The price of doing business

What are the out-of-pocket expenses for an agent to list a house?

Agents are paid in commissions only when -- and if -- the home sells. To get the sales ball rolling, a house must be marketed in a number of ways. Although expenses vary by agent, location, home and how long it’s on the market, Malibu Colony Pritchett Rapf agent Susan Cosentino gave these estimates of her upfront expenses:

* Installation of a “for sale” sign: $50

* Annual membership in MLS: $300

* Purchase of a lockbox: $50 (Or purchase of an electronic lockbox: $90 plus a quarterly maintenance fee)

* Annual fee for the service that provides lockbox codes: $150

* Laser-printed display box brochures (so the ink won’t run when it rains or sprinklers attack): 50 cents to $1.10 each, less if printed in-house. Quantity varies, depending on volume of drive-by traffic.

* “Just listed” postcards: $100 for the first 100, including postage.

* Brochures placed inside the house: $50

* Virtual tour of the property: $50 to $300

* Website exposure: Starts at $40

* One ad in two local newspapers and a glossy realty magazine: About $1,250 a week

* Food for brokers’ open house: $300

* Copies of the truth in housing, sellers’ disclosure and other pertinent forms: about $20

* How much Cosentino might spend: $2,360 and up

-- Ann Brenoff