Well put Paul- your brand names matches the logic
Agree with others that it's not just about hard work, it's also largely about networking/contact on an ongoing basis. The power of this can't be underestimated, as well as the relationships built up over the years with selling agents. For example, this past month has seen our buyers agency secure two off-market properties for clients... though tougher in a hot market we still sourced, assessed and negotiated for a very satisfactory price.
Whilst the other purchases have been advertised, as is the norm with most vendors wanting the maximum exposure for their properties, this doesn't lessen the satisfaction of achieving solid outcomes for our buyers here either. We've either not shortlisted in the first place, lost out to other buyers (who were willing to pay more than our fair value appraisal) or passed on properties that subsequently revealed compromising issues.
Remember that using a BA is as much about passing on the lemons as it is about finding the pearls- as Paul points out. Then being able to act quickly and critically to efficiently secure the property in a timely manner is all important to the end result.
With property purchasing, it's not about missing the boat and lamenting what could have been. If you're sitting on your backside and doing minimal work waiting for the ship to come in, you're simply getting the dregs of those who are swimming out to the ship instead