Should staging be included in the commission?

There's no universal standard — which is exactly why it must be itemized. Some agents include full staging in their fee, some include consultation only, some pass the entire cost to you. All three can be fair deals at the right rate; none is comparable until priced. Staging routinely runs into the thousands for a whole home, so 'is staging included, and to what scope' belongs in every interview — it's often the single biggest swing in the true cost comparison between proposals.

Do I really need video and 3D tours?

Professional photography is non-negotiable everywhere — it's the first showing. Video, 3D tours, and floor plans earn their cost where the buyer pool is remote or the property's flow is a selling point: relocation-heavy markets, second-home markets, luxury, and unusual layouts. For a standard local-buyer home, a competent agent may reasonably prioritize other spend. The test is whether the agent can explain WHY each element is or isn't in the plan for your specific property.

What does 'pre-market strategy' mean and does it matter?

The work before the public launch: prep sequencing, comps-based pricing strategy, agent-network exposure, and sometimes a deliberate coming-soon period. Handled well it builds launch-week demand, which is when leverage peaks. Handled lazily, 'pre-market' can mean quietly shopping your listing to the agent's own buyers — ask directly how they use it and who it serves.

How do I compare two very different plans?

Normalize them: put every component of each plan in one table with its scope and who pays, price the gaps, and read the plan next to the fee rather than separately. A 'cheaper' agent with a thinner plan may cost more after you fund the gaps yourself. This is half of what the flat-fee Evaluation Report does with the proposals you're holding.

Guide

What should a listing agent's marketing plan actually include?

By Jens Hansen · August 27, 2026

Quick answer: A real marketing plan is specific enough to be checked later: preparation and staging scope (what, who pays, how many rooms), professional photography as a floor plus video/floor plans where they earn their keep, a pricing-and-launch strategy with dates, the syndication and advertising plan with actual budget, a pre-market/network component, open-house and showing cadence, and a written communication schedule with reporting. If a proposal can't tell you what happens in week one versus week three, or what the advertising budget is in dollars, you're being sold vibes with a sign in the yard.

Every listing presentation ends with “and we’ll market it aggressively.” The word doing the work in that sentence is aggressively, and it means nothing. Marketing plans differ enormously between agents — in spend, scope, and skill — and the difference is measurable before you sign, if you make the plan get specific.

The components a real plan specifies

Preparation and staging: what the agent recommends for your specific home, who coordinates it, who pays, and the scope (consultation? key rooms? whole home?). Media: professional photography always; video, floor plans, and 3D where the buyer pool justifies them. Pricing and launch: the proposed price with defending comps, the launch sequence with dates, and how they build week-one demand. Distribution: MLS and syndication are table stakes — the differentiators are paid digital advertising (in dollars, not adjectives), the agent’s own database and network reach, and any pre-market exposure strategy. In-person: open-house and broker-tour cadence, showing management. Accountability: a written communication schedule — what you’ll hear, when, with what data — and the agreed process for price-adjustment decisions if the market answers slowly.

How plans go wrong

The failure mode is vagueness, and it’s usually deliberate: an unspecified plan can’t be underdelivered against. “Comprehensive digital campaign” with no budget, “staging assistance” with no scope, “constant communication” with no cadence. The fix costs one sentence per component: put it in writing with a number or a date attached. Agents with real plans do this happily — the specificity is their advantage over the competitor selling adjectives.

Comparing across candidates

A marketing plan only means something next to its price. Normalize the proposals: one table, every component, scope and payer for each, gaps priced at what you’d pay out of pocket — the full method is in our commission and services guide. Then weigh the normalized package against the rest of the scorecard: relevant comparable sales, statistics in context, team structure, communication. That’s the comparison our methodology runs in full — and the Evaluation Report delivers in writing for the agents you’re already considering. Start at the Start Your Match page, or call (650) 773-1578.

Questions people ask

Should staging be included in the commission?: There's no universal standard — which is exactly why it must be itemized. Some agents include full staging in their fee, some include consultation only, some pass the entire cost to you. All three can be fair deals at the right rate; none is comparable until priced. Staging routinely runs into the thousands for a whole home, so 'is staging included, and to what scope' belongs in every interview — it's often the single biggest swing in the true cost comparison between proposals.
Do I really need video and 3D tours?: Professional photography is non-negotiable everywhere — it's the first showing. Video, 3D tours, and floor plans earn their cost where the buyer pool is remote or the property's flow is a selling point: relocation-heavy markets, second-home markets, luxury, and unusual layouts. For a standard local-buyer home, a competent agent may reasonably prioritize other spend. The test is whether the agent can explain WHY each element is or isn't in the plan for your specific property.
What does 'pre-market strategy' mean and does it matter?: The work before the public launch: prep sequencing, comps-based pricing strategy, agent-network exposure, and sometimes a deliberate coming-soon period. Handled well it builds launch-week demand, which is when leverage peaks. Handled lazily, 'pre-market' can mean quietly shopping your listing to the agent's own buyers — ask directly how they use it and who it serves.
How do I compare two very different plans?: Normalize them: put every component of each plan in one table with its scope and who pays, price the gaps, and read the plan next to the fee rather than separately. A 'cheaper' agent with a thinner plan may cost more after you fund the gaps yourself. This is half of what the flat-fee Evaluation Report does with the proposals you're holding.

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