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Craigslist is a bulletin board-style text-based platform for posting classified advertising, exchanging community information, and buying and selling things.
Although the site is not specifically for real estate, it is an easy method for agents to post free listings with a local audience and create buyer leads. Use high-quality photographs, calls to action, and well-structured language to optimize your own listing articles.
Here are the ten steps to using Craigslist to generate real estate leads:
1. Sign up for a Craigslist account.
You may put items on Craigslist without creating an account, but logging in makes it quicker to confirm, amend, and renew your ads. Go to Craiglist.org and click “my account” on the left side of the webpage to establish an account. Click “Create account” after entering your email address.
Craigslist will send you an email to complete your registration when you input your email address. Follow the instructions on the page to establish a new password after clicking the link in the email. Finally, choose your password by clicking “Select Password.”
Log in to your own user dashboard once you’ve created an account. You may use this to see and manage both current and dormant postings. You may sort your posts by date, status, location, and other factors, as well as search for particular text within them. Most significantly, post drafts may be edited and saved.
A screenshot of the Craigslist user dashboard is seen below.
2. Select a Category for Your Posting
It’s easy and free to post real estate ads on Craigslist. To do so, go to the site and look for the Craigslist board for your market, then click “Post to Classifieds” in the top left-hand corner of the screen. Select “real estate – by broker” from the “housing provided” drop-down menu and click “continue.” This ensures that your ad appears in the “real estate for sale” section of Craigslist’s broad “housing” category.
3. Agree to the Real Estate Posting Guidelines
You’ll get a screen describing Craigslist’s real estate-specific criteria once you choose the sort of ad you wish to submit. All listing conditions are listed here, including the need that each post is for a single, particular, and presently available property. Additional information on what may and cannot be contributed to these postings will also be provided. To continue with the posting procedure, read the prerequisites and click “I will comply by these standards.”
4. Add Listing Title, Location & Description
Following your acceptance of Craigslist’s criteria, you’ll be prompted to create the title and content of your ad using a plain form that lacks HTML style. You may optionally provide a precise location, however, this is not required. There are several approaches to ad development, but the best method to increase your chances of obtaining a real estate buyer lead is to utilize compelling language, have a clear call to action, and offer trackable contact information.
Here are some helpful hints for writing a successful Craigslist ad:
- Make your title interesting: Instead of just listing the property’s location, offer something intriguing, such as “Beautiful Bungalow Within Walking Distance of Downtown.”
- Include the following information: Only the posting title, postal code, posting content, and email address are mandatory fields, although adding the particular location helps Craigslist identify the advertisement on an interactive map.
- Add some information about the area: Make the most of your Craigslist ad by including intriguing and useful information in the body, such as local retail options, school districts, walkability ratings, and anything else that would entice someone to contact you for additional information.
- Make a distinct call to action (CTA): Use particular tracking numbers or codes to determine where leads are coming from; include a strong CTA at the conclusion of the body text to encourage leads to contact you for more information.
An example of where to put a catchy title and text.
5. Add Listing & License Details
Add listing features like price, square footage, accessibility, housing type, laundry facilities, parking choices, and the number of bedrooms and bathrooms farther down the same page. You may also include information about forthcoming open houses, as illustrated in the picture below. You may leave these areas blank and have clients contact you directly if you don’t want to provide this information.
If you’re a licensed real estate agent or broker, don’t forget to provide your license number. This gives you a lot of credibilities and shows that you’re representing real property. Click “proceed” after you’ve completed the listing and licensing information.
6. Include a map with your listing.
Craigslist walks you through the process of producing a map for your listing address after you’ve written a creative title and included a property description. Leads will be able to quickly identify your home, determine whether it is in a desirable area, and drive by to see if they are interested if you provide an accurate map.
Add your listed property’s street address, nearest cross street, city, and postal code first. Then, on the interactive map, drag and drop the pin to pinpoint the precise position of your listing. When you’re done, click “proceed.”
This is a screenshot of Craigslist’s mapping feature.
7. Include high-resolution listing photos
You’ll be requested to add images to your listing on the next page, which is an important aspect of any listing post and essential for highlighting your property’s greatest characteristics. To upload up to 24 professional property photographs, click the “Add images” button and make sure they’re high-resolution (300 dpi) and in JPG, GIF, or PNG format.
Try BoxBrownie.com’s picture editing services if you want to improve your listing photographs for Craigslist. Beyond normal picture improvement and correction, BoxBrownie.com now provides virtual staging, which allows you to show prospective buyers how the property would appear completely furnished.
