Selling your home FSBO? Facebook Marketplace offers a free and easy way to list a property for sale. However, there are much better ways to sell a house — also for free or at little cost.
Facebook has never been a home-shopping destination for home buyers. While local investors may browse Facebook Marketplace hoping to score a deal on a house, you're just as likely to run into a scammer as you are a legit cash buyer.
If you're looking to sell your house for cash, there are far more secure (and profitable) ways to get a cash offer, including:
- Starting with a free cash offer marketplace like Clever Offers, which can help you get competing cash offers from a variety of investors who have already been screened and vetted
- Going directly to reputable cash buyers near you
If you're hoping to find a traditional buyer for your FSBO listing, the following free and low-cost options are going to offer much more visibility than Facebook:
- Flat fee MLS services, which can help you list your home on the MLS without needing a traditional realtor
- Discount brokers, which offer full-service listings for about half the typical listing agent commission
- Other FSBO websites, which can help you catch the eye of far more buyers
How to list a house on Facebook Marketplace step-by-step
Click “Get Started” to see how to list a property on Facebook:
- Navigate to facebook.com and either log in or create an account using your email address or phone number.
- Before setting up your listing, you might want to join local community groups where you can promote your listing once it's published.
- When you're ready, click on "Marketplace" in the side menu.
- On the next screen, click the "Create new listing" button.
- Choose your listing type as "Home for Sale or Rent".
- Upload photos and videos.
- Enter your listing information. Be sure to include the price, neighborhood, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and a detailed listing description calling out your home's best features, recent upgrades, and unique selling points.
- Click on "advanced details" to enter additional info like square footage, cooling/heating types, laundry, parking, etc.
- Preview of your listing, then click "Next,"
- Before publishing, you'll have the opportunity to select any local community groups that you want to promote your Marketplace listing to.
- Hit "Publish" to push your listing live and automatically promote it to your selected Facebook groups.
- On the next screen, you'll be able to edit your listing and promote it for more visibility. However, this option costs money depending on how many people you want to see it.
Should you use Facebook Marketplace to sell a house?
Selling a house FSBO on Facebook Marketplace is a tough process that doesn't always pay off.
Without an agent, you'll have to do all the work to sell your home yourself.
"Homeowners underestimate the amount of work it takes to get eyeballs [on the listing], advertise, capture leads, vet buyers, schedule showings, establish realistic pricing, and get traffic through the door," said Andrew Texidor, a realtor with HomeSmart.
Also, you may sell below your home's market value.
"People on Facebook Marketplace are likely to be investors looking for deals," Texidor explained. "FSBO homes also historically sell for less than those listed with a real estate professional and marketed to prospective buyers."
In fact, homes sold FSBO generally sell for about 13% less than those sold through an agent.[1]
Saving on realtor fees is the primary reason homeowners choose to sell without a realtor. While selling FSBO could save you around 3% in commission, you could sell for about 13% less than you would with an agent — wiping out any potential commission savings and then some.
If you’re considering selling your house on Facebook to avoid paying realtor fees, there are better ways to save.
Pros and cons of selling a house on Facebook Marketplace
- It's easy and free to create a listing.
- Your network can share your listing with others.
- You can add up to 50 photos.
- You can connect to buyers directly through Messenger.
- You don't pay a seller's agent commission.
- You can remove or edit your listing whenever.
- You may have concerns about privacy.
- You'll get scammers and spam messages.
- Your buyer pool is limited.
- Paying to advertise or boost your listing could be a waste.
- You may still pay a buyer's agent commission.
- You can attract buyers who aren't serious.
Some of the biggest cons are issues with prospective buyers on the platform.
"You’ll get many messages with a very small percentage of people actually interested, people are generally not prequalified to buy yet, and you have to weed through the scammers. Also, if a buyer sees that you’re a for sale by owner [seller], they will try to haggle on the price quite a bit," said Sandy Medina, a real estate agent with United Realty Group.
But there are some upsides: "You can add many pictures and even a link to a tour video," explained Medina. "It’s easily shareable, and with creativity, you can make viral content," Texidor added.
Tips for selling a house on Facebook
While we don’t recommend Facebook Marketplace as your primary method of advertising your home, it can be effective alongside other advertising techniques. Here’s how you can improve your chances of finding a buyer on Facebook:
💰 Set a realistic price
"Most homeowners think their home is worth more than it is, especially those who want to sell it on their own," said Texidor.
To avoid overpricing, base your listing price on data via a comparative market analysis (CMA). CMAs estimate a home's value based on sales data from homes in the area that have recently sold. "Price your home at or a very small percentage over what has sold in the area," advised Medina.
