A seller who can see the marketing for their own home before they sign has less to guess about. This post gives you a real estate marketing plan for one listing, laid out on one page, from the listing appointment through the closing table.
Quick answer: A real estate marketing plan for a listing names what you'll make (property website, video, flyer, social posts, description), when each piece goes out, who it's for, and what happens once the home goes under contract. Keep it to one page, date every line, and show the seller the finished pieces, not a promise of them.
What goes in a real estate marketing plan for one listing
Most plans you'll find online are for your business: your brand, your farm area, your yearly budget. Sellers ask a narrower question at the kitchen table. What will you do for this house, and when?
Answer it with seven lines:
- The home's own website. One link with the photos, the details and your name.
- A short video. Cut from the listing photos, sized for Reels and Shorts.
- A printed flyer. For the showing table and the open house.
- Social posts. One for each feed you actually use, written for this home.
- The listing description. For the MLS, and shorter versions for posts.
- A launch date. The day all of it goes out together.
- The handoff to closing. Who tracks the contract dates once you have an offer.
Line 7 is the one most marketing plans skip. A seller doesn't stop caring about the plan when the sign gets a rider. They care more.
I learned this the hard way. One time I went to a listing appointment for a $3+ million property. I showed up with everything in my head. The other agents showed up with a full listing packet, flyers and everything, all printed out. They got the listing. I didn't.
Build it before the listing appointment
The strongest marketing plan is the finished work for their address, open on your phone at the table.
Before you meet the seller:
- Pull the public details and any photos you're allowed to use.
- Draft the description and the flyer with their address on top.
- Make the property website and the video so you can open them on your phone at the table.
- Print the one-page plan with real dates filled in, starting from the day they'd sign.
If you've never priced the home, run a value report first. Contre's home value tool gives you a report you can bring with you.
For the conversation itself, our post on how to get real estate listings has scripts you can use.
Real estate marketing plan template: week by week
Copy this and swap in your dates. "Day 0" is the day the listing agreement is signed.
| When | What goes out | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Signed agreement, photo appointment booked | Seller |
| Day 1-3 | Photos taken, description final, seller approves every piece | Seller |
| Launch day | MLS live, property website live, video and first social posts | Buyers and their agents |
| Launch day | Flyer printed for showings | Showing visitors |
| First weekend | Open house, if the seller wants one | Neighbors and buyers |
| Week 2 | Second round of posts with a new photo or detail | Buyers who scrolled past |
| Every week | A short update to the seller: showings, feedback, what's next | Seller |
| Under contract | Contract dates pulled out and tracked to closing | Seller, you, the buyer's agent |
Your timing will depend on your market and your photographer. For me, building a custom website and flyers for a seller usually takes anywhere from 3 to 6 hours. And I usually only do one social media post, which isn't near enough. That's why week 2 is on the list.
Want the launch pieces built for you? The Contre Listing Package makes the property website, the video, the flyer, the posts and the description from one address, with your name on each one. You approve everything before it goes out. It's $49 a home.
Your first home is free, listing or contract. Start to finish.
Real estate marketing plan examples by home type
The seven lines stay the same. What changes is which one does the heavy lifting.
A starter home or condo. Lead with the video and social posts, sized for a phone screen. Put the HOA dues and what they cover in the description so nobody's surprised later.
A higher-priced home. Lead with the property website and printed pieces. Give it more photos and a longer description, and plan a broker open if it's normal in your area.
A home that needs work. Lead with the facts: year built, roof age, any recent repairs you can confirm. A clear description saves showings that would never turn into offers.
What happens to the plan once it's under contract
This is where a marketing plan usually ends. It shouldn't. The seller hired you to sell the house, and the house isn't sold until it closes.
Once you have a signed contract, the plan's last line takes over:
- Pull the dates. Inspection period, appraisal, financing, and closing, straight from the contract and any addenda.
- Set reminders before each one, not on the day.
- Tell the seller what's next each time a date passes.
A missed date or a surprise in a document can sink a deal after the marketing did its job. Our post on why real estate deals fall through walks through the common ones.
With Contre, the Listing Package covers this part too. Upload the signed contract to the same home and Contre reads it, pulls the key dates and gives you a heads-up before each one. Nothing more is due when it goes under contract.
How to present the plan to a seller
Keep it to one page and one screen. A short script:
"Here's the website for your home, here's the video, and here's the flyer. They go out together on launch day. Once we have an offer, I track every date in the contract and tell you what's coming before it happens."
Then hand them the page. Let them hold it.
Here's the line I use at listing appointments:
"The difference with me is that we invest a lot in marketing. We build landing pages for your home with search terms built in, so it ranks better for those searches. We do social media posts. And we spend the time to make sure any lead that comes near the listing is taken care of."
FAQ
What is a real estate marketing plan?
A written plan for how you'll market a home: what you'll make, where it goes, and when. For a single listing it should fit on one page and include the handoff from launch to closing.
What should a listing marketing plan include?
A property website, a short video, a flyer, social posts, the listing description, a launch date and a plan for tracking contract dates once the home is under contract.
How much does it cost to market a listing?
It depends on your market and what you pay for photos and printing. Contre's Listing Package makes the website, video, flyer, posts and description and tracks the file to closing for $49 a home. Your first home is free.
Do I need a different marketing plan for every listing?
Use the same template, but fill it in for each home. The address, photos, description and dates should be specific to that house.
Start with one listing
Pick the next home you're going to list and fill in the template above with real dates. If you'd rather have the launch pieces made for you, and the contract dates tracked after, Contre will do your first one free.
Writing the listing description first? Try the free listing description tool. Working a list of prospect homes? The $97 Win the Listing Challenge gives you 10 prospect homes and 30 days, with a full refund if you don't win a listing.
Your first home is free, listing or contract. Start to finish.
Type in an address and Contre builds the listing marketing, then carries the same home through to closing.
Get your first home free