How to Sell a House on Craigslist 

Craigslist can be a great place to make a free FSBO listing for the sale of your property that you can directly be in control of. 

Table of Contents:

Does Craigslist charge for real estate?

How do you post a real estate listing on Craigslist?

How do I sell on Craigslist?

Can I post on Craigslist for free?

How do I find real estate buyers on Craigslist?

How do sellers get leads on Craigslist?

How do you get leads on Craigslist?

Why is Craigslist charging $5?

What is the best form of payment for a large purchase on Craigslist?

What is an alternative to Craigslist?

How long does Craigslist take to post?

How do I post a free ad on Craigslist?

Does Craigslist charge for real estate?

Craigslist allows most of the postings on the website to be uploaded for free, however, there are certain exceptions to that. Regarding real estate, a home listing is completely free when using craigslist, the only properties you’ll need to pay a certain amount to the list is commercial real estate sold within the USA. For those wishing to complete a sale without having to contact a real estate agent then creating a listing through Craigslist can be a great free way of avoiding having to pay a listing fee for your property. 

Real Estate Listings that aren’t free on Craigslist include the following: 

· Apartment rentals only when those are in the Boston, Chicago, and NYC areas. Charged at $5 

· Commercial real estate properties within the USA. Charged at $5

How do you post a real estate listing on Craigslist?

Posting a listing on craigslist is a fairly simple process. The first step is always finding the craigslist website for your area if such a website exists. Once you have determined that you’ll need to sign on to your account on Craigslist and create the listing for your property. When creating your listing for Craigslist you’ll want to ensure that you have high-quality photos of your property. You’ll also want to add in the description of your listing all of the relevant information which makes your property unique and attractive to prospective buyers. Just because the ad is placed on Craigslist doesn’t mean you should not take extra care in creating an ad that will draw in a larger number of sellers. 

When creating a listing:

• Step 1: Log in to your account
• Step 2: Select post a new ad
• Step 3: Choose the category ‘housing offered’ 
• Step 4: Select FSBO – for sale by owner
• Step 5: Upload your photos and create your listing
• Step 6: Make your listing available

How do I sell on Craigslist?

Selling on Craigslist can come with its own set of challenges as you’ll be called upon to do everything from listing the property to replying to prospective buyers, arranging viewings, and negotiating the offers on the house. Therefore you must take the time to plan some of these things out prior to posting your listing. 

Creating an attractive listing on Craigslist is all about ensuring that your property is presented in the best possible light. If you want to have an influx of prospective buyers take well-lit photos of your property showcasing its best aspects and amenities. Writing a good description for your post is key as it’s based on the description that prospective buyers will get a better idea of what your property is like. Make sure to keep all of your photos and listing material as clean as possible, without using overly distracting designs. 

As you’ll be the one responsible for every single aspect of the listing, it’s important to decide ahead of time what the best method of communication will be. When posting your listing you can either choose to be contacted by phone or by email. Each of these options has its benefits, but our recommendation is that where possible you should select to be contacted through email. The reason for this is simple. An email cannot wake you up in the middle of the night, nor will it demand your immediate attention every single time one comes through. Instead, you can set out specific times in your day to reply to all the emails you have received. It will also make it much easier to arrange viewings if you can get a good handle on all the communications regarding the listing early on. 

Can I post on Craigslist for free?

The answer to this depends on what you’re trying to sell. If you’re trying to make a property listing on Craigslist for your house, then the answer to that question is a resounding yes. Craigslist allows you to add your home for sale on their website completely free, this means there will be no fees or commissions related to listing your house as an FSBO sale on Craigslist. 

How do I find real estate buyers on Craigslist?

Making a great listing is the best way to ensure that prospective buyers will find their way to you. Once you have made your listing on Craigslist, you’ll want to look at whether it’s attracting an audience. If no one is clicking on your ad then it’s time to make some adaptations to it. Changing the title of the ad to something more eye-catching, using a more striking photo of your property, or updating your description can all be great ways of attracting more buyers to your ad. If one thing isn’t working then do not be afraid to change it, especially if you want to keep attracting more and more buyers. Usually on craigslist you can also view ads from prospective buyers regarding the time of house that they are interested in purchasing. Contacting the buyers whose descriptions fit your property can also be a great way of finding the best possible buyer for your home. 

How do sellers get leads on Craigslist?

Getting seller leads on Craigslist may require a bit of work from your end, but the process can be simple if you use the following tips. 

1. Understand how Craigslist Listings work 

Craigslist is full of listings that are made by FSBO sellers. Oftentimes these listings aren’t regularly renewed and as time goes by and their property isn’t yet sold, the listings may expire. Looking through older and expired listings is a great way of finding properties that have been on the market for some time and can thus be further negotiated. 

