Great post Pacita. These are great tips for getting more buyer and seller leads.

Thanks, Mike.

I have such wonderful results from craigslist, and it will always be a part of my marketing plan.

Good luck to you.

Thanks for the post Pacita.

I do all the above...every little bit helps

Thanks for the tips! I'm going to do my best to follow these suggestions and see if I can get CL to turn around for me.

Thanks for the tips...it is always great to get a reminder!  Craig's list is used by a different slice of the population then other media.

What great ideas!  I did not know about the creating an account part.  I'll start using your tips.

Cathleen,

The best part of creating a craigslist account -- I don't have to recreate an ad over and over again. I just copy/paste, and the post with a different headline. Quite a time saver, too.

Matt, give it time. Soon, you'll be an advocate of craigslist, too. Just as I was when I first started posting 6 years ago when no one from my office did. Now, everyone does!

very well done !  thanks for the additional ideas

These are all great tips thanks for the list Pacita I post on Craigslist list 4 days a week and I must admit the leads I get from Craigslist are better than the leads I get from most of my other marketing.  Thanks for the post.  www.vizionkc.com

Pacita, we have been doing all of the above for the past year.  Got our first lead just yesterday!

Tim and Pam

Like everything else, it take time and practice. What thrilled me the first times I posted 6 years ago, was when people would come to my open houses, with a printout of my open house posting.

Getting leads that resulted in closed escrows didn't happen over night....but I surely enjoyed every flicker of light that came my way.

Good luck!

Thanks for enlightening me, this is a good post and helped me a lot.

Charles

Thanks. I just went through hundreds of craigslist postings ---- and they were all so boring and run-of-the-mill. I must come up with more eye-catching headlines. This is where creative folks with a keen sense of humor will prevail.

I'm already thinking of a new title for my next posting for my fixer listings: "Fixers! Come and get them!" or "Contractors: Please fix these blighted homes!"

What do you think?

These are great tips!  I use Craigslist, but have not been so creative.

Pacita, thanks for the posting. I use cl a lot and I still like your tip 1 and 3. I especially concur you on tip 7. I will not look listings without a city.

Great post - thanks for sharing! We use Craig's list!

Pacita, thank you for this post!

Commenters, thank you for your insight!

I have just started using Craigslist - this primer is just what I need to do it successfully!

Take care,   Laurie

Great post. I use CL, but not to its full advantage. I try to do every seven days, but think I will increase those postings now.

thanks for the tip and the information!

Johnathan Smith
Staten Island
http://www.johnresales.com

Very good tips Pacita - I've posted there but hope to have better posts thanks to your advice!

Sincerely,

Grace

Hi, all

Glad you're all going to take advantage of this free service. With rising costs in every tool we use to promote ourselves, isn't it wonderful that craigslist is still free? So is Postlets. And VFlyer, if you don't have an account, will allow up to 5 (I think) free listings. So you can just keep refreshing Vflyer, and expire/delete those you don't need anymore. Between the two of them, you have a couple of really good choices to make your posts stand out.

Good luck!

All good points.  I will say that I've used Postlets before and had my listings removed by Craigslist.  I don't think they like those types of ads, but I know others who have posted them successfully.

Jim and Maria

There are some reasons why Craigslist may have removed your Postlets. Take a really good luck at the text description --- is there something in there that violates craigslist rules? For example, if in the text you direct people to a sponsored/paid third party site or URL, they consider that a violation.

They also flag any post that violates the Fair Housing Act if it mentions discriminatory preference based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap (or violates any state or local law prohibiting discrimination. For example, if someone were to post something about a property being a wonderful home for families with children --- that's a violation. Or if you mention husband and wife --- that's discrimination against same sex couples --- that's also a violation.

As such, when posting homes for sale, stick to information about the house only. One can mention near schools, but cannot specify which school.

Here is a link to Craigslist's Terms of Use

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the tips. I didn't realize that you could do an invitation from Craigslist. I'll have to check that out!

I love my craigslist account, it makes it so easy to post lisitngs, if you do alot of postings you should have an account

Craigslist is a great site. I have sold numerous properties on their over the past year and highly recommend it. I don't think Postlets get as much response as a regular post being as people are semi intimidated by Realtors. They would rather correspond by e-mail.

So... If you post on Craigslist, make it short. Dont give up all the information. Give them a reason to call you. Good luck everyone.

I have noticed in our area (College Station, Texas) that Craigslist is specifying whether the

listing is by owner or by broker.  It is the same in all areas?  Love the site.

Brenda --- we have the same distinction, too -- by owner or by broker. I think they had to do this because some folks were complaining that the agents had too many postings that they were drowning out the FSBOs.

Mario --- you can always shorten your descriptions on postlets, but make sure you have the maximum number of pictures allowed. I don't know that people are intimidated by it. But that's only an opinion.  A Postlet ad certainly looks more polished and more organized than regular posts so it's easier to read.

