Help & Information

Why register?

Because it's quick, easy and free. And registration benefits all users. We do not collect or use your registration information for any reason, other than to help us help you as it relates to the use of our site. We do not sell, trade or otherwise distribute your information.

Registration is not required to browse our site, and we do not hide any listing information from non-registered users. However, registered users who place ads can choose to keep their contact information private and use our messaging system instead. Registration is required to contact advertisers through our messaging system in order to help prevent spam or, otherwise, unrelated inquiries or solicitations.

Registration is required to post ads in order to help prevent junk listings and spam. Registration also enables us to provide you with a personal account page, ad management and privacy settings.

In addition, registration provides all users with special privileges, such as, a personal admin page, favorites list and use of our messaging system.

Is REI Free Classifieds really free?

Yes. All real estate investors, private property owners (FSBOs of investor interest), Realtors and agents with properties of investor interest and all those who serve the REI community are welcome to place ads for free, including unlimited free property listings.

What about listing extras & featured listings?

For those who wish to gain additional and/or enhanced exposure, REI offers Listing Extras, which are entirely optional and presented to all advertisers just prior to ad submission. Listing Extras include ad highlighting and featured listing options. Ads may be upgraded at anytime from your account page under active listings. Otherwise, all ads get the same basic treatment, the same free photos and video, the same free links back to your site and the same contact information you wish to make available.

All upgrades are non-refundable. Upgraded ads, which violate our user agreement and/or posting guidelines, will be removed without reimbursement or refund. Refunds are not issued for occasional system downtime, which may include routine maintenance, power outages, connectivity problems and/or equipment failure. In the event of an unexpected or unusually extended period of downtime, which is defined as more than 48 hours, ad expiration will be extended equal to service interruption.

How long will my ad run?

All ads run 45 days, unless deleted or upgraded. Upgraded ads run an additional 45 days from the date of upgrade.

How do I get around the site?

All listings are shown at the national level, which is the default level of our Home Page. When our site loads, you will see listing counts next to each main category. That number represents the number of listings for that category, nationwide, including all the listings within its sub-categories. If you click on a main category, you will see the listing counts for each subcategory, nationwide.

Most categories will contain ads of local interest. So, if you are looking for a local contractor, for example, or a property in a certain area, you may narrow your search by state and, further, by metro area. If you click on a state from the Home Page, you will see the category listing counts change according to the number of listings within that state. The counts will narrow further, if you click on a metro area.

A category and regional breadcrumb, which appears horizontally across the top of all classified pages, will help you keep track of your location. Like the trail of breadcrumbs left by Hansel and Gretel, the breadcrumb navigation provides links to regions and categories you have visited along the way and allows you to easily turn around and go back the other way. For example, a breadcrumb trail might look like this:

Keep in mind, clicking on a link within a trail you are already on, will change your path, but only by the category or region level you click. For example, if you were to click "Main" from the trail example above, you would be taken back to the main category list; however, only "Birmingham Area" listings will appear within those categories, until you change the region level. Likewise, if you were to click "United States" from the trail above, all national ads will be shown, but only for those ads placed within the "Wholesale-SFR" category, until you change the category level.

You can always click the "Home" tab at the top of every page to clear your path and start fresh.

National ads vs. local ads: Many listings, outside of the property categories and contractor service categories, are intended to reach a national audience. For example, ads for or about educational products and many Internet products and services are going to have a national interest. Others, like, funding sources, may be available nationally or limited to a specific region. If you are looking for a product or service, which may be available nationally, it's always best to start browsing the categories at the national level.

Location, location, location! Only ads in the real property categories are required to indicate a location by state and metro area. Providing a location beyond the national level for all other categories is up to the advertiser. So, again, check your national level first, and then start narrowing.

Further, only real property ads have specific fields for a physical address. For local advertisers, like, contractors, indicating a state and metro area will be enough. For local advertisers whose physical address is important, like, REIAs (Real Estate Investors Associations) and escrow / title offices, etc, you may include your address in the ad's description.

Note to local service providers: When placing ads, you should always provide a zip code during the listing process. Although zip codes are not displayed to users, outside of real property ads, the zip code data will be used by the system to help users find your ad via the zip code radius search on the advanced search page.

Beyond browsing:

• Quick Search: The quick search bar is always available at the top of our pages to search keywords and categories.
• Advanced Search: The advanced search page allows you to refine your search by a number of different criteria. Narrow your search by as much or as little criteria as you wish.
• Search by Tags: Browse listings that have been tagged by specific terms. The tag search differs from the keyword search in that "keywords" are matched to ad content, where "tags" are separate terms chosen by the advertiser to help identify the content in a broader sense.

How do I become an REI Sponsor?

REI Headliners are unobtrusive, but highly clickable, classified-style sponsor ads located on the left and right columns and bottom row of our home page. Banner ads will become available as categories populate.
More Info