Vendor leads:
what each one really costs.

The how vendors choose page covers why a seller picks one agent over another. This page is about what comes before that choice: where vendor leads come from, what each one costs, and what you're allowed to do to chase them.

Sellers aren't hard to find in theory. REA Group's 2026 results reported 5.2 million properties tracked by their owners on realestate.com.au, and a 22% rise in seller leads. Owners are watching their values. The question is who they call when they're ready.

On Domain, a seller can request an appraisal through its seller tools or an agent's profile page, and the lead appears in the Domain Agent Portal, with an email to the agent. The portal home page shows appraisal leads from the last 28 days, which says something about how quickly these go stale.

realestate.com.au's seller leads come through its own seller and agent profile tools. Ask your account manager how they reach you under your subscription, and what the seller sees when they contact you.

Either way, an appraisal request is a seller who's shopping. Ring before the day is out, and turn up with the recent sales from their street in Terrigal or Toongabbie, not a generic listing kit.

Agent comparison sites are free for sellers and paid for by agents. OpenAgent says its service is 100% free for vendors, and that when a property it introduced sells, the agent pays a referral fee of 20 to 30% of the commission, plus GST, set when the lead is sent. It also sells sponsored suburb visibility and a premium subscription for agents.

That can be a fair deal. You pay nothing until it sells, and the fee is a known share. But run an example: on a $1.2 million sale at 2% commission, a 25% referral fee is $6,000 plus GST for one listing. The real question is whether your own marketing can win a listing for less. The calculator below compares them.

One more thing to weigh. A vendor who came through a comparison site has been invited to compare agents from the start. Expect the fee conversation, and bring your plan and recent local results, not just a lower number.

Compare a comparison-site referral fee with your own vendor marketing. The starting numbers are made up.

Cold calling is still part of many agents' week, and it's regulated. Numbers on the Do Not Call Register can only be called for telemarketing with consent, and every telemarketing call has to keep to the permitted hours: 9am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, with no calls on Sundays or national public holidays. Your number has to show on caller ID, and you have to end the call when asked.

Checking your list first is how you stay out of trouble. The ACMA says the register allows businesses to check their calling lists to remove numbers on the register before making calls. Someone who asked you for an appraisal last year and agreed to updates is a different case from a number pulled off an old list.

Texts and emails ('just sold in your street') fall under the Spam Act: consent, your details and a working unsubscribe. The advertising rules page covers that in more detail.

Many agencies under $3 million turnover sit outside the Privacy Act. But buying a list of homeowners without their consent is trading in personal information, which brings a business under the Act whatever its size.

In NSW, a residential agency agreement has a cooling-off period that runs to 5pm on the next business day or Saturday, and the seller can cancel by signed written notice in that time. The agreement must also state the source and estimated amount of any rebates, discounts and commissions you'll receive on expenses the seller pays. Other states set their own rules, so check with your state's fair trading or consumer affairs office.

So count listings that stayed signed, by source. A lead that signs on Friday and cancels on Monday cost you an appraisal and a weekend, and your numbers should show it.

Then review it every month: appraisals booked, appraisals held, agreements signed, properties sold, all by source. That's the number to judge a portal subscription, a comparison site or a Facebook campaign on.