4 Key Reasons Why Finding the Right Property Takes Time

Have you ever worked with a buyer’s agent and still found it took months to secure a property?

If yes, you are not alone. We often hear, “There are so many listings online. Why is it taking this long to buy one?”

It’s a lot more common than you think. From the outside, it looks like there are plenty of options, but from an investment point of view, genuine quality assets are far fewer than they appear.

A good buyer’s agency does not have “ready-made” properties on the shelf because most listings you see online do not pass the filters needed to be a good investment. At InvestorKit, we are no exception. We are selective about both the regions we buy in and the properties we offer to our clients.

Here are four key reasons why finding the right property takes time.

Reason 1: We only buy established houses

The high-volume listings you see online could be new builds, house-and-land packages, or townhouse projects. At first glance, the buying pool looks large, but InvestoKit avoids buying this stock.

This is because newly built homes often deliver weaker long-term capital growth compared to established houses. New build heavy suburbs and large masterplanned estates can have stages of new supply for many years. That constant stream of stock can limit scarcity and make it harder for prices to grow if demand slows. By contrast, established houses are usually more limited in number. That scarcity is one of the key ingredients for long-term capital growth.

New builds also often come with a premium because you are paying for the building rather than for the land. But the building is what depreciates over time. 

We wrote a blog explaining why “New Properties Do More Harm than Good to Your Investing Goals”. Check it out for further insight.

Once we filter out all new builds, house-and-land packages, and high-supply estates, the number of suitable properties drops sharply. What looks like hundreds of possibilities can quickly shrink to a much smaller set of assets that meet our standards.

Reason 2: Most listings are eliminated by due diligence

Even among established houses in the right suburbs, only a small fraction survives our checks. We use a structured 20-point due diligence checklist to filter for quality properties. We exclude those in flood or bushfire zones, near train stations or bus stops, on busy roads or highways, or directly facing schools, among other common detractors.

If a property fails on any of these criteria, we rule it out. In a single week, we review hundreds of listings, but after due diligence, only 5% to 7% move forward to the next step. This is why we do not keep a catalogue of pre-approved properties ready to go. 

To get the full 20-point due diligence checklist, visit this link.  

Reason 3: We will not overpay in competitive markets

When a property passes all our filters, there is a high chance it will appeal not only to us but also to local owner-occupiers and other investors. In high-pressure markets, well-located houses with sound fundamentals can sell quickly, and the temptation to “just pay whatever it takes” can be strong.

Our job is to help you secure good properties without overpaying. Before we make an offer, we form a clear view of value based on multiple recent sales, adjusted for feature differences. We also consider current momentum in the suburb and how quickly similar homes have been selling. With that work done, we set price limits and stick to them.

Sometimes this means walking away when bidding moves beyond what the evidence supports. In the short term, it can feel frustrating to miss out, especially if you liked the property. In the long run, however, paying well above fair value can hurt your returns and reduce your safety buffer. We would rather lose a deal than win it at a price that does not make sense.

Reason 4: We only buy in a small number of potentially high-performing markets

A good buyer’s agency is selective not only about properties, but also about locations. We do not buy in every city or region simply because there is activity there. Instead, we focus on markets with healthy fundamentals and real depth of demand, then narrow further to specific pockets we believe can support sustainable long-term growth.

When we assess a market, we look at factors such as employment diversity, the scale of infrastructure investment, population flows, supply and demand dynamics and rental conditions. We prefer areas with diverse and active local economies, with tight supply in both the sales and rental markets.

In practice, this means that at any one time, only a minority of the locations we monitor are active buying markets for us. For example, in quarter 4 2025, only 22 regions met our purchase criteria, and this number changes each quarter as we review our buying areas. 

Why the wait is not always a bad sign

On the surface, it can feel like the search has gone on for a long time without a result. Behind the scenes, a lot is happening: many listings are reviewed, most are ruled out for clear reasons, a few strong candidates are pursued, and others are walked away from when the price no longer makes sense.

The wait is not because nothing is happening. It is the result of careful screening, detailed due diligence, and pricing discipline. That process can take months to secure a property, but it helps avoid costly mistakes if you end up with the wrong one.

At Investorkit, we act in our clients’ best interests. The focus is not speed for its own sake, but on finding and securing the right property that genuinely fits your goals at a price that makes sense. If you would like help buying with a clear plan and careful due diligence, book a free 15-minute Discovery call with us today to talk through your goals and next steps.