In this article, you\u2019ll find some of the top questions that arise about real estate on Nextdoor. In addition, we\u2019ll discuss the benefits and drawbacks for using it to sell your house and a how-to for posting your house on the platform.<\/p>\n Nextdoor<\/a> is social media with a concentration. It\u2019s just like every other social platform out there in that it has functions like posts, comments, shares, likes, pictures and direct message abilities.<\/p>\n But Nextdoor is different in that it\u2019s specific to neighborhoods. In fact, you can\u2019t even get into a neighborhood network without first verifying you live there. This means those who live in your area have access to your posts, and you have access to theirs. It also means you don\u2019t have access to anyone\u2019s posts outside your area. It\u2019s like a Facebook Group, specific to your neighborhood\u2026 except it\u2019s not on Facebook.<\/p>\n Nextdoor connects more than 236,000 neighborhoods across the world, according to VentureBeat<\/a>, and serves 90% of neighborhoods<\/a> in the U.S as of 2018, according to Nextdoor\u2019s own reported data.<\/p>\n People use Nextdoor for all kinds of purposes: to give neighbors recommendations on local vets and mom and pop restaurants, to gripe about dogs pooping on their lawn, and yes, to discuss area real estate listings.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking to sell, Nextdoor is a good place to showcase your home, but there are caveats and rules you must abide by unless you want to get your posts deleted by the neighborhood moderator (who might also be that nosy neighbor across from you).<\/p>\n Two sections of Nextdoor\u2019s site host real estate listings: the For Sale Free section and the Real Estate section, and your ability to post to one of these two sections depends on who you are.<\/p>\n As a neighborhood resident, you are allowed to post a listing of your house in the For Sale Free section. You should not \u201coverpost,\u201d per the site\u2019s guidelines<\/a>. Don\u2019t try to spam your neighbors into buying your house.<\/p>\n Your agent, on the other hand, cannot post in the For Sale Free section of your neighborhood forums. They can, however, run advertisements for homes that they\u2019re selling in your zip code via the Neighborhood Sponsorship program.<\/a> (Agents sponsor a specific ZIP code.) These ads are geo-targeted and will show up in the Real Estate section. This paid avenue allows agents to get in front of very specific audiences but prevents agents from spamming all the neighbors with the real estate equivalent of paper take-out menus wedged in your doorjamb.<\/p>\n So, you do not need an agent to list your home on Nextdoor, unless you want it in the Real Estate section, because you can\u2019t post in that section without the right creds.<\/p>\n On a platform like Craigslist, you can check out who\u2019s selling a couch anywhere\u2014set your parameters and whether they\u2019re 10 miles away or 100 miles away, and listings show up as you please.<\/p>\n Unlike Craigslist, a Nextdoor user cannot see posts outside their own immediate area. Nextdoor isn\u2019t very specific about how this \u201cdistance-based algorithm\u201d works. In fact, they just call it your \u201cbroader local area<\/a>,\u201d but based on the map, it seems it will allow viewers to see listings 10-15 miles around their home.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re hoping to attract out-of-towners to your cabin in the woods listing, you\u2019ll have to turn elsewhere (maybe Craigslist<\/a>?) or speak with your agent about placing paid ads in Nextdoor\u2019s real estate section.<\/p>\n Remember though that Nextdoor is focused social media. People are on there with the knowledge that it\u2019s localized. If they\u2019re in the For Sale Free or Real Estate section, they\u2019re likely interested in your surrounding area, otherwise they\u2019d be looking on another platform.<\/p>\n Real estate agents can take part in Nextdoor\u2019s \u201cNeighborhood Sponsor<\/a>\u201d program, which allows for ad placements, as well as direct messaging abilities in the specific zip codes they sponsor. If a neighborhood resident in your agent\u2019s sponsored area has a question about their home value or how to go about listing, the agent can answer it.<\/p>\n As a home seller, this isn\u2019t really applicable to you except that 1) you want an agent who is working hard to market your house listing and 2) you want an agent who knows the area well.<\/p>\n People are on Nextdoor for the same reasons people are on Facebook, or any other social media platform\u2014to stay connected (or at least feel like they\u2019re staying connected) to whatever it is they want to be connected to. It could be their friends, their family, their hiking club or in this case, their neighborhood. Having an account with Nextdoor is not like taxes, it\u2019s not mandatory, so people are on the platform because they want to be, which is a bonus for advertisers.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no anonymity on Nextdoor. Not only do you have to use your name but you have to verify your address to have any neighborhood permissions. It\u2019s hard to be an anonymous, baiting Internet troll when your neighbors know where you live. This means Nextdoor has far fewer fraudulent and troll accounts \u201cclogging\u201d up the network.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re trying to reach just those in your radius, you can\u2019t do much better than your next door neighbors, even if it\u2019s reaching them online rather than when they take their garbage cans out.<\/p>\n Butch Leiber<\/a>, top-selling Phoenix-area agent, compares Nextdoor to \u201ca virtual dog walk\u201d \u2014 a way to keep a pulse on your area \u2014 except without the sunburn, mosquito bites, and tired pooch.