Click “done with photographs” after you’re through adding photos.
Craigslist’s picture uploading function, as shown in a screen image.
8. Review Draft of Post & Publish
Craigslist’s posting feature generates a draft of the whole ad for you to examine when you add listing information, a map, and images. Click “publish” in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen if the ad is correct. Craigslist will send you an email asking you to confirm that you want your ad to be published once you submit your request. To confirm publishing, just click the link in the email and follow Craigslist’s recommendations.
It’s vital to keep an eye on your email since your ad won’t be up until you finish the email confirmation step. Check your spam folder as well to ensure that the confirmation email did not end up in the incorrect location.
9. Entering New Leads into a CRM
Craigslist’s interested buyer leads will contact you through the email address in your user account. Use a CRM to monitor and nurture the lead after they’ve made contact until they agree to work with you as a buyer agent.
Consider adopting a CRM with built-in listing management, such as Real Geeks, which interfaces with the MLS and uploads your listings to Craigslist automatically. Then, utilizing automated email marketing solutions, you can monitor Craigslist prospects and follow up with them.
Real Geeks’ Craigslist posting tool, as shown in a screen photo.
10. Repost
Craigslist ads are live for 45 days on the internet. You may, however, resubmit the same listing before the original one is deleted to boost exposure. Keep in mind that moderators may flag this “dual listing,” and if they find that your account is posting too often, they may erase or “ghost” your listings, rendering them invisible to users.
It’s best to establish a different Craigslist account for each day of the week you want to publish listings to prevent complications with deleted and flagged ads. You may also employ an auto-posting service, which will publish and repost properties for you as often as the platform allows. Real Geeks, kvCORE, and TaskBullet are all popular choices.
Posting Guidelines on Craigslist
Craigslist demands that you follow specific standards to prevent your post from being removed or marked by moderators. Each of your real estate advertisements must be for a single, presently available property. Users must include providing particular facts while eliminating cartoons, search links, and market advice. Finally, agents may or may not provide information about financing.
When creating a Craigslist ad, leave out the following items:
- Graphic pictures or cartoons
- Self-portraits or portraits of others
- Links to “more information” on the internet
- Overlayed photos with “click below,” contact information, or other text
- Multiple property links or information may be found by doing a search.
- Advertisements for any kind of service, including information on finance or loans
- Buying, selling or exploiting market circumstances advice
Limit your posting to the following components instead:
- Everything you need to know about the property you’re selling.
- Several high-resolution images of the property
- Craigslist map with street address and location
How to Advertise Real Estate on Craigslist: 5 Pro Tips
If you’re a single agent with a limited budget, Craigslist might be a terrific approach to create leads in your real estate farm region. Experienced agents have discovered that postings are more effective if you keep to a regular posting schedule, utilize the platform to develop buzz, and monitor leads.
When utilizing Craigslist to produce leads, real estate professionals recommend following these five guidelines:
Include “teases” about the property to pique interest.
Edward Slavis, Licensed Realtor, S&G Realty
We advertise future listings on Craigslist with a short description and a few photographs or drawings. We’ll be vague to attract people to approach us with queries, so less is more. “Hard hat tours now available,” or “Contact us for a pre-market showing,” we tease when feasible. Every lead is sent via our customer pipeline.
Craigslist is a useful tool for putting your ad in front of prospective purchasers. It is free and does not get the same amount of traffic from real estate brokers as local newspapers and publications. Incorporating it into your listing presentation is also a type of marketing.
Include Clear Contact & License Information
Compass Realtor Jennifer Okhovat
The best way to work within the Posting Guidelines on Craigslist is to pay attention to the area you’re posting in. If you’re a real estate professional, you must always include your license information, contact information, and clearly state that you’re a broker and which company you are with. It’s important to include high-resolution photos for any listing, whether for sale or lease. I have found posting once a week to be sufficient. If I am posting a lease listing, I will often post it multiple times, with different headlines, to grab more attention.
Post Frequently
iwillbuyhouse.com Co-Founder Alex Romanov
I am a Seattle-based real estate investor who began my real estate business on Craigslist. I identified numerous hot leads early on that turned into property transactions that I was able to benefit from. There are undoubted bargains to be had on Craigslist, but you must adhere to a few important criteria in order to get them:
- Stick to your plan and don’t stray from it. People that succeed on Craigslist repeat the same steps over and again. They maintain a consistent publishing schedule and do not vary from it. Expect no results if you simply post on Craigslist once or twice a month, it’s that easy.
