes behaviour, collaboration creates opportunity, and control of your own audience is everything.