Why we exist
The real estate industry hasn't changed the way it charges in forty years. Commission rates that made sense on a $140,000 sale have quietly become a $70,000 invoice on the same transaction.
We built Octave because we were tired of watching good people hand over money they didn't need to.
We are not trying to be the biggest agency in Brisbane. We are trying to be the most honest one — focused on inner-city property, aligned entirely with your outcome, and priced for what the work is actually worth.
The only inner-city agency with a solicitor and civil litigator in-house.
Meet Sarah
REIQ Licensed Real Estate Agent · $19M+ in transactions negotiated · Brisbane inner-city investor · STR operator
Sarah is the founder, principal agent and the person you will speak to from the first conversation to the last.
She has spent her career operating at the intersection of property advice and personal investment — buying, managing and selling inner-city Brisbane assets herself. That experience shapes everything about the way she works with clients.
She understands how property decisions are made: under pressure, with real capital at stake and limited room for error. When you work with Octave, you work with someone who has skin in the same game.
Sarah specialises in inner-city residential sales, buyer advocacy, asset management and negotiation. Her approach is strategic, detail-driven and founder-led — no junior handoffs, no conveyor belt.
Meet James
Solicitor & Civil Litigator
James is Octave's in-house solicitor — and the reason our legal offer is genuinely different from every other agency claiming to have "legal support."
He is a practising civil litigator with experience across property transactions, contract disputes and commercial matters. When you sell or buy through Octave, James handles your conveyancing directly — not a referral, not a third party, not a paralegal. A qualified solicitor who knows your deal inside out from day one.
For sellers, that means your Form 2, disclosure and conveyancing are managed by someone already across every detail of your transaction.
For investors, it means access to legal advice that goes beyond the sale — lease disputes, contract enforcement, due diligence red flags. The kind of support most agencies simply cannot offer.
How we work
One relationship. The full picture.
When you work with Octave you work directly with Sarah and James — a licensed agent and a practising solicitor, operating as one team. Sales strategy, negotiation, legal protection and conveyancing handled under one roof. No referrals. No handoffs. No gaps.
01
We start with the outcome, not the process
Before we discuss strategy, photography or listing dates — we establish what success looks like for you specifically. Price, timeline, tax position, next move. Most agents skip this conversation entirely. We build everything around it.
02
We tell you what others won't
If your price expectation is unrealistic, we'll say so. If the property has issues that will surface in due diligence, we'll identify them first. If the deal doesn't stack up, we'll tell you before you sign — not after. Honest advice costs us deals sometimes. We've made peace with that.
03
Legal isn't an add-on. It's built in.
James handles your conveyancing from day one — not at settlement, not when something goes wrong. From the moment you engage us your transaction has a solicitor across every detail. Form 2, disclosure, contract review, negotiation terms. The legal layer is woven into the process, not bolted on at the end.
04
You deal with us. Not a team. Not a junior. Us.
Sarah manages your sale or purchase end to end. James manages your legal. Neither of them hand you to someone else. That means faster decisions, tighter execution and full accountability at every step.
05
Inner city is our entire world
We don't work everywhere. We work in Brisbane's inner city — the CBD, Spring Hill, Fortitude Valley, New Farm, Teneriffe, Newstead, West End, South Brisbane, Kangaroo Point, Woolloongabba, Bowen Hills and East Brisbane. This focus isn't a limitation. It's the reason we know things generalist agencies simply don't.
06
Our fees are fixed because our incentives should be yours
A percentage commission creates a conflict of interest. An agent on 2.5% earns more when your sale price goes up — but also earns more when they convince you to accept an offer they've oversold. We charge a flat fee. Our only incentive is your outcome.