A guide for real estate agents
Vendor paid advertising (VPA) can often feel like a hard sell. It’s a conversation that requires finesse, transparency and a clear understanding of the benefits to the seller. Properties backed by quality advertising campaigns stand out in the market, giving them a competitive edge over similar listings. This advantage can result in quicker sales, higher sale prices and greater overall satisfaction for property sellers. Here we look at how real estate agents can effectively sell VPA to their clients and drive outstanding results.
In this guide
Help your client understand VPA
Quality advertising goes beyond a sign board and a few flyers.
It’s important that your client understands the difference between professional-standard advertising and the bare minimum. Agents know that quality advertising goes beyond just a sign board and a few flyers. Your client needs to see the value in advertising across several channels. This will include online listings, social media platforms, print media and signage to help increase the property’s exposure. It’s about attracting more buyers and achieving a potentially faster sale. Once clients can see the big picture, they’ll likely jump on board with funding their advertising costs.
Be upfront about the costs
VPA shifts the financial responsibility to the property owner, so it’s important your client understands what they’re expected to cover. “Advertising” is a broad term, so breaking down the costs for your client can be helpful.
- Pre-sale improvements
- Property styling and staging
- Professional photography
- Virtual tours
- Floor plans
- Online listings
- Social media advertising
- Promotional videos
- Print advertising
Being upfront about the costs from the get-go means your client is less likely to feel blindsided when you start compiling your marketing campaign.
A seller baulks at the first VPA conversation. “Why am I paying to sell my own house?” is a common reaction, and it usually comes from not knowing what’s actually in the campaign. Walking through the list above, line by line, often does more to settle nerves than any pitch about “exposure” or “reach.” Once a seller can see it’s photography, floor plans and a promotional video rather than one vague number, the conversation shifts from “why” to “how do we pay for this.”
Hero the benefits
By investing in VPA, clients ensure their property gets presented in the best possible light, ultimately increasing its value. While VPA requires an upfront investment from the property owner, it’s essential to reassure clients that VPA expenses are often recouped through the sale of the property, making it a worthwhile investment in the long run.
Customised campaigns
Every property is unique, so the marketing strategy should be too, highlighting the features that appeal to the right buyers.
Increased visibility
Targeted advertising reaches a wider pool of serious buyers, lifting the odds of a faster sale and stronger offers.
Quality that sells
Professional photography, virtual tours and video set a listing apart and resonate with the right audience.
Proven results
Website traffic, listing views and lead generation give sellers a clear, data-driven view of what their campaign is doing.
“The sellers who push back hardest on VPA are usually the ones who need it most. Once they see the campaign broken into its parts, and once they know it’s not coming out of their pocket today, the conversation almost always turns a corner. The agents who handle that well are the ones who get referred.”
Giordano StepancicCEO and Co-founder, Property.Credit
Bring it to life
Once your client understands the “what” and the “why,” it helps to show them the “so what.” You don’t need a folder of past client files to do this. A simple, honest illustration often does the job.
Think of a fairly ordinary three-bedroom home with a dated bathroom and no styling. Left to a sign board and a listing photo taken on a phone, it might sit on the market for weeks with lowball offers. Now picture the same property with a full campaign: professional photography, a short walkthrough video, social media promotion and a styling refresh. More buyers see it, more people turn up to the first open home, and competition between buyers tends to do more for the final price than any single negotiation tactic. That’s the story VPA is really telling, not “spend more,” but “be seen properly.”
If you do have a genuine past result you can share, with the seller’s permission and without naming the property or the figures involved, a real example will always land harder than a hypothetical one. Save it, ask for permission to reuse it, and bring it out for sellers who need convincing.
Advertise now, pay later
Remember, Property Credit takes the stress out of paying for advertising with an advertise now, pay later funding solution. Agents can even start the application within the portal for the client to complete, making the process even easier.
A bridging facility can be offered at any stage of the property sale, right up until settlement. Once established, our flexible funding options allow your client to access funds once-off or throughout the sale. The client’s facility limit grows at each stage of the property sale, and they can access maximum equity once the sale of the property goes unconditional.
Quick checklist: selling VPA with confidence
- Break the advertising cost down before you ask for a number
- Reassure the seller that nothing is payable until settlement
- Back up the pitch with real photography, floor plans or a short video
- Track and share campaign performance once the listing is live
- Ask permission to reuse a genuine result as a future example
Make the VPA conversation
an easy yes
Help your sellers fund their campaign without touching their own cash flow. Nothing comes out of pocket until settlement.
