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Facebook for real estate is not breaking news. For some time now, socially savvy real estate agents have been taking full advantage of personal profiles, business pages, groups, and ads. But the social superpower is raising the bar on buying and selling online. With the new Facebook Marketplace smartphone app, people can now buy and sell real estate properties within the app.
Here’s how it works:
Introduction to Facebook Marketplace
Facebook’s Marketplace is exclusive to smart phone apps for Apple and Android. The Marketplace icon replaces the previous messenger icon at bottom center of the app. The messenger app has been relocated to the top left corner to make room for Marketplace to have center stage.
Shoppers can browse the marketplace by location, price, and category – including a category specifically for housing. The housing category is located near the bottom, under the category classifieds.
How to Post a Listing in 10 Simple Steps
There are five super simple steps to posting a real estate listing in Facebook’s Marketplace.
1. Snap a photo of the property with your device.
2. Click the marketplace icon at the bottom center of your Facebook app.
3. Upload your image by tapping the camera icon in Marketplace.
4. Give Your Item a Snazzy Title up to 100 characters
5. Type in a description including property features. There’s currently no character limit on descriptions, and you can even include links!
6. Set a price for your item.
7. Select your location and your category.
8. Opt to share with friends (Marketplace products do not automatically appear on your profile unless you choose to share.
9. Click post.
10. Reply to inquiries via Facebook messenger.
What Marketplace Doesn’t Do
Marketplace does not facilitate monetary transactions. Sorry, Paypal. When a user is interested in the item you’ve listed, they message you directly. You then work out the details of payment privately. In the case of real estate sales, agents have the ability to schedule showings directly via messenger.
At present, Facebook’s Marketplace does not allow product reviews or recommendations, so it’s impossible for a viewer to compare your product or service to others, or post praise for your excellent service.
Competing with the Big Boys
Although Facebook’s new Marketplace is being compared to Craig’s List and E-bay, the experience of Marketplace is more personal. Viewers have the option to visit your Facebook profile to learn more about you, your business, and build trust. With the inquiries being filtered through Facebook’s messenger app, users also have the ability to communicate in real time.
Summing it Up
Facebook has made it easier than ever for agents to generate real estate leads online through the social network powerhouse. With no fees, simple posting of pictures with property descriptions and links, sorting by price and location, listing your properties is easy peasy. Marketplace’s messenger integration allows you to communicate with leads in real time. In short, there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. Facebook for real estate just got better.
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