There's been a lot of talk lately about what it takes to sell a house. Usually there are two Agents involved, each of whom does plenty to produce a successful transaction. There are also two Clients involved, and they do plenty too.

What The Listing Agent does:

• Markets to attract Sellers.
• Provides Counsel to the Seller**.
• Provides market data to help Seller set Pricing Strategy.
• Markets the Property (according to Seller’s Pricing Strategy).
• Shows Property.
• Negotiates the Deal.
• Leads the Property through Escrow.
• Finalizes the Sale at it’s Close.

What The Buyer’s Agent does:

• Markets to attract Buyers.
• Finds the Buyer, or the Buyer finds him/her.
• Provides Counsel to the Buyer**.
• Identifies and Shows the Property.
• Negotiates the Deal.
• Leads the Buyer through Escrow.
• Finalizes the Sale at it’s Close.

What the Client does, or should do:

• Interviews Agent(s)**
• Selects Agent
• Accepts Market Reality
• Is Motivated to Sell or Buy
• Makes adjustments when necessary
• Negotiates reasonably
  

After the close of a successful transaction, both Agents usually market their success to their public. There is always lots of “SOLD” advertising appearing throughout a market. The message is repeated time and time again: “I” SOLD this, and “I” SOLD that.

Not to minimize the efforts of the agent, because the efforts can be and often are extraordinary, but it’s not one particular Agent, or one Agent’s exclusive salesmanship that necessarily causes a successful sale. The Agent does provide a learned, needed professional duty, and consistently the professional Agent gets a higher price for the sale of a house than a non-professional, or a For Sale by Owner, for example.

What it takes to successfully sell a house is TEAMWORK.

Where an agent’s salesmanship counts most is not where one normally thinks it is. It’s not in the negotiating phase. It’s what’s up front that counts. That why we put two asterisks above where it matters most.

The real deal making phase of a successful sales transaction occurs at the very beginning. This is where successful Teamwork is established between the Agent and the Client. It’s built on mutual trust, and it occurs before the listing, and before the offer. It all happens in that time between first contact and the decision to work with each other.

More About TeamWork:
If the foundation for teamwork is solid from the onset, that provides the basis for successful negotiation, compromise, possible adjustments and any necessary changes in strategy later.

• A team takes at least two people combined in single purpose. Getting to that is a 2-way street, and it takes a conscious decision to do so from all parties involved.
  
  
• If the Agent does everything properly, that does not necessarily mean that they have earned a Client’s trust and formed a winning team. With some people, that unfortunately just doesn’t happen.
  
  
• Conversely, and this does happen, an Agent might not feel good about working with a Client. Certainly part of the magic of coming together in a meeting of the minds is attitude. Liking each other is definitely part of the successful team mix.
  
  
• Each and every time we first meet a new potential Client, our goal is friendship. “Friends for life” is what we like to call it, and for us it happens a lot, but not all of the time. Though we wish it would.
  

From the Agent comes truth, character, communication and preparation. From the Client comes acceptance, particularly that of current market reality... and willingness. If the Agent communicated current market conditions and the ability to perform effectively, and if the Client accepts both, and actually wants to sell their house, and both parties feel good about each other, a good team will emerge. A successful sale will then soon follow.

3 Teams:
There are 3 successful teams at play for every successful transaction: two are obvious, and one less so that works behind the scene and is fundamental. The teams are:

• The Seller and Listing Agent.
  
  
• The Buyer and Buyer’s Agent.
  
  
• Both Agents working with each other to bring their Clients together.
  

We could write a book on Agents working together as a team. Some have. Getting to know and working effectively with other Agents is essential. It is also a learning process that evolves through experience. It's an evolution we work to get better at every day.