- The greatest results come from posting once a day during the peak hours (noon – 4 p.m.).
- Use a clever platform like IFTTT.com to automate the process of looking for posted offers and get email alerts whenever a real estate listing that meets your criteria is put on Craigslist.
Post Early & Late on Monday & Wednesday
We Buy Houses In Connecticut, Jerryll Noorden, Owner
We publish at 6:30 a.m. on Mondays to ensure that our post is at the top of the list, just in time for people to read the news, check their email, and browse the web before going to work. We upload again at 7 p.m. (on the same Monday) so that we are right on top when folks get home after a hard day and start perusing the web over supper. Monday is an excellent day to publish since it is the day that most people prefer to check their emails and catch up on online activities following their relaxing weekends. On Wednesday, we repeat the process.
Create excitement with “Coming Soon” listings.
Keller Williams Broker Associate Chris Siamof, MBA
I’ve used Craigslist to build buzz for “coming soon” homes before they reach the general market. It is critical to update the marketing on a daily basis. More calls are generated by using several images and eliminating the pricing. Provide them with a cause to contact you. I don’t usually post vacant houses on Craigslist. They are “hacked,” and someone attempts to swindle someone by advertising them for “rent.”
How to Get Real Estate Leads From Craigslist: Pros & Cons
Craigslist may be an efficient approach to produce potential real estate leads, depending on your area, the size of your agency, the number of listings, and other criteria. Creating Craigslist listings, on the other hand, might take a long time. Furthermore, Craigslist has a number of severe rules that might make it difficult for your postings to be viewed by prospective customers, making it an ineffective method for every real estate marketing strategy.
Benefits
- It’s free to publish listings: Because Craigslist is a fully free platform, it’s an excellent choice for small teams and single agents who don’t have the funds to invest in lead generation or pay-per-click advertising.
- The layout is simple to navigate: The Craigslist website is incredibly user-friendly, with no-frills, text-based connections, and self-explanatory menus.
- Although some of the data you may use in listings on Craigslist is restricted, you still have the option to pick a headline, provide listing details, and share images that showcase the greatest features of your homes.
Cons
- Craigslist may ghost or flag advertisements that seem to be repetitious or “spammy.” As a consequence, you can waste time writing content that doesn’t show up in user search results. To prevent this, keep your messages short and avoid repeating material across many adverts.
- Because the website is most commonly accessed by real estate investors seeking cheap cash bargains, Craigslist may not create high-quality leads that convert into sales depending on your area and kinds of listings.
- It might be tough to monitor leads since Craigslist articles aren’t immediately connected to landing sites or CRMs. Use trackable phone numbers, emails, or codes to know where your leads are coming from to make this easy.
Most Commonly Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Is the Most Effective Way to Generate Real Estate Leads?
In real estate, the best technique to generate leads is determined by your market, budget, and brokerage. Organic traffic on your IDX-enabled websites, pay-per-click advertising, and referrals are all common lead-generating tactics. If you’re looking for ideas on how to get your team started producing leads, go no further than this list of real estate lead generation ideas.
What Methods Do Sellers Use to Generate Leads?
Because many homeowners attempt to sell their homes alone or only contact a seller agent after the house has been on the market for a long time with no offers, the process of acquiring seller leads varies from capturing buyer leads. For these reasons, FSBOs and expired listings are the most effective seller lead-generating sources. You may also pay for adverts and browse probate and divorce documents.
How Can I Quickly Attract Real Estate Clients?
If you depend on more organic sources of lead generation, such as network recommendations, getting real estate customers might take a long time. If you need real estate customers quickly, try buying for leads via a service like Zillow Premier Agent, which allows you to purchase leads within your ZIP code.
What Are the Best Ways for New Real Estate Agents to Get Leads?
If your network is still limited and you don’t have many sales or listings under your belt, it might be tough for rookie real estate agents to generate leads. Creating keyword-optimized blog material that exhibits your local expertise and establishes you as an authority in your subject is an inexpensive approach to get leads. Lead creation solutions like BoldLeads should be used by new agents as well. Additional suggestions may be found in our list of new agent tips.
How do you get real estate leads from Craigslist?
Craigslist is an online community where you may post classified ads and share them with others in your region. Your listings, which contain property descriptions, high-quality photos, calls to action, and enticing content, may be posted for free on the website. To get the most out of the leads you get from Craigslist, utilize a CRM to keep track of them and follow up with them.