<\/p>\n On the platform, you can (virtually) stroll around the neighborhood, say hello to the new family on the corner, ask for recommendations for date night restaurants from the lady who\u2019s lived here for 20 years, and see what houses have just listed or sold.<\/p>\n Those who have roots in the area, and have formed the relationships to prove it, have the most clout on Nextdoor; real estate agents included. Leiber fits this criteria. He\u2019s lived in the area for 25 years and operates his real estate business purely on a referral basis.<\/p>\n Leiber uses Nextdoor in two ways. He says, \u201cAs a consumer, I\u2019ve used it to stay in touch with what\u2019s happening in my neighborhood; as a Realtor, I market to my neighborhood.\u201d He takes part in Nextdoor\u2019s Neighborhood Sponsorship program so he can be the go-to agent when locals have questions. He says it\u2019s a way to \u201cprovide information to people,\u201d conduct polls and share market stats. He says it\u2019s simply another way to get his name out there and be seen more often.<\/p>\n Because every social media and house-searching website has paid advertisement opportunities, some agents find their marketing budget is best spent elsewhere. Nextdoor does not offer exclusivity to agents. It allows up to five neighborhood sponsors per zip code, and cyclically displays one of the five to Nextdoor users in that neighborhood. Leiber says he \u201ccan but does not\u201d sponsor zip codes outside of his own.<\/p>\n The organization of Nextdoor\u2019s For Sale Free section is dependant on those posting to properly categorize. If someone decides their bike or Corelle dishes are \u201chousing,\u201d (as someone did in the screenshot) and posts these items in the housing category, there is nothing stopping them (except eventually the neighborhood moderator if they spot it). This means when people view the For Sale Free Housing section, it\u2019s got more variety than you\u2019d think.<\/p>\n Just like on Facebook, there are inappropriately political family members, curmudgeonly complainers and, as Leiber puts it \u201cnosy neighbors like the lady on Bewitched.\u201d There is some fear mongering, bad grammar and, of course, oversharing. It\u2019s part of being on the internet, but is a drawback for many users.<\/p>\n There is very little for you to lose as a homeowner if you post your home on Nextdoor in the For Sale Free section. It\u2019s free to post and it\u2019s exposure, so why not?<\/p>\n Keep in mind though, there are some drawbacks if you\u2019re a real estate agent paying actual money to post listings on Nextdoor. It\u2019s ok to ask your agent about how they\u2019re marketing your home, but know that Nextdoor is just one way to advertise and might not be in their mix of marketing. That doesn\u2019t make them a bad agent.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how you, as a home seller, can list your home on Nextdoor:<\/p>\n When it comes down to it, Nextdoor is just one more place to put your house out there. It\u2019s not a dealbreaker if you do or don\u2019t. It\u2019s not the be-all-end-all if you do. It\u2019s not a magic bullet. But it can help you with exposure and your agent with relationship building, and neither of those are bad things for getting your house sold.<\/p>\n Header Image Source: (Kobu Agency\/ Unsplash)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nextdoor is a social platform that connects neighbors with local pros, friendly recommendations and sometimes, people with their dream house. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":11719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[321,335],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attract-buyers","category-marketing-tips"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/selling-a-house-on-nextdoor-neighborhood.jpg\")
<\/a>Nextdoor is focused social media<\/b><\/h2>\n
Where do real estate listings appear on Nextdoor?<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Screen-Shot-2019-07-29-at-5.06.22-PM.png\")
<\/a>Who can see the real estate listings on Nextdoor?<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"Neighbors](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/selling-a-house-on-nextdoor-neighbors.jpg\")
<\/a>Benefits of using Nextdoor to sell your house<\/h2>\n
People want to be there.<\/h3>\n
There are fewer trolls and scams.<\/h3>\n
It\u2019s ultra-targeted.<\/h3>\n
It\u2019s built on relationships.<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/selling-a-house-on-nextdoor-user.jpg\")
<\/a>Drawbacks of posting your house on Nextdoor<\/h2>\n
Areas aren\u2019t exclusive to agents.<\/h3>\n
Organization for posts is lacking.<\/h3>\n
There are always crazy people.<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-24-at-7.05.21-PM-775x621.jpg\")
<\/a>The ROI might look better to you than your agent.<\/h3>\n
How to list your home in the For Sale Free Section of Nextdoor<\/b><\/h2>\n
1. Sign in and click on \u201cFor Sale Free\u201d on the left-side column.<\/h4>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-24-at-7.04.59-PM-775x781.png\")
<\/a>2. Then select \u201cPost an item\u201d in the top right corner.<\/h4>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-24-at-7.22.00-PM-775x520.png\")
<\/a>3. This button will bring up a form, which you can fill out with your home\u2019s details. (Take a lesson from the Real Estate section: Agents know that specific details, flattering wide-angle photography and clear contact information help sell a house.)<\/h4>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-24-at-7.23.42-PM.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-24-at-7.24.07-PM-775x264.png\")
<\/a>