How we choose the agents, conveyancers, inspectors and brokers on each list

We look first at what a business really does from one day to the next, and each list has its own question.

Real estate agents: does it sell homes for owners from an office in or near the city, even if it also manages rentals? Agencies that only manage rentals or only sell commercial property, developers and agent comparison websites are left out.

Buyers agents: does it act for purchasers alone, for a fee, searching, assessing and negotiating on their behalf? A selling agency that offers to help buyers on the side, a developer marketing its own projects and property investment seminars are left out.

Conveyancers: is it a licensed conveyancer, a Western Australian settlement agent or a law firm that handles home purchases, sales and transfers? Firms that only do family, criminal or injury work and conveyancing quote websites are left out.

Building and pest inspectors: does it inspect homes for buyers and write a building report, or a combined building and pest report? Pest control companies that inspect nothing else, builders and real estate agencies are left out. Within this list you can look for pool safety inspections and certificates, new home stage and handover inspections, strata reports, asbestos inspections or testing, and dilapidation reports.

Mortgage brokers: does it arrange home loans for its clients with banks and other lenders? Bank branches, credit unions, real estate offices and accountants with no lending work are left out. Within this list you can pick out brokers who help first home buyers, investors, people refinancing, self-employed borrowers or businesses buying commercial property.

In every list, the businesses that do that work all the time come ahead of those that offer it alongside everything else.

Vendors, buyers and borrowers write about these businesses in public, and anyone can read what they say. We weigh that feedback against the time behind it, so a few recent comments cannot outweigh a long record of sales, settlements and approved loans.

We read each business's website and official channels. We check whether an agent explains how it sets commission and marketing costs, whether a conveyancer publishes a fixed price and lists the searches and fees charged on top, whether a buyers agent says who pays it, whether an inspector names the standard its reports follow and what it cannot reach, and whether a broker says which lenders it works with and how it earns its money. A licence or credit representative number on show, the people who will handle your file and a real office address count as well.

Who sits where is decided editorially, on merit, and we look at every list again on a regular basis. Being listed cannot be bought, and nor can a change to the criteria. Once selected, a business may pay for Pro, which fills out its page, or for Top, which moves it towards the start of a list, and the label shows which of the two it has.

Agents and buyers agents: look up the licence with the regulator in your state or territory. Get an agent's commission, any GST, the marketing costs and the length of the agency agreement in writing, and ask a buyers agent whether anyone else in the deal, such as a developer or the selling agent, pays it.

Conveyancers: check the licence, or in Queensland the solicitor responsible for your file, and ask what the quote leaves out, such as searches, certificates and electronic settlement fees.

Building and pest inspectors: ask which licence or qualification the inspector has for your state, ask to see the professional indemnity insurance, and check that the report is prepared to the AS 4349 series and lists the parts of the home that could not be reached. Booking the building and pest checks together usually saves a second visit.

Mortgage brokers: search for the broker on ASIC's professional registers, ask for the credit guide, which lenders it can take your application to and how it is paid, and get any fee in writing.

Before an auction, have the contract reviewed and your finance and inspections done, because a contract signed at auction is normally binding straight away.