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Posted on May 23, 2022 by in Uncategorized

How to sell your Jacksonville home on Craigslist

Selling your home by placing an advertisement in the local classifieds may be behind the times, but thanks to online classified platforms such as the ever popular Craigslist, you can try a slightly more modern approach to selling without real estate agents. 

What is Craigslist? 

Craigslist, while past its heyday, is an online platform for posting classified advertisements for everything from jobs to real estate. With each major city having its own separate page of listings such as Jax Craigslist, you can market a home to individuals looking specifically in your city. It’s a great tool for those looking to do a sale by owner. 

There are other online classifieds, but Craigslist is the largest, and is available in most cities, so we will be focusing on it for the purposes of this article. 

How can Craigslist help me sell my house?

When you have a home for sale, and you want to sell your real estate by owner, one of the most challenging aspects is finding an audience for your marketing efforts. Even the best house will have trouble with potential buyers if nobody knows it’s available. 

Craigslist offers a cost effective way to create FSBO real estate ads that can reach a large audience of locals looking for real estate listings. More eyes on your advertisement means more potential buyers. 

How to sell your home on Craigslist

In order to create a listing on Craigslist you will first need an account. You can sign up for an account here. They will need your email address and a bit of additional contact information to cre. 

Once signed up and signed in, select your market. Some cities may have individual markets, and others may be grouped together. For example, our market in Jacksonville FL is grouped together with all of the smaller neighboring cities and counties. If we were looking to sell in one of these cities we would select Craigslist Jacksonville. 

Once your market has been selected choose your category. To find home buyers on Craigslist select the “housing” category, and select the “real estate for sale” sub category. From there you will be able to create your Craigslist ad. 

Best practices for selling a house on Craigslist

While Craigslist offers an easy way to reach prospective buyers, you still need to put in a significant amount of work to make your Craigslist ad stand out. Here are some of the best practices you should follow if you want to ensure a strong offer. 

  1. Take professional quality photographs. Poor quality photos won’t show your house in the best light. When buyers are scrolling, they will likely scroll right past a house that doesn’t immediately catch their eye. 
  2. Verify all details for accuracy. You don’t want to misrepresent the home you are selling, and you could be liable for any errors or omissions even if unintentional. Be sure to confirm the square footage, permitting, and lot boundaries prior to listing. This can usually be completed through your local property appraisers website. 
  3. Price the home correctly. Look at other local sales, or hire a real estate appraiser to ensure you don’t underprice or the home for sale on Craigslist. 
  4. Use an attention grabbing title. “House for Sale” won’t cut it. You need to pick something bold that can stand out in a crowded webpage. Think of the home’s selling features, and don’t be afraid to get creative. 

Potential issues when you sell on Craigslist

  1. Beware of scams. Craigslist and other classified sites don’t offer much protection to sellers against bad actors. Fraudulent and deceptive individuals often use classifieds to take advantage of inexperienced sellers. 
  2. Many people are time wasters. Since there is no obligation or commitment to browse classifieds, many window shoppers will inquire for additional details or showings on the property. If you don’t learn how to distinguish a true motivated buyer from a window shopper, you’ll be wasting a ton of time responding to inquiries and showing the home to people who have no intention of ever buying it.
  3. Competitors may try to take down your ads. Other home sellers and even those in real estate professions can sometimes act maliciously by reporting your ad. An ad that gets reported may be automatically flagged and removed, meaning you will have to spend additional time reposting your ad every time it gets taken down for an illegitimate reason. 
  4. Even if you find a good buyer you still have to negotiate your own sale, draft contacts, and find a place to close. It may be worthwhile to recruit the help of a real estate broker and attorney in order to ensure nothing is missed. 

Alternative ways to sell

If skipping the real estate fees is your goal when selling on Craigslist, selling to a cash buyer or investor might be a better alternative.  They can provide a quick and easy transaction without fees.