Yvette --- by invitation, I meant sending links of your craigslist posts to your associates and inviting them to come to your open house.

Tatyana --- I agree. Having a craigslist account cut my posting time significantly.

Good luck, all!

Thanks!  Reading your blog encouraged me to get my listings and open houses posted!  Also some great ideas I never thought of!

Pacita - thank you. You mention some things here I did not know. For example, my experience in reposting has been that I cannot re-post before the initial post expires - typically in 7 days. When I have attempted to do that - I get a message that says - this has already been posted. What am I doing incorrectly?  I appreciate your help! Many people who show up to my open houses found the listing on Craigs List so I definitely want to continue to maximize the exposure.

Thanks for the great information!

Thanks for the list.  This is good advice.  I have been posting my listings on Craigslist once per week but after reading this post, I will now start posting them twice per week.  I haven't received any leads yet but I'm still hoping that will happen.

Kathleen

To avoid getting the message that says this has already been posted. I alternate my postings. For example, for the same listing, I create at least two eflyers: one by Postlets, and the other by Vflyer. So on Monday, I'll post the one by Vflyer. On Wednesday, I'll post the one by Postlets. And on Friday, I post one directly from my website at Point2Agent. Thus, they are all different.  It will take time to create the flyers for each listing --- but like I said, once the flyers are done, it's a simple matter of refreshing or renewing the flyers. Then I simply cut and paste.

Trust, me, if you do it this way, you'll never get that message from craigslist again

Good luck!

Sherry, you're welcome.

Vicky and Kelly keep the faith! Repetition, repetition, repetition!

Good luck, all!

Thanks Pacita....

I just started using Craigslist a week ago. I will use your tips!

Howard

www.acehomeinspection.biz

great info and thanks for sharing. I haven't put my open houses on Craigs list but will do so from now on :)

Pacita:  The quality of leads I get from Craigslist is no longer worth the consistent posting.  I do much better with my Realtor.com enhancements.

Chris, I have the showcase on REALTOR.com, too. And I do like sharing the report with my clients to show how often it's been viewed. In my neck of the woods, I've had people tell me they don't even go to REALTOR.com, and instead, go straight to craigslist. Thus, that's where I go, too.

Anne and Eddie, good luck on your posts. If anything, it will give you additional exposure to another target market.

Howard, I think craigslist is a good resource for a lot of things --- and your inspection company can make very good use of it. Many first time buyers don't necessarily know what a home inspection entails, so you can certainly provide information on what it is you do, and why it's important.

Hi Pacita - I use Craigslist and have been looking for ways to make it work better for me.  I'm going to use your tips and hopefully have a better experience with my listings on there than I have in the past.

Many thanks for sharing these!
Ann

Thank you for taking the time to post this great list of tips!  I'm writing my Craigslist post now!!

I use Craigslist all the time and get great results!  It's also great to post in other markets.

Pacita, this is all very good information Thaks.  I have yet to advertise on craigslist, but now that I am working with Loan Modifications I think it would be a great place to find leads

thanks for the tips

Ann, Cindy, Dawn, Jonathan --- thanks for your comments. My posts on craigslist have evolved the last six years. Once I convinced my co-workers about the maximum exposures I get for my listings on craigslist, everyone has gotten on board.

Thomas, this would be a good place for you to promote your services. Because short sales are still fairly new, people don't really know what other options they have when they find themselves under water. You can use this forum to educate.

And speaking of forums....yes, craigslist has a forum It's amazing what kind of information (and mis-information) one sees. And such salty language!

Great things to do when you advertise a listing on Craigslist. I need to do this more often when I post a listing on Craigslist. Great post.

I just posted a new listing on craigslist, postlets and vflyer, and immediately got noticed by the local blogger who instantly labeled my post as "Truth in Advertising"

He said, "A few weeks ago, Alameda agent Pacita DiMacali and I had an interesting exchange about fluffy marketing copy. I wouldn't want to take undue credit for today's let's-call-a-spade-a-spade craigslist post (at least the first paragraph), but I must say it's refreshingly honest about the condition of the property, at least as Alameda real estate listings go."

I must say, there wasn't anything to say about a fixer other than it has layers of peeling paint, cracked plaster, $24K worth of Section 1 repairs, hideous carpets over hardwood floors. But I guess I get bonus points for not trying to gloss over this property...too much.

Good luck to your posts, folks. Keep it honest, keep it light, make it funny!

Good checklist, Pacita... Lends to consistency for each listing. Especially like the tip for VFlyer - I'm on it!

- Lori Stratford

Thanks for the tips: Good list to follow,as craigslist is fairly new in our area and not well used yet for real estate ads.

Lori and Mary,

Good luck to you on your posts. Dare to be different (and funny!)

Pacita.

Great post - thank you so much for sharing!

Pacita - thanks for posting, I already use some of these, I  will incorporate some of the other tactics.

