We pushed past the throng of rabid would-be-buyers, rushing to get to the front of the packed lawn.
‘This is ridiculous,’ Beth hissed from somewhere near my elbow.
‘It’s perfect!’ I called back to her. ‘Remember that it’s perfect!’
‘The last three houses have been perfect,’ she said, rolling her eyes. ‘This isn’t worth it!’
I squeezed her hand supportively, then leveraged her as a battering ram to get further forward in the crowd.
‘We just have to be closer,’ I said through gritted teeth.
‘Be both know that doesn’t matter,’ she said, glumly. ‘We should just go home. Or bite the bullet and find a buyer’s advocate to help find properties around Melbourne.’
I pulled to a stop, looking back at her with a frown.
‘A what?’
‘A buyer’s advocate,’ she repeated with a sigh. ‘You’ve never heard of a buyer’s advocate?’
‘No?’ I frowned. ‘Should I have?’
‘Probably,’ she said. ‘It’s how your brother bought his house.’
‘Seriously?’ my eyes widened. ‘How do you know?’
‘Because I talk to Jessica,’ she rolled her eyes again. ‘You don’t talk to Brian?’
‘You know I don’t talk to Brian,’ I said, waving her point aside. ‘We’ll talk about my family’s crippling inability to communicate later – how did they buy their house?’
Beth grunted as a heavyset woman with a huge purse tried to lodge herself in her ribcage. She gestured for us to head to the right, out of the crowd, and I reluctantly followed her.
‘Oh, thank god,’ she sighed. ‘I can finally breathe.’
I cleared my throat pointedly as she rolled her shoulders.
‘They used a buyer’s advocate to help buy a house near Malvern,’ she said. ‘It’s basically just somebody who’s professionally good at buying houses. They have all the tips and tricks that you need.’
‘Why am I only finding out about this now?’ I asked, shocked.
‘I thought we weren’t talking about your crippling inability to communicate with your brother,’ she said sarcastically.
‘We’re not,’ I reiterated. ‘Although… I may have to call him. It’s been too long…’
‘You just want the name of his advocate, don’t you?’
‘Good point,’ I nodded. ‘I’ll ask about that too.’