Who "sells" the house?

I am currently in the middle of an in-depth training program to become a "Certified Home Staging" expert and an interesting discussion came up in our down-time today. Many times a homeowner will call an agent, sign a listing agreement and then tell their agent to go "sell" their house. My question to you is... who sells the house?

Here is my take on the question:

You, the homeowner, have a product that you are bringing to a competitive market. You control the "product" but I control the image of that product. So who is more directly responsible for having the house sell (or not sell)?

Well, one way to look at my job as a listing agent is to break it down into four primary functions.

1) I must take the house you own and position it competitively within its market.

2) I must facilitate access to your home and focus on refining the public exposure and marketing of your home.

3) Once an offer is presented I must present the merits of the offer within its relation to your goals and the current market conditions. I will then present you the data from which we will build the case for your counter-offer. Finally I will deliver the counter-offers in a manner consistent with maintaining an amicable relationship with the potential buyers and their agent.

4) Finally, I will facilitate and manage the conditions agreed to within any offer and subsequent Purchase & Sale Agreement. This includes inspection contingencies, fire department inspections, appraisals, mortgage contingencies, and a pre-closing walk-through.

These are four major sections of the transaction, and each one of them has many smaller functions tied to them. For example, we need to make sure that we are pricing realistically for current market conditions. It would make no sense for me to give you numbers from April to price a November listing. You need better data than that. Second, bringing in a staging expert (someone certified) to consult with you and present a multi-tiered plan of attack for presenting the house to the public is critical. You, the seller, will be tasked with taking the staging tips and pricing data and coming up with an appropriate listing price based on how much work you're willing to put into the presentation of the house. While we're doing the "pre-launch" work we will most likely bring in someone to draw up floor plans and hire a professional photographer to highlight the feature elements of your home. We will also start working on a catered event designed to draw interest from your immediate neighbors. We might use this event to demonstrate some of the creative staging elements we have tried to incorporate in your marketing plan.

These, and so many other critical details, are just part of the listing package we agree to. As with so many contracted relationships, work must be done by both parties to ensure we make the strongest impression possible. If you are wondering why your house has not sold yet, take a look at some of these and match them with the efforts you've made on your behalf. Remember, at the end of the day I am tasked to facilitate and represent the sale of your home, but you are the one selling. Make sure you're taking an active role in the process!