- The number of genuine buyers matters because competition between them is what lifts the final price.
- Buyers arrive through several layers now — portals, the agent's database, social, video and international channels — not one.
- Most campaigns reach the domestic layers well and stop there, leaving the overseas-based buyer pool untouched.
- Widening reach is usually the lever with the most slack left in it once pricing and presentation are already sorted.
Why does the number of buyers matter so much?
Because a sale price is set by competition, not by a single buyer. One keen buyer sets a ceiling you can’t see; two keen buyers competing is what pushes the result past it. Every extra genuine buyer in the running adds a little more tension to the negotiation, whether the property sells under the hammer or by private treaty.
That’s why “get more buyers” is better thinking than “find the right buyer.” You can’t know in advance which buyer will pay the most — so the job is to get the largest possible group of genuine prospects looking in the same window, and make it easy for them to compete. Across the 2026 autumn season, capital-city auction clearance rates sat in the mid-50% to mid-60% range, and the method exists precisely because visible competition lifts price (CoreLogic/Cotality, 2026). The same logic holds for private treaty: the more buyers, the stronger the result.
Where do buyers actually come from in 2026?
Not from one place. Buyer attention has split across several layers, and a strong campaign is present in all of them rather than brilliant in one.
The base is the major Australian portals — they reach the bulk of active local buyers and sit at the centre of any campaign. On top of that sit the agent’s own database of buyers already in the pipeline, audience-targeted social advertising that reaches people who aren’t actively searching yet, and short-form video that travels beyond the people who went looking. Each layer brings in buyers the one below it missed. The campaigns that pull the biggest crowd aren’t doing one thing exceptionally — they’re making sure the property shows up everywhere its likely buyers spend their time.
Which buyers do most campaigns miss?
The ones who don’t begin on Australian portals. A buyer in Shanghai is on Fang.com or scrolling WeChat, where a listing is forwarded and discussed before anyone clicks through. An expat in London or a buyer in Singapore often starts on an international site in their own language.
For a campaign that lives only on domestic channels, this group isn’t being competed for badly — it’s invisible.
It’s also not a fringe group, and it’s broader than it first looks: alongside overseas-based buyers, it includes permanent residents, recent migrants, and people already here on a pathway to residency or buying with family who are. Reaching them means distributing the listing onto the platforms and Chinese-language channels they actually use — the layer ACproperty works in through its international partner network. Casting the net this wide rarely costs much more — it’s an extension of the campaign you’re already paying for, not a separate one. The point isn’t the extra spend; it’s making sure no genuine buyer is left out.
This is usually the layer with the most slack left in it. Most sellers already have a capable agent, a sensible price and a tidy home; far fewer have a campaign that reaches the buyers searching from outside Australia.
How do you know if a campaign is reaching enough buyers?
That’s a question for your agent, who can read the buyer profile for your particular property — who’s likely to want it, at this price, in this suburb, and through which channels. As a portal we won’t second-guess that local judgement; it’s exactly what a good agent is for.
What’s worth asking, though, is a simple one: does the campaign reach every likely buyer, or only the ones who are easy to reach? A plan that covers the domestic portals and stops there isn’t a weak campaign — it’s just marketing the property to part of the market. Knowing whether that’s the right call for your home is a conversation worth having before the campaign goes live, not after.
Keep reading: this is one piece of how to sell your property for the best price. See also how to maximise your property’s exposure when selling and will marketing to overseas buyers get you a higher price?
Common questions
Does getting more buyers actually raise the price?
Indirectly, yes. More genuine buyers means more competition, and competition is what lifts the final number — an extra qualified bidder changes the negotiation even when someone else ultimately buys. The aim isn't volume for its own sake; it's enough competing interest that the result is set by the second-keenest buyer, not the only one.
What's the most overlooked way to get more buyers?
Reaching the buyers who don't start on Australian portals — overseas-based buyers, recent migrants and people on a residency pathway who search from international sites and WeChat. Most campaigns cover the domestic layers well and leave this one untouched, which is why it's often the easiest gap to close once pricing and presentation are sorted.
Do overseas buyers really look at ordinary homes, or just luxury?
Both. Lifestyle, school catchments and family connections drive a lot of overseas and migrant buyer interest well outside the luxury bracket. The relevant question isn't whether they buy in your price range — it's whether your campaign is visible to the ones who are looking right now.
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