If your agent's marketing plan for selling your house is:
"Professional photos, list on MLS, open house"
Your agent is selling you 1995's marketing plan.
And you're paying them 5-6% commission to do it.
Let's talk about what actually sells houses in 2026.
The MLS Doesn't Matter As Much Anymore
I get it. The MLS is the system. It's where other agents go to find inventory.
But buyers don't find houses on MLS anymore. They find them on Zillow. Redfin. Facebook. Instagram. TikTok.
The MLS is a back-end system for agents. Not a buyer's marketplace.
If your agent's strategy starts and ends with "list on MLS," they're not selling your house to buyers. They're selling your house to other agents.
And hope someone's buyer actually wants it.
Open Houses Are Dead
Open houses do two things: 1. Attract neighbors who are nosy 2. Create liability for theft/damage
They don't sell houses.
You know what sells houses? Targeted advertising to qualified buyers who have actually looked at your neighborhood, your price point, and your property type.
That costs money. And it requires strategy.
Here's What Actually Works
1. Video/Reels Content
Buyers are on social media. They're scrolling while taking a shit.
If your house isn't on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube as actual video content, you're invisible to like 60% of buyers under 40.
It doesn't have to be fancy. Just good. Showing the actual flow of the house. The light. The vibe.
2. Targeted Ad Spend
Facebook, Instagram, Google. All of them let you target specific audiences.
Your agent should be running ads that say: "Luxury townhome in Highlands Ranch" and showing them to: - People in a 10-mile radius - People who've searched for similar homes - People in that income bracket - People in that age range
That's science. That's marketing.
3. Staging (The Right Way)
Bad staging: "Neutral colors, minimal furniture, remove all personality."
Good staging: Make it feel like people actually live there. Make it aspirational. Make it emotionally appealing.
A house is the biggest purchase most people make. They're buying emotionally first, justifying with logic second.
If your agent's staging plan is "remove everything," they're removing emotion.
4. Pricing Strategy (Not Guessing)
Too many agents price a house by pulling 3 comparable sales and averaging them out.
That's not strategy. That's lazy.
Real pricing strategy is: - What's the actual comparable market? - What's the absorption rate in this neighborhood? - What's the price elasticity (how much would price drop matter)? - What's the sweet spot between "move fast" and "don't leave money on the table"?
5. Buyer Pool Expansion
Your house might appeal to: - Young families - Couples moving to Denver - Investors - People relocating from out of state - Downsizers from Highlands Ranch - Empty nesters
Each of those groups has different priorities. Good agents market to each group differently.
Bad agents just put a sign in the yard.
The Real Issue
Most real estate agents are doing the bare minimum because it's what they've always done.
They list on MLS. They throw up some photos. They hold an open house where 4 people show up (3 are neighbors).
And then they wait.
If the house is nice enough and priced okay, it sells. And the agent gets paid regardless.
But if your house is slightly harder to sell? Unique in some way? Needs strategy? Most agents are useless.
What You Should Ask Your Agent
1. "What's your digital marketing strategy?" (If they say "MLS," run.) 2. "Will you run paid ads? What's the budget?" (This is non-negotiable.) 3. "How will you video the house?" (If they're using a photographer's stills only, that's 1995.) 4. "What's your pricing strategy?" (If it's "let's start high and see what happens," that's lazy.) 5. "How do you expand the buyer pool?" (If there's no answer, they don't have one.)
The Honest Thing
If your agent's marketing plan sounds like something you could've come up with by yourself after watching one YouTube video, it's not a plan.
It's a placeholder.
You're paying 5-6% of the largest sale of your life. That commission should buy you strategy, not just listing privileges.