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If you’re trying to buy a house, you’re probably spending time talking to your friends and family in order to get recommendations on realtors, neighborhoods and general home buying tips.  But did you know that there are social networking tools available that can help you as well?  One of the best resources to use when attempting to buy a house is Facebook Marketplace.

There are more than 500 million active users on Facebook and the average user has 130 friends.  With Facebook Marketplace you can use your social network to buy and sell anything – including real estate!  The Marketplace application page displays the most recent listings from your friends and friends-of-friends and features easy ways to filter and search for what you want.  Facebook Marketplace is part of the Facebook site, so why not check out what’s for sale while you’re updating your status?

You can browse real estate by several different categories and search for listings from all Marketplace users or by people in your social network.  If one of your friends, or a friend of a friend, has a house for sale in your area – Facebook Marketplace makes it easy for you to reach out and ask questions about the listing.  If you’re working within your social network, or know the person that you are trying to buy a house from, you can feel a little more secure that you are getting good information.

Even though you may be feeling confident buying and selling among friends, remember that buying a house is a large transaction so make sure to take all the necessary precautions that you’d normally take.

Want to buy a home? Remember these three tips:

1)      Get pre-approved for a mortgage before you start shopping – Find out exactly how much you can afford and how much you are preapproved for before you find your dream home.

2)      Get a home inspection – Even if you know the person you buy a house from and have been in the house a million times, get a home inspection by an impartial third party to make sure you know exactly what you are getting into.

3)      Get it in writing – Never rely on verbal agreements or oral promises.  Get everything in writing and legally approved – especially if you decide not to use a real estate agent in a transaction with a friend.

Facebook Marketplace makes it easy to find and buy a house and being informed and prepared for the home buying process will help you avoid some common mistakes.  If you play your cards right, the transaction will go smoothly and you’ll be enjoying your home for years to come.

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