Cohen Handler Perth: $150 million in five years and the buyers agent team redefining property in WA
Five years in Perth. $150 million later. This is what buyer representation looks like when it works.
When Cohen Handler opened its Perth office in 2021, buyer advocacy was still a relatively unfamiliar idea in Western Australia. Most buyers navigated the market on their own — relying on price guides that didn’t always reflect reality, competing without information, and negotiating without anyone in their corner.
Five years on, the numbers tell a different story.
Cohen Handler Perth has now helped Western Australian buyers transact more than $150 million in property. Purchases spanning every price point, from first-home buyers securing properties under $700,000 to multi-million-dollar family homes in the western suburbs. Transactions across Cottesloe, Trigg, Hillarys, Melville, South Perth, Maylands, East Victoria Park and well beyond.
The number that actually matters: 7.1%
Milestones are easy to announce. The figure worth paying attention to is this: Cohen Handler Perth clients have saved an average of 7.1% off the maximum amount they were prepared to spend on their property.
On a $750,000 purchase, that is $53,250 returned to the buyer. On a $3,000,000 home, it is $213,000.
That gap between what a buyer was willing to pay and what they actually paid is not accidental. It is the direct result of knowing a property’s real value before walking into a negotiation, having established relationships with the selling agents on the other side of the table, and knowing when to push and when to hold.
This is what independent buyer representation is designed to do. And in Perth’s current market, where competition for quality stock is intense and the gap between price guide and hammer price can be significant, that expertise is worth considerably more than it costs.
A team built for what Perth buyers actually need
The $150 million milestone arrives as Cohen Handler Perth adds two of the most credentialed names in Western Australian real estate to the team.
Justin Dixon chairs the REIWA Buyer’s Agents Chapter. He previously chaired REIWA’s Sales Committee and brings more than three decades of industry experience spanning the UK, Canada and Australia. He came to Cohen Handler with a clear mandate.
“Six months ago I said my focus was on levelling the playing field for Perth buyers. What the last half-year has shown is that the appetite for proper buyer representation in WA is greater than anyone realised.”
Emma Oliver is a two-time winner of the REIWA Awards for Excellence. Her background spans a decade in sales, combined with qualifications as an architect, real estate teacher and auctioneer. That combination gives her a perspective on property that goes well beyond matching a brief to a listing.
“Perth buyers want more than a property matched to a brief. They want someone who understands the streetscape, the design potential, the timing, and the agents on the other side of the table.”
Together, Dixon and Oliver represent the kind of local depth that makes the difference in a market where relationships, timing and on-the-ground knowledge determine outcomes.
Perth buyers deserve the same standard
Cohen Handler founder and CEO Simon Cohen has been direct about what drives the Perth operation’s growth.
“Five years ago we bet that Perth buyers deserved the same quality of representation as buyers in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. One hundred and fifty million dollars of client transactions later, that bet has paid off. Not for us, but for every one of those clients who got the right property, at the right price, with an A-Team on their side.”
That framing matters. Buyer advocacy in Sydney and Melbourne is established. Most serious buyers in those markets understand the value of independent representation before they start their search. Perth has been catching up — and quickly. The demand that Justin Dixon references is real, and it is being driven by buyers who have done the maths.
“We aren’t just growing in Perth,” Cohen said. “We’re setting the standard for what buyer representation should look like in this state.”
What Perth buyers are getting access to
Cohen Handler Perth is not a prestige-only service. The $150 million portfolio spans:
First-home buyers purchasing under $700,000 in high-growth outer suburbs. Upsizers competing for quality stock in established western suburbs corridors. Investors identifying high-growth opportunities across Perth and regional WA. Multi-million-dollar prestige transactions in Perth’s most sought-after addresses.
For buyers at every level, the value is the same: someone who has done the research before you arrive, who knows the market, who has access to properties before they hit the portals, and who negotiates with your ceiling, not a vendor’s floor as the reference point.
If you are buying property in Perth, whether your first purchase or your fifth, the Cohen Handler Perth team is worth speaking to before you start your search.
Talk to the Cohen Handler Perth team →
FAQ
A Perth buyers agent works exclusively for the purchaser throughout the entire property buying process. That includes researching suitable properties, accessing off-market opportunities before they are publicly listed, conducting due diligence on value and building condition, and negotiating the purchase price on the buyer’s behalf. Unlike a selling agent who is legally obligated to achieve the best outcome for the vendor, a buyers agent has no interest in the sale price going higher. Their only measure of success is securing the right property at the best possible price for their client.
Cohen Handler Perth clients have saved an average of 7.1% off the maximum amount they were prepared to spend on a property. On a $750,000 purchase that equates to $53,250. On a $3,000,000 property it equates to $213,000. These savings come from accurate property valuation before negotiation begins, established relationships with selling agents across Perth, and experienced negotiation at the point of purchase.
Cohen Handler Perth operates across the full metropolitan area and into high-growth regional WA. Recent transactions include properties in Cottesloe, Trigg, Hillarys, Melville, Kingsley, East Victoria Park, Maylands, South Perth, Innaloo, Hamilton Hill and East Perth. The team works across every price point, from first-home buyers under $700,000 to multi-million-dollar prestige purchases in Perth’s western suburbs.
Yes. Perth’s property market has become increasingly competitive, with strong demand pushing up prices and quality listings often selling before they are publicly advertised. A buyers agent gives Perth buyers access to off-market properties, accurate independent valuations, and professional negotiation — all of which directly affect what you pay. Cohen Handler Perth’s transaction history shows clients consistently purchasing below their maximum spend, with an average saving of 7.1% off their ceiling price.
The Cohen Handler Perth team includes Justin Dixon, who chairs the REIWA Buyer’s Agents Chapter and brings more than three decades of property experience spanning the UK, Canada and Australia, and Emma Oliver, a two-time REIWA Awards for Excellence winner with a background spanning sales, architecture, real estate teaching and auctioneering. Together they bring some of the deepest local knowledge and most recognised credentials in Western Australian real estate.