--- title: "Pay at Closing vs Monthly Fees: What Real Estate Leads Actually Cost" description: "An honest cost comparison for agents: a $100/month platform with a 20–25% referral fee at closing versus a flat monthly lead subscription — including the break-even point where the subscription is cheaper." lang: en json-ld: | { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://selahcreative.media/#org", "name": "Selah Creative", "url": "https://selahcreative.media", "email": "support@selahcreative.media", "logo": "https://selahcreative.media/og-image.jpg", "image": "https://selahcreative.media/og-image.jpg", "description": "Selah Creative is an all-in-one growth platform for real-estate agents — a premium website in your own brand, SEO and AI-search visibility, done-for-you marketing, exclusive vetted leads, and a private lead portal.", "slogan": "Others sell agents a tool. We build their business.", "areaServed": "United States" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://selahcreative.media/#website", "url": "https://selahcreative.media", "name": "Selah Creative", "publisher": { "@id": "https://selahcreative.media/#org" } }, { "@type": "Service", "name": "Selah Creative agent growth platform", "serviceType": "Real-estate agent website, marketing, and lead-generation platform", "provider": { "@id": "https://selahcreative.media/#org" }, "description": "An all-in-one platform for real-estate agents: a bespoke website, SEO and AI-search visibility, marketing, exclusive vetted leads, and a private portal — for $100 per month plus a one-time setup fee.", "offers": { "@type": "Offer", "price": "100", "priceCurrency": "USD", "description": "$100 per month for founding agents (standard $175/month from October 1, 2026) plus a one-time setup fee. Everything included, no per-lead charges." } } ] } --- [Selah Creative ](/) [How it works](/how-it-works)[Visibility](/visibility)[About](/about)[Contact](/contact)[Get your free scan](/visibility-scan) Cost comparison # What you'll actually pay — including when we're the expensive option. Most lead platforms charge a flat monthly fee whether or not anything closes. We charge a small monthly fee and take a **20–25% referral fee on the gross commission** when one of our leads closes. Neither model is universally cheaper. Below is the arithmetic, the break-even point, and the honest answer about who should pick which. ## Run your own numbers Your average commission $ Selah leads you close in a year A subscription you'd compare $ /mo Selah, first year $8,550 – $10,350 $150 setup + $100/mo + the referral fee on 3 closings Flat subscription, first year $3,600 $300/mo × 12, whether anything closes or not — and you keep the whole commission **At these numbers the subscription is cheaper.** Closing 3 deals at $12,000 means our referral fee outweighs a $300/mo platform. If that's genuinely your year, a flat subscription is the better financial choice and we'd rather you knew that now. ## The formula Selah, year one = $150 setup + ($100 × 12 months) + (20–25% × commission × closings) Subscription, year one = (monthly fee × 12) + any setup fee Break-even closings = (subscription year − $1,350) ÷ (25% × commission) At a $12,000 average commission and a $300/month subscription, the break-even lands at roughly one closing a year: below that we cost less, above it the subscription does. The higher your commission or your closing volume, the sooner a flat fee wins on price alone. ## Three worked examples All three assume a $12,000 average commission and a $300/month subscription compared against Selah at $150 setup plus $100/month. Your year Selah Subscription Cheaper Closes 1 Selah lead in the year $3,750 – $4,350 $3,600 Subscription Closes 3 Selah leads in the year $8,550 – $10,350 $3,600 Subscription Closes 6 Selah leads in the year $15,750 – $19,350 $3,600 Subscription Read the last row honestly: an agent closing six of our leads a year pays us considerably more than a flat subscription would have cost. What they got for it was six closings they wouldn't otherwise have had, plus the website, the marketing and the portal — but on price alone, the subscription wins that year. ## What these numbers assume - The referral fee applies only to leads Selah provides, only when they close, within 24 months of delivery. Your own sphere, past clients and self-generated business are never touched. - "Commission" means the gross commission paid to your side of the transaction, before your brokerage's own split. Your take-home is lower, and your split is between you and your broker. - Subscription platforms vary widely and many add setup fees, CRM fees, or an ad budget on top of the monthly figure — the comparison above uses the monthly fee only, which flatters the subscription. - Nothing here predicts how many leads will close. Conversion depends on your market, your follow-up and your skill, and we don't guarantee any number of closings. - The $100/month used here is the founding rate, held for as long as you stay enrolled. Standard pricing is $175/month for agreements starting on or after October 1, 2026 — at that rate the break-even shifts later, and we still cost less than the subscriptions above until you are closing several of our leads a year. - These figures are illustrative arithmetic, not a quote or a projection of earnings. Want the same honesty applied to the platforms themselves? [See how we compare to Zillow, Ylopo, Agent Image and AgentFire](/compare) — including where each of them is the better buy. ![The Selah Creative watercolor mark](/assets/logo-mark-tkeE-KYx.webp) Selah Creative We don't sell agents a tool. We build their business. Explore [How it works](/how-it-works)[AI visibility & SEO](/visibility)[Compare lead-gen options](/compare)[About](/about)[Get started](/get-started)[Free visibility scan](/visibility-scan)[Contact](/contact) Get in touch [support@selahcreative.media](mailto:support@selahcreative.media)$100/month + one-time $150 setup © 2026 Selah Creative. All rights reserved. [Updates](/updates)[Privacy Policy](/privacy)[Terms & SMS Terms](/terms)