What Should a Real Estate Proposal Include?
Find out what every real estate proposal should include — CMAs, marketing plans, fee structures and vendor expectations. A practical checklist for Australian agents.
A real estate proposal is only as strong as what's in it. Agents who lose listings to less experienced competitors often have better market knowledge and stronger track records — but the competitor's proposal made their process clearer. Vendors don't always choose the best agent. They choose the agent who best explains what they'll do.
Understanding what a proposal should contain — and why each section earns its place — is the foundation of building proposals that win listings consistently. This guide explains every core component, what vendors expect from each section, and the difference between proposals that build confidence and those that raise questions.
What should a real estate proposal include?
A real estate proposal should include a property overview and campaign objectives, a pricing strategy supported by market analysis, a specific marketing plan, a vendor communication plan, and a clear statement of the agent's fees and credentials. Together, these sections give vendors everything they need to make a confident decision about who to appoint.
A strong real estate proposal includes:
- Property overview and campaign objectives
- Pricing strategy and market analysis
- Marketing strategy built around the buyer profile
- Vendor communication plan with specific commitments
- Agent credentials and recent local results
- Fees and next steps
Each section serves a distinct purpose. Skip one and the proposal has a gap vendors will notice — even if they can't articulate exactly what's missing.
Why proposal structure matters
Vendors reading a proposal are asking a simple question: if I appoint this agent, do I understand what will happen next? A well-structured proposal answers that question directly. A poorly structured one — or one that contains some sections but not others — leaves vendors with doubts they'll resolve by moving to someone else.
The REA Group Property Seeker Survey consistently shows that clear communication and transparency about the sales process are among the leading factors vendors consider when choosing an agent. The proposal is where those qualities are either demonstrated or missed. An agent who can articulate their process in writing gives vendors evidence of how they'll communicate throughout the campaign.
Structure also signals professionalism. A proposal that moves logically from property context to pricing to marketing to communication tells vendors they're dealing with an organised, deliberate agent. One that covers the same content in a scattered or incomplete way tells the opposite story.
Section 1: Property overview and campaign objectives
Every proposal should open by demonstrating that the agent has understood this specific property and this specific vendor's situation — not just the category of listing.
What to include:
- A brief description of the property and its key features from a buyer's perspective
- The vendor's stated goals — timeline, price expectations, flexibility, and any factors affecting the campaign (tenants, presentation work required, development potential)
- The campaign objective in clear terms: what outcome you're aiming to achieve and why it's achievable in current market conditions
This section is short — typically half a page — but it does important work. It tells the vendor that the rest of the proposal was built for their situation, not assembled from a generic template.
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Section 2: Pricing strategy and market analysis
This is the most scrutinised section of any proposal. Vendors come to every listing appointment with a number in mind — formed by online estimates, recent sales they've heard about, and optimism. Your pricing section needs to give them a credible, data-supported view of where the property actually sits in the market.
What to include:
- A summary of comparable sales from the last 60–90 days, with brief commentary on why each one is relevant (or how it differs from this property)
- An overview of current competition — active listings competing for the same buyer pool
- Your recommended price range or strategy, with clear reasoning
- Your recommended method of sale — auction, private treaty or expressions of interest — and why it suits this property and market conditions
The goal of this section is not to present data — it's to show your interpretation of it. Any agent can pull comparable sales. The proposal should communicate what that data means for this vendor's decision.
Property data from platforms including Pricefinder, CoreLogic and PropTrack provides the foundation for a credible CMA. The analysis and recommendation sit with the agent.
Section 3: Marketing strategy
A weak marketing section is one of the most common reasons proposals fail to win listings. Vendors know what a standard agency marketing package looks like — they've seen it online, heard about it from neighbours, researched it before the meeting. A section that reads as a standard package with the address swapped in confirms their worst fear: that they're just another listing.
What to include:
- The primary buyer profile for this property — who you're trying to reach, and why
- Portal advertising strategy — recommended tier, duration, and your reasoning
- Photography, video and floor plan approach — what you're recommending and why it suits this property
- Digital and social advertising strategy
- Any database or off-market outreach relevant to this buyer profile
- Open home and inspection approach
- Print or letterbox marketing if applicable
Every recommendation should be justified. Vendors who understand why you're suggesting a particular marketing approach are more likely to support the budget required to execute it — and less likely to push back on costs.
Section 4: Vendor communication plan
This section is often missing from proposals — and its absence is more damaging than many agents realise.
Vendors' most common complaint about agents after a campaign is that they weren't kept informed. The communication plan in the proposal is your opportunity to address that concern before it exists — to show vendors exactly what they can expect to hear, when, and in what format.
What to include:
- How often you'll provide campaign updates (post-inspection reports, weekly summaries)
- What format updates will take — phone call, email, in-person meeting
- How you'll handle buyer feedback, including negative feedback
- What the vendor can expect from you around pricing conversations during the campaign
- How you'll communicate about offers and negotiations
A clear communication plan signals to vendors that they're dealing with an agent who manages campaigns proactively, not one who only calls when there's a problem.
Section 5: Agent credentials and local track record
Vendors don't just want to know what you'll do — they want confidence that you can do it. The credentials section gives them that evidence.
What to include:
- Recent comparable sales you've achieved in the area, with results and timeframes where appropriate
- Vendor testimonials, particularly from similar property types or price points
- Your local market presence — suburb expertise, time in the area, relevant database size
- Agency resources that support the campaign (support staff, marketing capabilities, buyer database)
Keep this section targeted. Results in the vendor's suburb or property category carry far more weight than impressive numbers from across the city. Two or three well-chosen local results are more persuasive than a long list of general achievements.
Section 6: Fees and next steps
State your commission clearly and explain what it covers. Vendors who have to ask about fees, or who find a vague "competitive rates" reference instead of a number, lose confidence — not in the price, but in the agent's willingness to be direct.
What to include:
- Your commission rate and any tiered or incentive fee structure
- What the commission covers — listing, marketing coordination, negotiation, settlement liaison
- Marketing budget recommendations — portal advertising costs, photography, any other direct costs
- The proposed campaign timeline — when photography would be booked, when the listing would go live, when the first open home would be scheduled
- A clear call to action: what the vendor needs to do next to move forward
A proposal that ends with a clear next step is a proposal that asks for the business. Vendors who receive a proposal with no clear action to take are left to initiate the next conversation themselves — and many don't.
This article is part of the proply blog — practical guides for Australian agents on proposals, listing presentations and winning more listings. Explore the full series at proplyapp.com.au/blog.