You can get a free CMA from an agent or do one yourself with the data available to you.
📝 Write a good description
Facebook allows lengthy descriptions, but you don’t need to include every detail about your house. Just include the notable aspects, like neighborhood, proximity to schools, architecture style, parking area, and lot size.
» How to write a great listing description
On the app, you can edit your listing's title and add amenities. The default title is the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, plus the word "House" (e.g., 2 Beds 2 Baths House). You can select amenities like "basement" and "balcony" from a list. To edit your listing:
- Select "Marketplace" from the menu.
- Click the profile icon 👤 next to "Sell," then select "Your listings."
- Tap the three dots near your listing, and select "Edit listing."
- Directly edit the title, or pick amenities from the list at the bottom of the screen.
💸 Focus on investors
In your description and title, use words like “investment,” “fixer-upper,” and “as is.” These phrases attract investors who are looking for these types of properties.
But be prepared for the inevitability that investors will offer less than your desired listing price. For example, a Reddit user posted a house for sale on Facebook Marketplace at $40,000, only to get investors offering as low as $12,500.
If you're looking to sell a house as is, selling to an investor can be the way to go. But we don't recommend starting with Facebook, for the the mere reason that it's not always easy to weed out a legitimate investor from a potential scammer — or someone simply hoping that you won't know your home's real value.
For a much safer alternative to selling to an investor on Facebook, we recommend starting with Clever Offers — our top pick for finding a cash offer. Simply send them a few details about your house, and they'll connect you to highly rated investors who have already been vetted for quality.
📸 Take good photos
- Take photos on a sunny day, and open all blinds and curtains.
- Clean and declutter your home.
- Hide personal items like family photos.
- Take detailed photos of the kitchen, bathrooms, living room, and master bedroom (these are the areas sellers most want to see).
"On Facebook, you can make the first photo an engaging picture of the front of the property or the best feature of the property, with the price and the best qualities of the property written right in the photo," said Medina. "People seem to be attracted more to the first photo than the title and the description."
Medina emphasized the importance of photos when she shared her experience selling her own home on Facebook Marketplace. "I put the home up for sale on Facebook Marketplace with many, many photos and a link to my YouTube channel with a full tour of the home. The home was under contract within 24 hours at full price!"
Note: You can upload more photos using Facebook on your desktop computer than on the app (50 vs. 20 photos).
📲 Share your listing
Facebook’s social aspect is an advantage over other FSBO sites. You can share your listing to:
- A friend’s profile
- Local groups or pages
- The News Feed of your friends and followers
To share, navigate to your listing. Then click the “Share” button (if you’re on a desktop) or “Share” from the three-dot menu (if you’re on the Facebook app).
How to boost a Facebook post with your home listing
Click “Get Started” to see how to boost a home listing on Facebook:
Posting a house on Facebook is free, but you can pay to “boost” your Marketplace listing. By boosting your home, it will appear in other users’ Facebook News Feeds as an ad.
You set a budget and a time frame — the minimum is $1 per day — and Facebook will estimate how many people might see it. Boosted posts will show only to adults within a 40-mile radius of your home.
There’s no guarantee that anyone will click your post or that Facebook will show it specifically to home shoppers. And legally, Facebook boosts and ads can’t be targeted because of housing discrimination laws.
Boosting a listing vs. Facebook ads: Is either worth it?
We haven’t found any evidence that boosting a post is better than purchasing Facebook ads. But if we had to choose one, it would be boosting a Marketplace listing.
Facebook ads just aren’t designed for real estate sales. Because of housing discrimination laws, you can’t harness the real power of these ads: targeting specific audiences. Instead, you have to advertise to a large group collectively, which can be ineffective.
| 🚀 Boosting | 🗐 Facebook ads |
|---|---|
| ✅ Simple (finish in a few clicks) | ✅ Customizable (like adding a "Call now" button with your phone number) |
| ✅ Designed for one-off sales | ✅ Option to set radius from 1 to 50 miles |
| ✅ Minimum cost of $1 per day | ✅ Minimum cost of $1 per day |
| ⛔️ Limited customization | ⛔️ More complicated |
| ⛔️ Shows your home only to users within a 40-mile radius | ⛔️ Designed for businesses that need entire ad campaigns |
Is it safe to sell a house on Facebook Marketplace?
Prepare for scammers and spammers
Facebook is a notorious hotspot for scams. When selling a house on Facebook, take these precautions:
- Lock down your privacy settings.
