Craig's List - No Longer Viable for Real Estate?
I have heard about some Craig's List scams where people have been posting listings for rent, but haven't experienced it first hand. I do get lots of spam, but at the same time, I've gotten lots of inquiries when I do post. I think it just takes a little extra maintenance, but I still see the value in the free advertising.
Agents have been complaining for awhile about finding their listings re-posted as rentals on Craig's List. In some instances, the poster is trying to extract deposit checks from would-be tenants, although the property really isn't for rent.
One of my clients was alerted to this practice, when a visitor came by their home over the weekend, wanting access to see the rental. It's never been listed for rent, and is actually pending with a purchase contract. The idea of people coming over unannounced and unwanted is very distasteful to homeowners.
In some cases, homes posted by the listing agents are re-posted by other agents, in the hopes of picking up new clients. Whether this is legit or not usually has to do with rules of recipriocity among MLS members or arrangements within brokerages. If there is no such agreeement, offending agents may be subject to fines if they are found in violation of local rules.
And the other thing I've noticed lately is the abundance of spam (that thankfully is being trapped in my spam filter). But the bigger concern is how that spam is derailing the intention of Craig's List. The messages I've seen lately are filled with solicitation and links I presume to be viruses. The problem though is that the 'from' addresses look like they could be from a consumer. And it's possible that those real messages are being treated much as SPAM would, so that legitimate consumers aren't getting property inquires through, nor receiving replies to their messages.
And because some of these classifieds aren't legit, the experience for the consumer is usually rather unpleasant due to lack of contact, not always the fault of a legitimate advertiser due to the preponderance of spam.
Craig's List has always been a pain to use in my opinion. Posts are ranked from newest to oldest, and the search function isn't very powerful. They expire automatically and you have to go in and re-vive them, necessitating that you re-load photos too.With all the idiosincracies, I think it's an advertising idea that has served its time, at least for me and my clients and their real estate needs.
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