Most buyers go into a negotiation focused on one thing: the price. Tom Keenan is already three moves ahead, thinking about why the vendor is selling, what they actually need, and how to structure a deal that solves their problem. That’s not instinct. It’s a skill built over a decade on both sides of the table.

Tom spent six years as a selling agent in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs before moving to London, where he spent two years in corporate finance at an FX brokerage. He’s also the kind of person whose standing coffee order comes from The Vernon on Edgecliff Road, down the road from the office. “Probably biased,” he admits. “But it’s some of the best coffee in the East.” That mix of sharp analytical thinking and easy, trust-building warmth is exactly what makes him effective. Now back in Sydney as Senior Buyers Agent | Team Spooner at Buyers Market, he brings a combination of experience that is genuinely rare in this industry and one that has a direct effect on how he negotiates.

He knows how selling agents think – because he was one
Six years on the selling side means Tom understands exactly how selling agents create pressure, read buyers, and structure campaigns to extract the best result for their vendor. He uses that knowledge every day for his clients.
It also means deep, longstanding relationships with agents across the Eastern Suburbs, which translates into access to context, off-market opportunities, and frank conversations that simply aren’t available to buyers going it alone.

What London finance taught him about negotiation
“Working in fast-paced London finance taught me that every deal has an underlying logic. If you can understand why someone is buying or selling, the reason in most cases matters more than the price they’re asking.”

In FX markets, the best trades come from understanding why a counterparty is transacting, not just what price they’re quoting. Tom applies the same thinking to property. Before any negotiation, he works to understand the vendor’s real position: what they actually need, what flexibility exists, and how to structure a deal that solves their problem.
A recent example: a client was competing on a property where the listed price felt firm and there was genuine competition. Rather than simply going in higher, Tom spent time understanding the vendor’s situation; they were upsizing and needed certainty of settlement timing more than a higher number. His client’s offer came in under the competing bid but with a settlement date that worked precisely for the vendor. It was accepted. “Solving their problem is almost always the path to a better outcome for your client.”

What most buyers still get wrong
Most buyers negotiate against the price when they should be negotiating against the problem. A vendor who wants certainty will take a lower, clean offer over a higher conditional one. A vendor under time pressure may be more flexible than their agent’s public position suggests. None of this shows up in a listing, it requires relationships, direct conversations, and the experience to read what isn’t being said.
The second consistent mistake: not being ready to move when the right property appears. Finance not confirmed. Solicitor not briefed. No clarity on what they’d actually pay. In the Eastern Suburbs, that hesitation is expensive every time.

And if you ever need reassurance that a good agent finds a way regardless of what goes wrong, Tom once walked dog poo through most of a high-profile client’s living room mid-open home, made it worse trying to clean it up before buyers arrived, and still made the sale. That’s the version of resilience that actually matters in this industry.

Looking for expert advice on the Eastern Suburbs market? Reach out to Tom for a conversation about current conditions, opportunities, and your property plans.
P: 0447 789 861
E: tom@buyersmarketba.com.au