Facebook - The Enemy of Discretion

As a Realtor I get many emails suggesting I attend this Seminar, Course or talk on how to make Facebook work for me in marketing my listings. I get that. A listing can get good exposure being advertised or "liked". I'm not certain many buyers start their new home search on social media but any exposure is good exposure when you have a listing to sell.

Then there's the down side of Facebook and selling real estate. Terrace is a relatively small community and eventually everyone is either a "friend" or a "friend of a friend". Somehow or other everyone on Facebook is in the same community - the Facebook community.
There are times when this could be a problem. For example, Robert's house has been listed for a couple of months and he hasn't had any offers. His Realtor has suggested he reduce his price. Robert goes on Facebook and comments to a "friend" that he only needs to get $xxx for his home so he's not unhappy about reducing the asking price. The next day, voila, he gets an offer for $xxx! A friend of a friend of a friend has found his bottom line and he gave it away himself.
Another scenario is that Jane has made an offer on a listing and is in the process of negotiating. She loves the house! She absolutely loves the house!! and says so to her "friends". The seller sees this because a friend of a friend "likes" it. The seller is no longer worried about the buyer walking away and feels comfortable with his unreasonably high counter-offer.
In competition it's best to hold your cards close to your chest so the other players can't see them. I'm not saying don't go on Facebook when you're buying or selling a home. But please be careful what you say while you're there. There are "friends" watching, even if you can't see them.