On September 29, Facebook announced changes to real estate and vehicle listings on Facebook Marketplace.
In the age of social media, when most home buyers begin their searches online and with print media dying a slow death, most Realtors have moved the bulk of their marketing efforts to digital formats. If you go to any high-producing agent or group’s website, and you’ll find links to their social pages, likely including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and if they’re really with it — TikTok.
So it’s understandable that when real estate industry folks with Facebook Business pages began receiving emails Sept. 30 announcing upcoming changes to the way they would be able to market listings on Facebook, there was some panic in the air.
The email, which was from the Meta Business Help Center, announced that starting Jan. 30, 2023, Facebook Business pages would no longer be allowed to post either real estate or vehicle listings on Facebook Marketplace. This news trickled down through broker meetings, MLS meetings, and networking groups, and there were a number of agents who (incorrectly) interpreted the message to mean that they would no longer be allowed to post listings on their Facebook pages.
What The Facebook Business Pages Change Means For Realtors
What it actually means is that Realtors (or anyone, for that matter) will no longer be allowed to list real estate properties on Facebook Marketplace from their Business Pages. If that is a sales tactic they have used in the past — which, honestly, I don’t see Realtors in our area doing this, ever — they could still do it using their personal Facebook Page. This is in an effort to keep sales of real estate (and vehicles) on Marketplace between individuals, rather than letting big companies take over what is meant to be a person-to-person marketplace.
You may continue to post pictures, links, descriptions, and what-have-you about your listings on your Facebook Business Page. The ONLY thing the upcoming change affects is your ability to list your property on Facebook Marketplace — which you probably don’t do anyway.
©CandysDirt.com and Brenda Masse