Marketing on Craigslist for Real Estate

Making the most of this free online service.

By:  Tina Merritt, Wolkiawww.wolkia.com

What IS Craigslist?

Craigslist is the brainchild of Craig Newmark, and has become one of the most popular sites on the Internet. 

 Started in San Francisco in 1995, craigslist is perhaps the

ultimate site for classified listings. It offers job advertisements, personal ads, ads for cars, pets, home supplies and a plethora

of other choices. The website is built around communities, and craigslist now offers sites in 450 cities and countries throughout the world. 

 Financial information about the company is not disclosed, but business experts believe craigslist is worth over 10 million US

dollars (USD).

What is the cost?

Zero, Zilch, Nada

In our area, it is FREE to advertise on Craigslist.

Craigslist is the #1 real estate search site in the world.

The only expense is your time.

How to Post a Listing on Craigslist

1.  Go to www.craigslist.org 2.  Sign up for an account.  This will make it easier to edit and delete your ads. 3.  Select the area "Hampton Roads"4.  Choose "Post to Classifieds" and then "Housing Offered"

5.  Click "Real estate - by Broker"

6.  This will bring you to the screen to enter your listing information.

Now, you have two choices:  you can start typing your own ad or use a service such as Classifiedflyerads.com which

provides code for you to insert.

Writing your own ad

1.  Don't be wordy, just informative.  Add facts, not fluff.

2.  Use a "To the point" title.  "Affordable 3 bd home in Chesapeake" is better than "Charming ranch with large master".

3.  You can add up to 4 pictures.  Ads without pictures get fewer views than those with pictures.

4.  Make sure you disclose your required info!  Name, company name, contact info.  Good idea to add "Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed" too.

To add pictures, click on the "Browse" button and select the picture you want to upload from your computer or the "J" drive. 

Craigslist will format the picture to be compatible with their system.

The red "X" will become a green "O" when your upload is successful.

Posting using an Online Flyer Site

For those of you who use Postlets, VFlyer and/or Classifiedflyerads, all of these services offer "code" where you can post to Craigslist and have a more professional, visually

pleasing ad.For this example, I am going to use Classifiedflyerads.  The

others are very similar in the way to post.

Do you automatically submit to Craigslist?No, it is against Craigslist terms of use to have "posting agents" post on behalf of others, and we are dedicated to meeting all requirements of online directories. However, we provide you with Craigslist-acceptable HTML, which you can easily post directly into the Craigslist description box.  Why does my flyer look different on Craigslist?Craigslist has restrictions on the type of HTML and content that may be posted. The Craigslist HTML we provide is formatted to abide by these restrictions and their terms of use. Craigslist states to use "html sparingly" and is known to frown upon posts that have too much HTML or look too commercial. If your listing flyers look too commercial or have too much HTML, it will have a higher chance of being flagged or blocked by the Craigslist community. We respect the Craigslist's terms and urge our members to do the same.

Suggestions and Tips

1.  Try to post your listings 1-3 times per week to Craigslist.  The older the posting, the less likely it is to be seen.

2.  Don't always post the same info.  Your listing will be flagged and removed. 

3.  Try posting things besides listings!  Ideas include:  first time homebuyer services, free home warranty with purchase, joint marketing with a loan officer or title company, etc.