Pricing

Flat fee vs. per-edit billing — what a marketing retainer should cover

If updating one link on your site costs you money, your agency's incentives are pointed the wrong way.

Flat fee vs. per-edit billing — what a marketing retainer should cover
Open House Creatives

September 15, 2026

Flat fee vs. per-edit billing — what a marketing retainer should cover

There's a billing model in real estate marketing that quietly costs owners a fortune: the per-edit contract. A fee to update a link. A fee to manage each ad. A six- or twelve-month agreement with a new line item every time you ask for something.

The problem isn't just the money. It's that every change becomes a negotiation, so changes stop happening — seasonal offers don't go up, prices go stale, new photos sit in a folder.

What "fully managed" should mean

One monthly retainer that covers:

  • Uptime, security, CMS and plugin monitoring, monthly updates and backups
  • Content edits as they come — seasonal offers, pricing, packages, new photography, hours
  • Image optimization for every new photo, not just the ones from launch
  • Google Business Profile, directory listings and the review funnel kept consistent
  • Ad campaign management, including a dedicated landing page per campaign
  • A monthly review call — proactive, not reactive

And unlimited revisions. When you have a change, it gets made. There is no invoice for it.

Why we work this way

Because it lines our incentives up with yours. The only way a flat retainer makes sense for us is if the site keeps working and you keep renewing — so the work has to keep producing. We'd rather be a partner than a vendor. The longer it works, the longer we stay, and the better your return.

We don't publish prices; scope depends on what the audit finds. Start there.