Luxury homes are often presented as requiring sophisticated marketing. Professional photography, polished materials, and carefully prepared listings all play a role. But how much do listing agents actually spend marketing a property?
In many cases, the answer is surprisingly modest.
The MLS as the Primary Marketing Strategy
For many listing agents, the marketing strategy begins and ends with the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Once a home is entered into the system, it automatically distributes to brokerage websites and major real estate portals, providing broad exposure to agents and buyers searching online.
Because of that built-in distribution, most listing preparation is designed simply to support the MLS entry itself.
The Typical Listing Marketing Budget
Most agents order a small set of standard services when preparing a home for sale. These typically include photography, aerial images, a floor plan, yard signage, and printed brochures for showings. When agents do engage in outbound marketing, such as neighborhood mailers, it often serves a dual purpose, promoting the agent and their brand as much as or more than the property itself.
A typical breakdown looks something like this:
Item
Typical Cost
How This Compares to the Commission
Viewed in context, the marketing spend associated with a listing is typically not more than 3–5% of the gross listing commission.
Consider a $3 million home offering a 2% listing commission. That commission totals $60,000. In many cases, the out-of-pocket marketing costs associated with the listing represent only a small fraction of that amount.
A Different Approach
One way to expand a property’s exposure is through a co-listing structure, where the listing agent continues to manage the transaction while partnering with a dedicated marketing team.
In a co-listing arrangement with Cress, the traditional listing agent remains responsible for posting to the MLS, conducting showings, negotiating offers, and guiding the transaction to closing. Cress focuses on executing a broader marketing campaign designed to reach buyers beyond the traditional listing portals.
Cress receives a minority share of the commission, giving it both the incentive and the resources to invest meaningfully in marketing the property. The total commission paid by the seller remains the same—it is simply shared between the listing agent and Cress.
Learn more about co-listing with Cress: https://www.callcress.com/co-list/
George Cress of Real Broker represents home buyers and sellers throughout Connecticut, with a focus on Fairfield County. He combines technology, local market knowledge, and modern real estate marketing to help buyers keep more of their money and sellers generate greater interest in their homes.
For buyers, George offers flat-fee buyer representation and buyer commission rebates, providing meaningful savings alongside full-service guidance, negotiation, and support through closing. For sellers, he uses property storytelling, video, targeted digital advertising, and one of Connecticut’s largest social media audiences focused on local real estate to reach beyond traditional MLS exposure and attract more qualified interest. Through Co-List with Cress, sellers can add these marketing capabilities while continuing to work with their preferred listing agent.
Explore active Connecticut homes for sale, including listings in Fairfield, Westport, Greenwich, and other Fairfield County communities. To discuss buying or selling a home in Connecticut, contact George Cress.
George Cress
(212) 203-5251
george@cress.co
License #RES.0832278
Fairfield County, CT
Real Broker CT, LLC
License #REB.0751297
100 Pearl Street, 14th Floor
Hartford, CT 06103
