Frequently asked questions

About RealSearch

What is RealSearch?

RealSearch is an Australian property website. You can look at homes for sale, for rent and sold, read profiles of suburbs, research the address of any home, and find agents and agencies. It starts from a 3D map, and it has an AI assistant called Realbot that you can ask questions in plain English. RealSearch is run by Real Search Pty Ltd in Sydney. How RealSearch works explains the site in more detail.

Is RealSearch free to use?

Searching, the map, suburb pages, the calculators and Realbot are free to use. Property and suburb reports are paid, and each report page shows its price before you buy. Owners, landlords and agents can list a property for free. Some services for agents are paid; see for agents.

Do I need an account?

You do not need one to search or to read most pages. You do need an account to buy a report, and an account lets you save properties, post a free listing, and have Realbot remember your details between visits. To register you give your email address and confirm it from the email we send you.

Which parts of Australia does RealSearch cover?

All states and territories. How much we know varies from place to place. A suburb may not have a suburb report yet, a home may have no photos, and the 3D map only shows detail where Google has 3D imagery. When we do not know something, the page says so.

Searching and the map

How do I search for a property?

On the home page, type what you want into the search bar in plain English, for example “3 bedroom house near the Sydney CBD, budget around $900K”, or type a suburb. You can also browse by state: properties for sale, for rent and sold each take you from a state to a suburb, and each suburb has its own list of properties.

What is the 3D map, and what if it does not load?

The home page uses Google’s photorealistic 3D maps. You can tilt, turn and fly over a suburb, and select a marker to see a property. The map needs JavaScript and a browser that supports WebGL, which most up-to-date browsers do. If it does not load, try another browser or device, or use the menu to browse by state and suburb without the map.

How do I see schools, parks, shops and transport nearby?

On the map, switch on the schools, parks, shopping and transport buttons under the search bar to see them as markers. For a whole suburb, use Schools and catchments and Commute and amenities. They show scores from our suburb reports and link to the official school sites. Always check a school’s zone with the education department before you decide.

How do I find sold properties and recent sales near me?

Use Sold to browse by state and suburb, or Recent sales near me. Near me works from your location, if you allow it, or from a suburb you type, and shows properties that sold in the last 12 months. It shows sales by agents in every state and, for New South Wales, the government record of sales as well. Your location is rounded to about a kilometre and is not stored.

How do I find open inspections and auctions?

See Inspections and auctions, open inspections by state, rental inspections and upcoming auctions. Times are set by the agency and can change, so check with the agency before you go.

How do I find new homes and land?

See New homes and land, which links to new apartments, new townhouses and the other pages for new homes.

How do I save a property?

Sign in or register, open the property and select Save. You will find your saved properties again under Wishlist in the menu.

Realbot, our AI assistant

What is Realbot, and what can it do?

Realbot is the RealSearch AI assistant. Use the chat button on the page, or the search bar on the map. You can ask it to find properties, look up an address, explain a suburb, find agents in a suburb, compare recent sales, work out costs such as stamp duty, loan repayments, rental yield and selling costs, or send an enquiry to the agency that has a listing.

Can I trust what Realbot says?

Realbot can make mistakes, and it can sound sure when it is wrong. For questions about suburbs and properties it uses the data we hold first, and it may search the web for what we do not hold. Check anything important against the official source or with the agency. Its answers are general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. See How AI is used on RealSearch.

How does Realbot work out costs like stamp duty?

The sums are done by calculators in our own software and are not guessed by the AI. The answer shows the working and the assumptions. Stamp duty rules are checked for New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria at the moment, and for other states Realbot says the rules are not verified yet. Rules change, so confirm with your state’s revenue office before you rely on a figure. You can also use the calculators on Guides and calculators.

What happens to what I type into Realbot?

What you type is sent to an AI service so it can answer, so do not type bank details, passwords or anything private. If you are signed in, details you share to get better answers, such as your state, income or savings, may be saved for your next visit. We may keep questions so that we can check and improve the answers. You can ask Realbot to forget your details, or email [email protected]. The calculators on the guides and calculators pages run in your browser and do not send or keep what you type. See our Privacy Policy.

Can Realbot contact an agent for me?

Realbot can send an enquiry to the agency that has a listing. The agency and its agents then deal with you directly, and they will hold the details you gave.

Suburbs, values and research

What is a suburb profile?

A page for one suburb. It has a price guide and market trends, what it is like to live there, the nearby suburbs, and the agents and agencies that work there. Browse them by state at Suburbs. Where a suburb has a report, the page shows when it was last updated.

Where do the suburb scores come from?

A suburb with a report has scores from 0 to 10 for things like schools, safety, transport, affordability and growth potential. They come from suburb reports that were written with the help of AI, and each report has a date. The scores are a way to compare suburbs, not a measurement. Try Find a suburb and Compare suburbs. Not every suburb has a report yet.

What is a value estimate, and how accurate is it?

Research an address takes you to a page for any address on the national address file, including homes that are not for sale. Where we have one, the page shows a value estimate. It is an automated estimate. It is not a valuation, and it is not a price the owner has set. A home shown as off the market does not mean the owner wants to sell. For a decision that matters, ask a licensed valuer or an agent.

What is gross rental yield, and how do you work it out?

