APFBA (The Association of Property Finders and Buyers Agents) is the industry body for UK and International property finders and buyers agents.

The APFBA has been set up to improve standards of professionalism, raise the profile of the industry, and establish guidelines for the professional conduct of property finders and buyers' agents.

We currently have over 80 members of the association who each display the APFBA seal on their website and marketing materials.

APFBA Members agree to represent buyers whilst adhering to a professional code of practice.

Buyers' Agents are professionals that specialise in searching, negotiating and purchasing property on behalf of buyers.

Our Role

APFBA's key roles include providing help and guidance for buyers' agents while actively campaigning to ensure the property buying public get equal professional representation to vendors during the property sale transaction.

As a respected industry body, APFBA gives buyers' agents the credibility of being part of a professional body and the opportunity to promote qualifications through its membership.

By choosing an APFBA member, buyers can be confident they are dealing with an experienced and professional property finder or buyers' agent.

Background

Buyers agents (also known as property finders, relocation agents or property search agents) act on behalf of a buyer and not the seller in the property purchase transaction.

Whilst Estate Agents represent the seller of the property and are contracted by the vendor to get the highest sale price for the property, Buyers agents act on behalf of the buyer and specialise in searching, evaluating and negotiating the best possible price on behalf of the buyer.

Buyers Agents have been operating in the UK since the mid 80s but have mainly been the preserve of the wealthy looking for million pound-plus country homes.

According to The Observer (source Wikipedia) only 1% of UK property buyers currently use buyers agents whilst in the USA around 63% of homes are bought using Buyers Agents. Regulations have long been in place in the USA to protect the buyer and eliminate the conflict of interest, which exists when one firm attempts to represent both buyer and seller in the same transaction.