Marketing for Estate Agentsby House of Marque
An honest comparison

In-house, agency or marketing partner: which is right for your estate agency?

Hire in-house when you need someone in the office every day and can carry the full cost of employment. Use an agency when you have a clear brief and need specialist output. Use a marketing partner when you need senior strategy and hands-on delivery that flexes as you grow. Plenty of agencies use a mix.

By Adam Graver, co-founder of House of Marque. Updated .

A note before you read on. This page is written by House of Marque, which is one of the options compared. It has been written to be fair, including a section on when House of Marque is the wrong choice. Judge it on that basis.

What each option really costs

Start with the full cost, not the headline

An in-house marketing manager

Indeed puts the average UK marketing manager salary at £42,357 [1]. Salary is only the start.

Average salary£42,357
Employer National Insurance, 15% above £5,000 [2]£5,604
Minimum employer pension, 3% of earnings between £6,240 and £50,270 [3]£1,084
Total a year£49,045

That is before software, training, recruitment fees and holiday cover. Smaller employers may reduce the National Insurance bill through the Employment Allowance, worth up to £10,500 in 2026 to 2027 [2].

An agency

Agency fees vary too widely to quote a fair average. Most price by deliverable or by channel.

Ask exactly what is included, who does the work, and what happens to anything they build for you if you leave.

A marketing partner

House of Marque starts every client with a Marketing Audit and Health Check at £495 plus VAT. It is credited in full against your first month if you go on to work together within 90 days.

Ongoing fees are shared on a discovery call and confirmed in writing. See how House of Marque works with estate and letting agents.

Side by side

How the three options compare

In-house hireMarketing agencyMarketing partner (House of Marque)
Who sets the strategyYour hire, often without a senior marketer above them.Often you, with the agency executing your brief.House of Marque builds it with you, from your Marketing Audit.
Who does the workYour hire, alongside everything else that lands on their desk.Specialists, usually managed through an account manager.Shared. House of Marque runs as much of it as you want, and that moves as you grow.
Sector knowledgeDepends entirely on who you hire.Varies. Many agencies work across unrelated industries.Built for property, with founders from both national network marketing and front-line estate agency.
Time to get goingRecruitment, notice periods and onboarding. Often months.Usually a few weeks.Starts with the Marketing Audit and Health Check.
How you paySalary plus employment costs, fixed whether the market is busy or quiet.Retainer or project fees, often priced per channel or deliverable.Audit at £495 plus VAT, then a monthly fee agreed in writing.
If your contact leavesKnowledge and momentum leave with them.Account managers change. Handovers vary.There is no account management layer. One of the two founders answers when you call.
Your competitorsNot an issue. They work only for you.Rarely excluded. A competitor may also be a client.One retained client per patch. House of Marque will not work with a competitor in your patch.
Best forLarger agencies with steady, daily content and admin needs.A defined project or a single specialist skill.Agencies that want senior thinking and hands-on delivery without a full-time hire.
Watch forOne person expected to be strategist, designer, writer and analyst at once.Reports full of activity rather than instructions.It will challenge your brief. If you want orders taken without question, it is the wrong fit.
In fairness

When House of Marque is the wrong choice

  • You want paid search advertising managed. It is not a service House of Marque offers.
  • You need someone physically in your office every day. That is an in-house hire.
  • You want a supplier who executes a brief without questioning it.
  • You are buying on the lowest price per post. Volume content providers will be cheaper.
  • A competitor in your patch is already a retained client. Exclusivity means the answer will be no.
Mixing works

You do not have to pick just one

A common set-up is an in-house coordinator for day-to-day content, with outside senior support for strategy and specialist work.

House of Marque's Marque Club is built for exactly that: direct access to the founders, who drive the strategy through your own team.

Whichever you choose

Ten questions to ask before you sign anything

  1. Who will actually do the work each week?
  2. How much of your client base is in property?
  3. Will you work with my direct competitors?
  4. What does success look like in instructions, not activity?
  5. What happens to our accounts, content and data if we part ways?
  6. How quickly will you respond when something goes wrong?
  7. How do you keep our adverts compliant with consumer law and the lettings rules?
  8. What will you need from my team, and how much of their time will it take?
  9. What is the minimum commitment and notice period?
  10. Can I speak to a current client?
FAQ

Questions agents ask

Is it cheaper to hire an in-house marketing manager?

Not usually, once employment costs are included. An average UK marketing manager costs around £49,000 a year in salary, employer National Insurance and pension, before software, training, recruitment or holiday cover.

What is the difference between an agency and a marketing partner?

An agency typically executes a brief you give it. A marketing partner builds the strategy with you and then shares the delivery, running as much or as little of it as you need.

Does House of Marque offer exclusivity?

Yes. House of Marque works with one retained client per patch, so it will not work with a competitor in your patch.

How much does House of Marque cost?

The Marketing Audit and Health Check costs £495 plus VAT and is credited in full against your first month if you go on to work together within 90 days. Ongoing fees are shared on a discovery call and confirmed in writing.

Can I combine an in-house marketer with outside help?

Yes, and it is often the most cost-effective set-up. An in-house coordinator handles day-to-day content, and outside senior support sets the strategy and fills the specialist gaps.

Talk it through

Not sure which option fits?

Book a free 30-minute discovery call. If House of Marque is not the right fit for your agency, you will hear that on the call.

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Sources

  1. Indeed, Marketing manager salary in United Kingdom, 4,200 salaries reported, updated 2 August 2026.
  2. GOV.UK, HM Revenue and Customs, Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027, updated 1 September 2026.
  3. GOV.UK, Workplace pensions: what you, your employer and the government pay, minimum rates in force since April 2019, accessed 23 September 2026.