In that same vein of thought, it’s important to remember that listings on Craigslist are posted from newest to oldest. Ensuring your ads are visible is a key component of generating leads on the site. 

2. Make your account feel and look real 

If your account looks as if it doesn’t belong to a real person or if you’re constantly using Craigslist as a guest, you may find that your messages and ads do not receive as many responses. Therefore you must create an account showcasing that you’re a real person and not a scam artist using the website. 

3. Add your contact details

Having an interesting ad isn’t enough, especially if there is no way for others to easily contact you after your listing is up. Ensure that you have a clear call for action and instructions on how others can easily contact you. This will make it much easier for you to find and track leads. 

How do you get leads on Craigslist?

Getting leads on Craigslist as a buyer can require a bit of your time and attention, but, creating an attractive listing and following some of our tips will help your post receive a fair amount of traction. 

1. Always post through a Craigslist account and not as a Guest, this makes your ad look more real to prospective buyers. 

2. Write a great title and description, Ad copy, for your listing this will attract more people to look through your ad. The ad copy should also have key searchable information regarding your property. 

3. Include photos that showcase all the best features of your home. 

4. Create a Call to Action and ad your contact information. You need to make it easy for prospective buyers to get in touch to ensure that they won’t lose interest. 

5. Renew your listing frequently. On Craigslist listings appear from newest to oldest so you do not want to leave your listing drop low in the order of appearance. 

6. Reply to calls, texts, and emails regarding your property quickly. This will give prospective buyers less time to potentially back out. 

7. Arrange property viewings in a timely manner, this will encourage buyers and will allow you to gather information about them during the call. 

Why is Craigslist charging $5?

Craigslist is charging $5 for the listing of commercial properties. This is just one of the exceptions in which they don’t allow an individual to upload an ad for free. If you’re looking to sell your home through Craigslist then you’ll not need to worry about the Craigslist fee for commercial properties as your own property doesn’t classify as one. Instead, you’ll be able to upload your Craigslist ad for free to sell your home faster. 

The following real estate properties require a $5 charge:

· Apartment rentals in Boston, Chicago, and NYC  

· Commercial real estate properties in the USA

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What is the best form of payment for a large purchase on Craigslist?

When using craigslist there are only two methods of payment recommended. The first one of these is cash and the second one is a personal check. If you want to be extra safe you may want to consider only using cash but as homes tend to be large value items that may not always be possible. In any case, it’s worth checking with your bank before accepting any check as a form of payment to verify the check’s validity. 

What is an alternative to Craigslist?          

There are many alternatives to Craigslist that exist. If you’re looking for other affordable selling solutions one excellent option growing in popularity is Richr.com. Richr offers home sellers an all-inclusive commission-free smarter home selling solution. Much like Craigslist, Richr is free and easy to list your home, you only pay a one-time payment of $699 at closing. This all-inclusive fee includes your MLS listing, transaction coordination costs and title and settlement fees. Richr is a great alternative for those looking to save big on closing costs.

How long does Craigslist take to post?

Posts tend to appear on Craigslist quickly. In fact, once you have completed and uploaded your post you should expect to see it on the website within 10 to 20 minutes. An important thing to remember, especially regarding the posting of free ads is that you’ll most likely need to confirm your email address. Without your email address confirmation, Craigslist won’t proceed with the posting of your ad. Even after your ad is posted, you’ll still be able to use your account to monitor it, edit it and even delete it when the time comes. 

How do I post a free ad on Craigslist?

Posting a free ad on Craigslist is a quick and easy process that can be completed in a few steps. Firstly, you’ll want to log in to your account on craigslist, this makes your ad look more legit than a guest ad would appear to be. Once you have logged in, you’ll need to click on ‘post a new ad’ and select the category your ad should fall under. In the case of a house sale that category will be housing offered. As an FSBO seller, you’ll want to also select that the property isn’t for sale through an agent. This is something you should also disclose in your description of your property as it provides prospective buyers with crucial information regarding what they should expect. When making your ad, ensure the title you have selected is eye-catching, also use photos that showcase your home in the best possible way. Dark photos of unorganized rooms won’t get the attention of any buyers, so when taking the photos for your ad make sure they are well lit. Finally, write a comprehensive description of the property and add a call to action. Usually, this will include information regarding how and when to contact you to arrange a viewing of the house. Once you have completed your description, you’re ready to simply post your ad onto craigslist. 

Summary

Craigslist can be a great way of selling your property without a real estate agent, however, it will also mean that you’ll be responsible for taking on most of the work that an agent would have handled in your place. Making the ad and your account personable is a key component to gaining traction and potentially making an FSBO sale of your property. With proper care and attention selling through Craigslist could lead to you selling your property without paying for any commissions and with very little risks.