Cohen Handler Perth Agents Recognised at National and State Awards as Justin Dixon Named Finalist at Inaugural Australian Buyers Agent Awards
Cohen Handler is proud to announce that Perth buyers agent Justin Dixon has been named a finalist in the Social Impact & Community Contribution Award category at the 2026 Australian Buyers Agent Awards — Australia’s first national awards program dedicated exclusively to recognising excellence in the buyers agency profession.
The announcement coincides with further recognition for the Cohen Handler Perth team: colleague Emma Oliver was recently named a finalist for the Kareena Ballard Award at REIWA Elevate Women in Elevate Conference, adding to an already exceptional record that includes two REIWA Awards for Excellence, widely regarded as the benchmark for buyers agents in the Western Australian market.
A new benchmark for the industry
The Australian Buyers Agent Awards, organised by leading industry publisher Momentum Media in partnership with Real Estate Business and Smart Property Investment, culminating in a black-tie gala ceremony on Thursday 23 April 2026 at Doltone House, Hyde Park, Sydney. The Awards were created to champion and elevate a profession that plays a critical but often under-recognised role in Australia’s property market. Spanning 26 categories across individual and agency achievements, the program recognises those setting new benchmarks in client service, professionalism, and community leadership.
The Social Impact & Community Contribution Award is one of three special recognition awards — alongside Director/Executive of the Year and Professional Referral Network of the Year — honouring buyers agents who demonstrate that the role extends well beyond the transaction.
About Justin Dixon
Justin’s recognition as a finalist reflects a consistent commitment to doing right by the communities in which his clients live and invest. For Justin, the work of a buyers agent is fundamentally about people — understanding their lives, their goals, and how property fits into both. His selection for this award is a reflection of the values he brings to every client engagement.
Being shortlisted at a national level speaks directly to the trust and confidence clients can have in working with Justin. Awards of this nature are not self-nominated in a vacuum — they require demonstrated impact, and that impact is built one client, one relationship, one transaction at a time.
Emma Oliver: the benchmark in Perth
Emma Oliver brings a profile that is genuinely rare in any market. A two-time REIWA Awards for Excellence winner and recent finalist for the Kareena Ballard Award at REIWA Elevate, Emma combines over a decade of selling-side experience with qualifications as a trained architect, practising auctioneer, and real estate educator. That combination, understanding how selling agents price and negotiate, an architect’s eye for structural integrity and hidden risk, and the composure of an experienced auctioneer, gives her clients an advantage that is difficult to replicate.
What this means for buyers in Perth
Cohen Handler has been operating in Perth for four years, during which time the team has purchased nearly $200 million worth of property on behalf of clients, a significant proportion of it off-market. That track record matters in a city where property stock levels are at historic lows and properties frequently go under offer before most buyers are aware they exist.
For anyone considering engaging a buyers agent in Perth, the recognition both Justin and Emma have received at state and national level is more than a point of pride, it is an independent signal of the standard of advice, advocacy, and professionalism Cohen Handler’s Perth clients receive. Awards of this nature are earned through demonstrated impact, assessed externally, and verified against the field.
We congratulate both Justin and Emma on their recognition, and look forward to the gala in April.
The Social Impact & Community Contribution Award is one of three special recognition awards at the 2026 Australian Buyers Agent Awards, organised by Momentum Media in partnership with Real Estate Business. It honours buyers agents who have made a meaningful positive contribution to the real estate industry and their community beyond the transaction itself. Justin Dixon was selected as one of eight finalists from more than 40 submissions nationally, recognised for his work as a REIWA Accredited Committee Chair, including helping develop a formal industry annexure in Western Australia ensuring both buyers agents and selling agents are officially acknowledged in transactions, and for developing CPD course materials aimed at raising professional standards across the industry.
Justin Dixon is a Perth buyers agent at Cohen Handler with over 30 years of real estate experience across the UK, Canada, and Australia. Having worked as an agent, broker of record, and agency owner on both sides of the transaction, Justin relocated to Western Australia and chose to work exclusively for buyers, recognising they were consistently at a disadvantage in a market built around seller advocacy. He holds dual REIWA accreditation as both a Buyer’s Agent and Committee Chair, and has been actively involved in shaping buyer protection standards in WA. At Cohen Handler, Justin helps Perth buyers access on-market, off-market, and pre-market properties, bringing three decades of market intelligence and negotiation experience to every purchase.
Cohen Handler has been operating in Perth for four years and has purchased nearly $200 million worth of property on behalf of clients, a significant proportion of it off-market, with strong client feedback across a market that has become one of Australia’s most competitive and stock-constrained. The Perth team is led by two of the most recognised buyers agents in Western Australia: Justin Dixon, a 30-year industry veteran and REIWA Accredited Committee Chair named one of eight finalists at the 2026 Australian Buyers Agent Awards from more than 40 national submissions, and Emma Oliver, a two-time winner of the REIWA Awards for Excellence, widely regarded as the benchmark for buyers agents in the Perth market. Cohen Handler works exclusively for buyers, never vendors.
Cohen Handler’s Perth team includes two of the most decorated buyers agents in Western Australia. Emma Oliver is a two-time winner of the REIWA Awards for Excellence, the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia’s most prestigious recognition for buyers agents, and the benchmark for the profession in the state. Emma’s background spans over a decade on the selling side of real estate, combined with qualifications as an architect, auctioneer, and real estate educator, credentials that inform her buying work directly. Justin Dixon has been named one of eight finalists from more than 40 national submissions in the Social Impact & Community Contribution Award at the inaugural 2026 Australian Buyers Agent Awards, organised by Momentum Media, for his work developing industry standards and buyer protections in WA.
A buyers agent, also known as a buyers advocate, is a licensed real estate professional who works exclusively for the buyer, never the vendor. Their role is to search, evaluate, negotiate, and secure a property entirely in the buyer’s interest. In Perth, where property stock levels are at historic lows and properties regularly go under offer before most buyers are aware they are available, a buyers agent provides access and speed that is difficult to replicate independently. Cohen Handler’s Perth buyers agents source on-market, off-market, and pre-market opportunities, drawing on relationships with selling agents built over decades. For buyers navigating what is typically the largest financial decision of their lives in one of Australia’s fastest-moving markets, a buyers agent levels the playing field.