“Free Advertising" - 'Yeah Right'

Dene Tucker is a Licenced Real Estate Agent with 35 years in the Industry and a part of the REMAX TLG Team with Offices in Cleveland, Alexandra Hills and Morningside

It’s tempting, isn’t it?

A real estate agency offers to “cover” your advertising and marketing costs.

Sounds like a win… until you look closer.

The Catch Behind “Free”

When advertising is “free,” do you get to choose where it runs, how often, the size, or whether it’s in your preferred publication? In most cases: No.

Want more photos, extra copy, a better position, or a premium online listing? Not included. You’ll be paying for that yourself. Limiting your campaign this way is hardly the path to maximum exposure for your unique property.

Quality Matters – And It’s Often Missing

Who’s taking the photos? Who’s writing the ad copy? Are you getting a floor plan or a video (which can attract up to four times more buyers online)?

All too often, “free” means the receptionist, a sales assistant, or the agent themselves snapping photos and writing copy between appointments – with no professional marketing assets at all. That’s a recipe for a lacklustre campaign that fails to capture your home in its best light.

The Vested Interest Problem

Here’s the bigger danger: when an agent spends their own money on your advertising, their primary goal becomes getting that money back.

The larger their spend, the stronger their motivation to push for a quick sale – even if it means recommending you accept an offer that’s less than your property’s true worth.

Once it’s sold, they recover their investment. Your final price? That’s secondary.

What You’re Actually Paying For

From a bird’s-eye view, agents are service providers; in their true sense, they Market Property, Manage Interested Parties and Negotiate Sales – they are not media companies. Their value lies in their expertise; negotiation skills, buyer networks, and the time they dedicate to your sale.

A quality agent should:

• Advise on the marketing strategies available to you - "All of them!"

• Coordinate professional photography, copywriting, and campaign management

• Actively promote your property to the widest pool of qualified buyers

• Negotiate fiercely for the best possible price

Think of It This Way…

If BMW or Mercedes-Benz needed an ad campaign, would they choose the agency that says, “We’ll pay for all your advertising!”? Or would they be wary that such an offer suggests desperation rather than quality?

Ask Yourself:

• Do I want the very highest possible price for my property?

• Do I want multiple buyers competing, or just one offer?

• Is saving a few thousand now worth losing tens of thousands later?

• Do I want my agent focused on recovering their costs – or on getting me the best result?

• Am I willing to invest $1,000 now to potentially gain $5,000, $10,000, or more?

• Can any agency truly give my property the exposure it deserves – for free?

The Bottom Line

Choose your agent based on their service, expertise, and commitment to maximising your result – not because they dangle “free” advertising as bait.

Warning: Agents who offer so-called “free” advertising are often the ones most likely to undersell your property.