Who pays for the marketing when you sell a house?

What the spend buys

A marketing budget is a list of items, not a single number. It typically covers photography, floor plans, the listing on the property websites, a sign, print or brochures, and any paid promotion of the listing on those sites or on social media.

Ask for it itemised. An itemised schedule tells you what each part costs, which parts are genuinely optional, and what you would be giving up by removing one. A single lump figure with no breakdown is hard to compare with anything and hard to trim sensibly.

The right level of spend depends on the property and the method of sale. A campaign with a fixed end date, such as an auction or a deadline, concentrates buyers into a short window and normally needs a heavier spend to fill it. A listing at a price that sits on the market for longer spends differently.

Agreeing it before anything is booked

The marketing spend is a term to agree in writing before a dollar is spent. That means the total, the items, and whether you pay it up front, on invoice through the campaign, or have it deducted from the proceeds at settlement.

Settle that timing question deliberately, because it decides what an unsold campaign costs you and when. Marketing is used during the campaign, so it is normally payable whether or not a buyer is found. If you want a cap, a staged spend, or approval required before any additional item is booked, say so before you sign and have it written in.

Section 126 of the Real Estate Agents Act 2008 says an agency has no entitlement to commission or expenses unless there is a written agency agreement signed by you and the agent. Expenses are named in that section, which is why the marketing schedule belongs in writing alongside the fee.

How we handle it

Kingdom Realty agrees the campaign plan and the marketing spend in writing with you before anything is booked, and agrees any addition the same way.

What sits outside the marketing schedule

Repairs, cleaning and staging are separate again. Those are supplier costs for your property, and they are quoted by the supplier rather than bundled into the marketing schedule.

So are the costs that have nothing to do with the campaign, such as your lawyer. Ask for each of those as its own quote, so the marketing schedule stays a list of campaign items and you can see what every part of the sale is costing you.