Gross rental yield is a year of rent as a percentage of the price. On our suburb tools it is the median weekly rent times 52, divided by the median sale price, from our suburb statistics. It is before vacancy, costs and tax, and we do not include vacancy rates, so it is a guide for comparing suburbs and not what one property will earn. Try Compare investment suburbs. On Find investment properties the yield of each property is an estimate from its suburb’s median rent. For your own numbers use the rental yield calculator and the cash flow calculator.

Why do some pages say “not known”?

We show what we do not know instead of guessing. A home that is not for sale has no asking price, a suburb with no report has no report sections, and a figure we do not hold is shown as not known.

How up to date is the information?

It depends on the part of the site. Where we have a date, such as when a suburb report was last updated, the page shows it. A listing can be sold, rented or withdrawn before we update it, and inspection and auction times can change, so check with the agency. Data sources and methodology has the details.

Where does the information come from?

Addresses come from the Geocoded National Address File (G-NAF). Listings, inspection times and auctions come from the real estate agencies that list with us. Planning applications near a property are collected from councils through the PlanningAlerts service. Suburb reports and statistics, and the other sources, are described on Data sources and methodology.

Reports

What reports can I buy?

See Property reports and insights. They include the Property Profile Report, Suburb Profile Report, Title Search Report, Comparative Market Analysis Report, Property Snapshot Report, Buyer Due Diligence Report, Off-the-Plan Progress Tracker and Nearby Construction and Change Monitor, as well as aerial map and imagery reports and the deposited plan. Each report page says what is in it and shows its price before you buy.

Which report should I buy?

To learn about a home and the market around it, start with the Property Profile Report. To check who owns a property, and whether it has a mortgage, caveat or easement on its title, order a Title Search Report. To check a property more closely before you commit, there is the Buyer Due Diligence Report. To understand a suburb’s market, the Suburb Profile Report. If you are selling, the Comparative Market Analysis Report looks at comparable sales.

How do I get my report?

You buy a report with your RealSearch account, and pay at checkout. Each report page says how and when it is delivered. A suburb profile report is sent as a link to the email address you give at checkout, and a comparative market analysis report is emailed to you when it is ready.

Is a title search report legal advice?

No. A title search shows what is registered on a property’s title, such as the owners, mortgages, caveats and easements. It does not replace advice from a solicitor or a conveyancer.

Can I get a refund?

Please read our Terms and Conditions for how payments and refunds work. If there is a problem with an order, contact us as soon as you can.

What if my report has a mistake?

Reports use the data we hold at the time, and data can be wrong or out of date. Contact us with the name of the report and what is wrong, and we will check it against the source.

Selling, renting and investing

How do I list my property for free?

Create an account, then go to List a property for free. Add the details, photos and price guide, and publish. Free listings are open to owners, landlords, investors and agents. Read the terms on that page first.

What are reward points?

People who post free listings can earn reward points, for example for a new listing that is not already on RealSearch. Points have no cash value. They can be used for benefits such as boosted visibility, tools and reports, and the rules can change. The full details are on the free listing page.

How do I find out what my property is worth?

Start with Research an address for the page and the automated estimate for your address. For a closer look, order a Comparative Market Analysis Report, or ask a few local agents. The selling guide and the selling costs calculator can help you plan.

How do I find a rental, and who manages rentals in a suburb?

Browse Rent and rental inspections. The renting guide and tenant rights by state explain the rules. For landlords, Property managers lists the agencies and agents that have rental properties in a suburb. RealSearch does not keep a register of licensed property managers, so ask an agency whether it manages rentals for owners.

Where can I get help as a first home buyer?

Start at First home buyers. Grants and concessions differ by state and change often, so that page links to the official government sources and does not quote amounts.

Does RealSearch give financial, legal or tax advice?

No. The information on RealSearch is general information. Speak to a licensed professional before you make a decision. See the data disclaimer.

Agents and agencies

How does an agent or an agency get on RealSearch?

Listings come from real estate agencies. Agents and agencies can also list a property for free. To find out about the services for agents, see For agents and Advertise with us, or contact us.

What is Realbot for agents?

Realbot is also the name of the company’s tools for real estate agencies, such as a virtual assistant that answers enquiries at any hour, Premier Agent profiles and property showcase tools. See For agents.

How do I fix a listing or my agent profile?

A listing is supplied by the agency, so correct it in your own system and it will update on RealSearch. If it does not update, or if details on an agent or agency profile are wrong, contact us.

How are agents and agencies ordered in a suburb?

The lists in a suburb show the agents and agencies with the most properties in that suburb first. See Find an agent and Find an agency.

Mistakes, privacy and getting help

How do I report a mistake on a page?

On a listing or property page, use the “Report data errors” link near the bottom. Or contact us with the address of the page and what is wrong. If you own the property, use “I own this property” or “Update info” on its page. Report incorrect information explains what happens next.

What happens to my details when I send an enquiry?

An enquiry goes to the agency named on the listing. The agency then deals with you directly and holds your details, so read its own privacy information. See Advertising and referral disclosure.

How do I see, change or delete my details?

Email [email protected] and tell us what you would like. Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect and how we use it.

Is RealSearch accessible?

The newer parts of the site were built to work with a keyboard and a screen reader, and some older parts have not been checked yet. The 3D map is visual and may not work well with a screen reader. Accessibility says what we have done and how to tell us about a problem.

Where can I get step-by-step help?

The Help centre has instructions for searching the map, using Realbot, saving properties, buying reports, listing a property for free and fixing common problems.

How do I contact RealSearch?

Use the form on the contact page, or email [email protected]. Our office is at Suite 904, 84 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000.