Domain and realestate.com.au dominate the Australian market, but they reach less than half of active Chinese buyers. Many of those buyers search on Chinese-language or bilingual platforms instead, for reasons of language, trust, and search habits. Adding a Chinese buyer platform for your relevant listings is a low-cost way to reach them.
If you are not on one of these platforms, you are not just harder to find. You are invisible.
Why don’t Chinese buyers rely on Domain and REA?
Domain and realestate.com.au are strong platforms for the broad Australian market. They are not where Chinese buyers, especially those based in China or searching in Chinese, primarily look. The reasons are structural and have nothing to do with the quality of those portals.
Juwai IQI, a large Chinese international property platform, reports that Chinese buyers of Australian property are concentrated on Chinese-language and bilingual platforms, not mainstream Australian portals. The language preferences and trust signals that drive their decisions are not replicated on platforms built for the Australian-born market.
What is the language and trust gap?
Buyers who are offshore, or simply more comfortable in Chinese, hit a practical barrier on mainstream portals. The content is overwhelmingly in English. The search assumes you already know Australian suburbs and systems. The experience is not built for someone navigating an unfamiliar market in a second language.
A home is often one of the largest purchases of a person’s life. Buyers want to read and communicate in the language they feel most confident in. A Chinese-language or bilingual platform lowers that barrier and builds trust by speaking to the buyer’s experience.
How does their search behaviour differ?
Chinese buyers are more likely to start with a specific city or school zone in mind than to browse broadly. They are more likely to make a first enquiry through a portal than to walk into an open home. They are more likely to compare properties across several cities at once. Chinese-specific platforms are built around these patterns.
Where do these buyers actually search?
The ecosystem has different segments. Pure Chinese-language portals serve buyers in mainland China who prefer to search entirely in Chinese. Bilingual platforms, like acproperty.com.au, serve buyers who are Australia-based or bilingual and want the credibility of an English-language platform that still understands Chinese buyer priorities.
WeChat groups and property-focused social media are a significant discovery channel too. Listings shared on Chinese portals often get passed into community groups on WeChat, creating a reach that mainstream portals cannot match.
What is the practical step for an agent?
If your listings are not on a Chinese-specific platform, they are invisible to a large and active part of the buyer market. Adding one to your distribution for relevant properties is a low-cost, high-reach move alongside your existing marketing. Agents who do this consistently report enquiries from buyers they would never have reached otherwise.
Common questions
Why don’t Chinese buyers rely on Domain and REA?
Those portals are strong for the broad Australian market, but the article notes they reach less than half of active Chinese buyers. The content is mainly in English and assumes familiarity with Australian suburbs and systems. For buyers searching in Chinese or from overseas, that creates a language and trust gap, so they look on Chinese-language and bilingual platforms instead.
How does Chinese buyer search behaviour differ?
They tend to start with a specific city or school zone in mind rather than browsing broadly. They are more likely to make a first enquiry through a portal than to walk into an open home. They often compare properties across several cities at once. Chinese-specific platforms are built around these patterns, which mainstream portals are not.
What is the practical step for my agency?
Add a Chinese buyer platform to your listing distribution for relevant properties. The article calls this a low-cost, high-reach addition to your existing marketing. Bilingual platforms such as acproperty.com.au suit Australia-based and bilingual buyers, while listings shared there can spread further through WeChat groups. Agents who do this report enquiries they would not have reached otherwise.
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