In almost 16 years, Facebook has changed from a way for teenagers to plan trips to town and cast a wider social net than they would know what to do with to a commercial powerhouse that is rife with targeted advertising and occasional photos of people you no longer recognise.  Part of the social media platform’s fascination with commercial ventures has led to Facebook Marketplace, meaning users can buy a TV cabinet and write a status about it without leaving the page.

Now, users can search for properties to buy or rent through Marketplace, with property portals such as OnTheMarket using it to advertise homes.   With almost 45 million Facebook users in the UK, the expansion of Marketplace from seller of sofas to purveyor of properties is sure to have invited attention from the offices of Zoopla and Rightmove; however, with Zoopla drawing 50 million visits per month and Rightmove 127.5 million, it is unlikely they will be usurped overnight.  That being said, developers looking to advertise new builds may feel inclined to embrace the platform to maximise their reach.

The article in Manchester Evening News focuses on the range of local properties that are listed on Marketplace, from city-centric apartments to multi-million pound mansions in the countryside, so any fears from developers that their properties may appear cheapened by being marketed alongside sofas and buggies should be allayed.

It may have seemed a crazy thought, back when Facebook was just used for liking, commenting and sharing, that it would one day become a destination for property hunters; however, this serves to reiterate the power of evolution that is yielded by technology, and a reminder that technology, especially social media, should be viewed with as much consideration to its potential as its current ability, and a little imagination can go a long way.

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