Zillow's charging $9.99/listing - where else to list for free?

Question

I've pretty much exclusively used Zillow's free rental listing for the past decade.  I liked it because I could store the pictures and description of all my units, and just reactivate them if/when they became open, with updated pricing.  But now they want to charge $9.99/month/listing, and I'm not willing to pay it.  I've used Facebook Marketplace, but I don't like it - most of the requests are garbage, and it's much more difficult to get across to applicants the basic requirements (like 2 month security deposit).  Anyone else have a rental site for CT that they like, that's free?

Karen F. · Answer

Thanks, Calvin!  Both Cozy and Tenant Cloud look great!  They syndicate to lots of sites, so I'll definitely give them a try.

Calvin Thomas · Answer

You can use services such as Tenant Cloud or Cozy.  There is no charge to list with Zillow through either service.

Karen F. · Answer

I've had a tough time with FB Marketplace.  I like the fact that the reply from Zillow usually includes the person's real name (so that I can check housing court, criminal court, and google them before I reply), and a phone number.  With FB marketplace, I get so many garbage responses.  On the other hand, I can look at their FB account, and usually people whose accounts are riddled with gang signs, weapons, and drug use are not who I'm looking for!  I'll take a look at Tenant Cloud and Cozy.  Do they charge for listing?

Aaron Hollingshead · Answer

Zillow hasn't started charging me yet, but I'll gladly pay that when they do.  It's a terrific platform and if it helps me get a renter quickly, 10 bucks is money well spent.

Brad Bingham · Answer

Just wanted to add my two cents as a lead generator for investors and home builders...Facebook works great. If your audience is under 25, it doesn't work great. But you'd be surprised at the leads you can get thru Facebook.

Filipe Pereira · Answer

You're right. For some reason I thought it was CA and WA that got hit first, but turns out I got it mixed up. GA has it (https://www.biggerpockets.com/...), NC has it (https://www.biggerpockets.com/...), Denver CO has it (https://www.biggerpockets.com/...)  and these states have / will have it (https://resources.hemlane.com/...). That's what I get for not fact checking before I open my darn mouth! Sorry about that! :)

Kyle J. · Answer

Zillow still doesn’t charge for rental ads in California, and I haven’t noticed any change in the number of people using it. (I’d imagine it’s the same for WA since Zillow doesn’t charge there either.)

There’s still a lot of people using Zillow in California, which I like. Not only is it a good source of data when trying to comp out rental prices, but renters tend to look at sites where all the activity/listings are.

Not everyone has Facebook. I don’t even have Facebook. So I don’t know how I’d place a FB ad for a rental. But if I did manage to somehow, I’m assuming I’d miss out on all the renters who also didn’t have (or use) FB.

Anyone with an internet connection can use Zillow. So, to me, its market/customer base is just a lot more broad.

Just my two cents though. Ultimately, people should use what works for them.

Filipe Pereira · Answer

We're in CT and we use Facebook, Trulia, Zillow, Hotpads, Apartments.com, Doorstep, Cozy.co, Realtor.com and Facebook. We stopped using Craigslist back in 2016/2017 after realizing it just wasn't worth it. With Zillow getting very greedy here we will probably drop them and their affiliates or list on the MLS to see if we can get around their fees through the MLS syndication. Facebook is quickly overtaking Zillow anyway, and while some of the leads may not be as great, the volume is so much better. I'm looking forward to the day that FB makes a map like zillow and sets up notifications to people's inbox for marketplace matches. That will largely fill in the gap between what they offer and what zillow offers. I'd be interested in hearing from folks in CA, WA, and other states that had this implemented months ago to see if their market is seeing a decrease in people who use zillow.

Victor N. · Answer

@Karen F. my experience in CT was just like yours until recently. BTW I also received the same Zillow email. I used to go to Zillow and had decent luck finding a tenant. The benefits of being able to just activate and deactivate a listing are so convenient.

Recently though, I've had more hits and more luck with Facebook marketplace and will continue with them since it's still free. My last listing for a single family, I had a dozen Zillow inquiries while FB was over 100. Yes, a lot of those are people just kicking tires but that doesnt bother me. Also, you can see a LOT from the FB profiles of the people inquiring. For example, your ad says no pets and you see people with a lot of pics of their pets contacting you...

So for now, I will go with Facebook marketplace.

Zillow's charging $9.99/listing - where else to list for free?

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