This is definately something that I need to get on the ball and start doing.  I have heard about vflyer and postlets, but have not used them for my listings yet.  I have used craigslist in the past, but not to it's fullest potential, especially combining vflyer and/or postlets into creating my listings.  Thanks for providing this info and reminding me.

Troy, you're quite welcome.

You may also notice the "widget" that I have from Vflyer. Postlets have them, too. That's another way to dress up your blog and your website. Right?

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice! Great tips!

Great list we do all of this except use Vflyers. We will check into that site. We find Craigs to be a wonderful site as well.

Pacita-Great post, Thanks for sharing.

This past Saturday I met a young engaged couple at my open house and when asked how they heard about the open house they said they found it on Craigs List.  I'm showing them houses this weekend!  Younger buyers are regularly use Craigs List.  It pays to use it.

I like the checklist. I have printed and plan to use for my next open. Thanks!

One question - aren't you only supposed to post once a week on Criagslist??  I see way too many people spamming craigs over and over and over with the same crap.  I report them....I just don't have patience for people who insist on abusing things.  I think every two to three days shouldn't be considered spam, but  still I thought they were trying to limit it to once a week per listing.

I think Craigslist is a great marketing tool and Postlets as well.  Thank you for the humorous title recommendation.

Christine,one of my clients also found me on craigslist. She said that everytime she checked out a headline she liked, it would be my listing. So she figured I must be good at what I do, so she called me. They bought a house just before Christmas last year, and are remodeling it.

Ruthmarie, postings have to be at least 48 hours apart --- that's craigslist rules. So it's not spamming to repost as long as you're folliwing the rules.

Just in case, I vary the posting, even if it's the same property. I create the flyer both on Postlet and Vflyer, and alternate posting them. So you'll see my posts on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday (just before open house). If I don't do that, my posts drown in a sea of posts. From time to time, I re-post --- it's like coming up for air.

Everyone:yes, craigslist is a tremendous tool. Harness its power! Make your posts stand out. Build your brand on craigslist.

By the way, another piece of advice. Stick to straight talk, less fluff. You may have seen the blog on cliches. Try to be original. Not all hardwood floors are "gleaming."

Refer to my other blog on Rules to remember when writing an ad for for your listing. Remember Strunk and White.

Good luck!

Great simple information, thanks...

Great Idea!  I have never been on craigslist.  I think I'll go take a look! Great Post!

I use craigs list on a regular basis so this is very helpful!

THANK YOU! Great advice. This is what Active Rain is all about...helpful, useful information that we can all use to benefit our clients and ourselves.

Dave Culbertson, Broker/Owner, Real Living Home Team, Mt. Vernon, OH   (Still hundreds of thousands without power in Ohio after Sunday's dry, level 1 hurricane swept through our state...alot of people still don't know that).

Fabulous blog post!  Thank You for the informative blog post so I can make a listing count on craigslist.

Thanks, all, for your comments. Glad that you like these tips.

Here's another: I had posted this on Sept 4, and I thought that was the end of it. But then I posted it within another blog about what I did to get 70-80 groups to come to my open house --- and saw that others went to the link  to see these tips.

So inter-linking (is that even a word) is another way to re-blog topics. It's a wonderful way to share into with folks who missed it the first time.

Thanks for the tips! I use Craigslist often but lately am getting more limited results. I think I'll be trying numbers 4 & 8 to jazz things up a bit.

Pacita, I love Craigslist! Thanks for giving me some additional ideas to up my game!

Thanks Pacita - I'm glad we are allowed to repost onto Craigslist every 48 hours.  That's reasonable.  When people post 5 times a day - that's not!

I had been reposting once a week now I know that is not to much.  I will try every 3 days now.

That is a lot.  I do a lot of simular things I even add a sign to give away a gas card or Wal Mart card but I have never had more than 20 people.

I love the idea of using key words in the title - didn't think of that in the past! ;)  Thanks!!

Thanks for your great tips and congratulations on the three buyers!

Hey Pacita - Those are all great tips wth craigslist. I have been toying with craigs a little. I was wondering, Do you also post advertisements of just yourself as a Realtor?

John,

Glad you found this list helpful. And no, I don't post ads advertising myself as a realtor, although a lot of people do, and include links to REOs, short sales, or lists of their own company's listings.

When I was a newbie doing open houses for other people, I posted on craigslist that I'm holding them, with the listing agents' permission. And that's where it all started.

I have enough to do posting my own listings and open houses. I've had at least two couples call me to say that everytime they see something interesting, they click on it to find that those are my listings. So they thought to themselves that I must be very good --- yes, I am! ;>D--- so they called me to help them.

So even if my listings don't sell as a result of the craigslist posts, I am able to maintain a web presence and build my brand.

Good luck to you.

Nice featured post. Great idea linking your other posts. It seems when we are active we attract business.