Acting on behalf of the vendor, Mr Berry’s real estate agency secured a price of $301,000 after “encouraging” the buyer to organise building and pest inspections, and seek independent opinion.

It’s among the standard advice, he says, that sellers and buyers of property advertised on eBay’s Australian site won’t receive when making one of the biggest financial deals of their lives.

A growing number of homeowners are reported to be listing their properties for sale on eBay at a cost of $49.95 in a bid to avoid paying commission to a real estate agent.

Yesterday million-dollar properties and country retreats were displayed on eBay, none of them located in Dubbo.

The new trend is not causing disquiet in local real estate ranks, according to Mr Berry and chairman of the Orana division of the NSW Real Estate Institute (REI) Rod Crowfoot.

Neither think the property section of eBay will boom, with Mr Crowfoot believing it caters to a small minority who currently choose private sales over a more professional approach.

Mr Berry, a member of the NSW REI political advisory committee, and Mr Crowfoot yesterday suggested a range of reasons why the bulk of people would continue to opt for an agent.

“People like a professional to be involved in the negotiations,” said Mr Crowfoot who questioned at what point a buyer of real estate on eBay could confidently assume he had secured a property.

The Orana chairman also suggested that a real estate agent provided vendors with “better access to more buyers”.

“Certainly there’s more scope with marketing,” he said.

Mr Berry concurred that agents used the internet and “special print media marketing” such as Dubbo Real Estate Times Domain to build interest and demand for properties to “get the best price”.

He says the industry is confident that the printed word and image, supplemented by the internet, is the public’s preferred way of buying and selling.

Mr Berry said a licensed real estate agent was bound by Government regulations that protected the rights of clients.

“Real estate agents are skilled professionals providing a quality service,” he said.