Facebook Marketplace becomes go-to for buying, selling farmland in California
Phil Courey had been looking to buy farmland for a decade.
He used more traditional resources to search for available properties such as a large real estate company in the state and land.com but didn’t find anything.
He wound up striking gold with a more untraditional resource: Facebook Marketplace.
As of June, he’s the owner of Tony’s Fruit Stand, a five-acre property in Marysville, an area in Yuba County home to many orchards. Courey’s property has various different types of fruit trees, and he just planted a small vegetable garden. He said he hopes to turn the place into a “destination day trip for families.”
“I bought my farm because I wanted to grow my own food and retire in a more peaceful place, and the other factor I looked for was an ongoing cashflow business,” Courey said. “I got lucky and found it.”
Facebook Marketplace is a hotspot for buying and selling all types of items ranging from furniture to apartments for rent to clothing. Some users such as Courey are also perusing the platform to buy, sell and lease farmland.
Properties listed range from pastures for rent to a few dozen acres of unplanted land for sale to larger plots with orchards for sale.
Jennifer Johnson, a real estate agent based in Nevada County’s Grass Valley, listed her first farmland property for sale on Facebook Marketplace about six weeks ago. She’s previously listed residential homes on the platform.
The 135-acre property includes land for horses or livestock and has fruit trees and greenhouses, according to the listing. The farmland is also posted on real estate market platforms such as Metro List, Northern California’s largest multiple listing service, or MLS.
Between 5 to 10 people have inquired about the property through Facebook, Johnson said, with two showings scheduled. She said she has seen people using Facebook pages to advertise land for sale for years.
“I’m just trying to market the property and get it in front of more people’s eyes because I feel like more people are on Facebook than they are on real estate apps and things like that,” Johnson said.
Mahesh Julka bought his 20-acre property in the Modesto area in 2023. He decided to sell it because he isn’t making money off it since he hasn’t been farming anything on the land.
Similar to Johnson, he posted on Facebook Marketplace in an effort to reach more potential buyers. His real estate agent listed the property on platforms such as Zillow as well.
So far, the Facebook listing has paid off.
“It has been listed for two weeks, and we have more (inquiries on Facebook) than on other listing (platforms),” Julka said.
Courey, who is a real estate broker, said he thinks people are turning to Facebook Marketplace for two reasons: to buy property directly from an owner, removing the real estate agent from the transaction to avoid paying commission fees and for the enjoyment of online shopping.
“I do think that Facebook Marketplace is a great resource for people that want to buy some land, any type of land, to start their own farm, homestead or wildlife preserve,” Courey said.
And he wants more land. He hasn’t had as much time to search for it lately since he’s been busy with his new farm, but he still hops on Facebook Marketplace every now and again.
