Tips to negotiate lower marketing costs for selling house (inner Melbourne)

My friend wants to sell a house inner Melbourne (5km from CBD, Stonnington Council) and likes one particular agent who is quoting 1.65% commission inc GST.

The house is very nice, period style, 7 beds, 5 bath, 3 car spaces and should sell for $5M+. The agent has offered the following 2 advertising campaigns priced at $5,685 and $8,435. Is it worth spending an extra $2,750 to list with Domain.com.au ?

I was speaking to an agent friend who said all marketing fees are negotiable as this is the retail price. He said some agents will throw in a free board, some will include marketing costs in the commission (very rare) and others will offer no marketing costs if there's no sale.

Does anyone have any tips on what to negotiate whith the advertising fees. The prices seem crazy but we need as much visibility as possible.

Advertising campaign #1 = $8,436



Advertising campaign #2 = $5,686

 

I’m my experience, the advertising costs are marked up significantly. For my last sale, I said I didn’t want any online advertising (because the property was still tenanted, photos looked crap with the tenants furniture, and the agent said he had a list of ‘buyers’ that would put an offer in). Anyway, 2 weeks later, no offers. REA agent asked me again.. I baulked at the price. He then said, ‘I’ll see what I can do’.. came back with a price 2/3 less than the original..
Agree with @wylie.. ask more than one agent.

 

It’s a 5m plus property. That is really cheap advertising in my opinion.

It is illegal for an agent to mark up advertising without disclosing.

Worry about picking the best agent not the saving a few bob on advertising.

 

Someone posted this in another thread:

Negotiate the marketing fees (online, photos and brochures) to only be payable if they achieve the price they are appraising and once the property is unconditional. This will transfer some risk on the agent (after all, you're paying them to sell your property) and will prevent conditioning by the agent. If they aren't prepared to do that, then it means they aren't really confident in getting the price they are telling you that you're going to get.

 

^ Agree with this.

What is the $1,200 Administration & Production Service Fee for...arranging photographer, copywriting and uploading it to a few portals?