- Never send money to anyone.
- Ignore vague or misspelled messages.
- Meet with buyers during the daytime, and have someone with you when showing the property.
- Don’t click on messages containing links (they could be phishing).
- Don’t accept checks or money orders from someone you haven’t met.
In addition to scammers, FSBO sellers get a lot of spam from listing agents wanting to sell their house, so be prepared for emails, texts, phone calls, or even in-person visits from agents.
Update privacy settings
Your home listing will be public, so anyone can see it. To protect your personal information, change your privacy setting so only your friends can see your personal account.
» MORE: How to change your privacy settings on Facebook
Vet buyers financially
You’ll likely get contacted by buyers who aren’t serious or qualified. Here’s how to vet buyers:
- For cash buyers, ask for proof of funds, a letter from the bank saying they have the cash.
- For traditional buyers, ask for a pre-approval letter.
- In the contract, ask for earnest money. Have an escrow agent or title company hold the money.
Best alternatives to selling a house on Facebook Marketplace
Discount brokers
A low-commission or discount broker can be a good middle ground when you want to avoid the hassles of selling FSBO — but still save money on realtor fees.
Our team has spent hundreds of hours researching where to find the top realtors offering lower commission rates.
These options offer the same service and support you'd get from a full-commission agent, but for as little as 1% of your home sale price. That's a huge value considering the amount of effort that goes into selling a house FSBO.
| 💡 We recommend starting with Clever Real Estate, which offers pre-negotiated commission savings with top agents from name-brand brokerages like Keller Williams and RE/MAX. You fill out a quick form, and they send you the profiles of top local agents who match your criteria. It’s free, so there’s no real risk in just seeing who it matches you with. If it strikes out, you can walk away with no obligation. |
Cash buyers
Cash buyers can make instant offers and close within 7–14 days. They have readily available funds, eliminating the need for financing. Many cash investors also cover seller closing costs. However, cash buyers typically only pay about 60–80% of a home's potential value, with 70% being the norm.
Selling to a "we buy houses" company is typically best when you:
- Have a home that requires extensive repairs
- Have an inherited home in poor or outdated condition
- Care more about selling quickly than getting the highest price
| 💡 To get a fair offer, try a free cash offer marketplace like Clever Offers. You’ll get cash offers to compare from local and national investors, and a dedicated point of contact to help you understand other options like seller financing. You’ll also get a professional home valuation so you can compare the cash offers to your home’s market value. |
Zillow
With more than 200 million monthly visits,[2] Zillow is by far the most visited real estate website. Moreover, it's completely free to list your home for sale on Zillow.
Pros
- Free
- More people use it, which means more potential buyers
- Its app creates 3D home tours
Cons
- FSBO sellers often deal with agents calling to earn their business
- You have to give an email address or phone number, which increases spam to personal accounts
Craigslist
Craigslist is one of the oldest websites for finding housing. If you have an investment property, it can be a good place to list. However, just like with Facebook, you have a higher likelihood of encountering scammers when selling a house on Craigslist. Most buyers — apart from investors looking for a bargain — simply don't shop for homes there.
Pros
- Free
- You get an anonymous email proxy
- Good for selling investment properties
Cons
- Not great for traditional home sellers
- Lots of scammers
- Outdated interface
Flat fee MLS services
Flat fee MLS companies get your house on the MLS for a flat rate. They cost about $299–399 on average, and they offer add-ons like lockboxes and professional photography at an additional cost.
Pros
- Big buyer pool
- Inexpensive
- You get your house on the MLS without a realtor
Cons
- May have to pay to edit your listing
- Cheapest options usually come with listing restrictions, like limited photos
- Costs for additional services can add up
FAQ about selling a house on Facebook
On desktop, go to Facebook.com and click "Marketplace." Then go to "Create a new listing" and then "Home for Sale or Rent." Fill out all the available information — like price, square footage, number of bedrooms, etc. — then fill out a description. Then hit "Next" and click publish. Want a more detailed explanation? Check out our step-by-step guide.
It's free to post a house for sale on Facebook Marketplace. You can pay to advertise your listing by using Facebook ads or by "boosting." By doing so, you can get more eyes on your property — but there's no evidence this helps single-home FSBO sellers. There are better ways to spend your money when marketing a house, like using a flat fee MLS service or a discount broker.
Listing a house on Facebook is free and easy, and it's one way to market a home. But you're more likely to encounter scammers than legitimate buyers, who tend to search for homes on other sites. While it doesn't hurt to promote your listing on Facebook, there are other, better options to explore.
