Can I link to my product or website in a post?
No. The rule named 'No selling/promotion' bans selling or promoting anything, including linking to websites you are affiliated with.
Subreddit guides
r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer rules, stats, and what to post
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog.
Subreddit guides combine public Reddit source URLs, captured rules, visible verification dates, and Rankhog's account-safety workflow.
Current public stats
- Members
- 1,003,504
- Verified
- September 2, 2026
- Category
- Real estate technology and proptech communities
Rules can change, so Rankhog keeps verification dates and the original public Reddit sources visible.
Rule summary
- Be nice: Be nice to your fellow Redditors! Do not be rude, insulting, racist, homophobic, etc. Violating this rule might result in a ban.
- No Politics: This isn't a political sub.
- No selling/promotion: Do not attempt to sell or promote in this subreddit. This includes, but is not restricted to, home listings, financing, goods or services, or linking out to websites, other platforms or subreddits. Linking to any content you're affiliated with in any way is self-promotion. Requests to DM, call or email are not allowed. Failure to follow this rule will result in a ban.
- No posts by industry professionals: The subreddit is for prospective home buyers and home owners to post and comment. Industry professionals (i.e. realtors, loan officers, insurance agents, etc.) cannot post without prior mod approval. Professionals are encouraged to provide advice or contribute via comments as long as they are not promoting.
- No doxxing: If the original poster has not included a link to their listing, or an address, do not post it in the comments, or post any personal identifying information that will allow others to find the information.
- No trolling: Trolling will get you banned.
- No memes: Memes are not allowed on this subreddit.
- Use the correct title format: "Got the keys" posts must use the defined format for the post title below. They also need to be assigned the "Got the keys" flair. We did it! [Location] [Price] [Rate] Any additional info should be in the submission text or a comment, not the post title (for example, your age, marital status, down payment amount, etc. DO NOT belong in the post title). Brackets aren't needed. "We did it!" can be replaced with "Got the keys!" or some other variation.
- No low-effort, karma farming, engagement bait, or AI-generated posts: This community is for first-time home buyers to ask for and receive advice. Posts and comments that are low-effort engagement bait or primarily AI-generated will be removed.
- Moderator discretion: Moderators have the ability to remove content that does not fit within this community's purpose.
Works well
- Share a real first home purchase using the 'Got the keys' title format with Location, Price, and Rate, and assign the matching flair.
- Ask a genuine question about the buying process from the perspective of a prospective buyer.
- If you are an industry professional, give helpful advice in comments without any promotion or links.
Avoid
- Do not link out to websites, other platforms, or subreddits.
- Do not ask anyone to DM, call, or email you.
- If you are an industry professional, do not post without prior moderator approval.
- Do not post memes.
- Do not post anything political.
- Do not include an address or personal identifying information if the original poster did not share it themselves.
What actually works in r/firsttimehomebuyer
These are the highest scoring posts Rankhog observed in r/firsttimehomebuyer over the past month, with what each one did differently. Rankhog watches this community continuously, so it sees posts when they are published and again as they climb.
Across 903 posts, the ones that did best tend to lead with a concrete result, include specific numbers, stay short.
- Upvotes
- 29k
- Comments
- 1.6k
- Posted
- Aug 18, 2026
Why it worked
- Leads with a concrete number
- Short paragraphs rather than one block of text
- Upvotes
- 19k
- Comments
- 610
- Posted
- Aug 13, 2026
Why it worked
- Told in the first person
- Kept short enough to read in one pass
- Climbed about 2425 points an hour early on
- Upvotes
- 13k
- Comments
- 474
- Posted
- Aug 19, 2026
Why it worked
- Leads with a concrete number
- Short paragraphs rather than one block of text
- Upvotes
- 9.9k
- Comments
- 459
- Posted
- Aug 10, 2026
Why it worked
- Leads with a concrete number
- Kept short enough to read in one pass
- Climbed about 586 points an hour early on
- Upvotes
- 6.9k
- Comments
- 412
- Posted
- Aug 16, 2026
Why it worked
- Leads with a concrete number
- Climbed about 2192 points an hour early on
- Upvotes
- 6.3k
- Comments
- 767
- Posted
- Aug 9, 2026
Why it worked
- Leads with a concrete number
- Kept short enough to read in one pass
- Upvotes
- 6.2k
- Comments
- 1.5k
- Posted
- Aug 16, 2026
Why it worked
- Leads with a concrete number
- Short paragraphs rather than one block of text
- Climbed about 365 points an hour early on
- Upvotes
- 5.8k
- Comments
- 375
- Posted
- Aug 25, 2026
Why it worked
- Leads with a concrete number
- Kept short enough to read in one pass
- Upvotes
- 5.3k
- Comments
- 324
- Posted
- Aug 23, 2026
Why it worked
- Leads with a concrete number
- Kept short enough to read in one pass
- Upvotes
- 4.8k
- Comments
- 482
- Posted
- Aug 22, 2026
Why it worked
- Leads with a concrete number
What r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer Is For
This community is for prospective home buyers and home owners to ask questions, share stories, and celebrate wins. The public description says it welcomes everyone from window shoppers and house hunters to experienced buyers, hobbyists, and pros. The rule named 'No posts by industry professionals' clarifies that the subreddit is for prospective home buyers and home owners to post and comment, and that industry professionals cannot post without prior mod approval.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The rule named 'No selling/promotion' is the one that decides whether a marketing-adjacent post survives, because it bans selling, promoting, linking out, and asking for DMs, calls, or emails. The rule named 'No posts by industry professionals' matters just as much if you work in real estate or lending, since you cannot post without prior mod approval. The rule named 'No low-effort, karma farming, engagement bait, or AI-generated posts' will catch anything that feels like filler or generated content. The rule named 'Use the correct title format' matters if you are posting a win, because the title must follow a specific structure and use the matching flair.
What To Post
If you are a founder doing respectful Reddit marketing here, the safest path is to participate only as a buyer or owner sharing a genuine story or question, not as a business. The best performing posts in the evidence are personal win stories that follow the 'Got the keys' title format, so if you have a real first home purchase to share, use that format exactly and assign the matching flair. If you are an industry professional, do not post without prior mod approval, but you may give advice in comments as long as you are not promoting.
What To Avoid
Avoid anything the rule named 'No selling/promotion' covers: do not sell, promote, link out, or ask for DMs, calls, or emails. Avoid posting at all if you are an industry professional and have not gotten moderator approval, per the rule named 'No posts by industry professionals'. Avoid memes, politics, trolling, and doxxing. Avoid low-effort, karma farming, engagement bait, or AI-generated posts. Avoid putting extra details in a 'Got the keys' title, since the rule named 'Use the correct title format' says additional info belongs in the body or a comment.
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Common questions about r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer
Can I post here if I am a realtor or loan officer?
Only if you get prior moderator approval. The rule named 'No posts by industry professionals' says professionals cannot post without it.
Can I comment as an industry professional?
You can give advice in comments as long as you are not promoting, but you still cannot post without moderator approval.
How should I format a 'Got the keys' post?
Use the format from the rule named 'Use the correct title format': start with 'We did it!' or 'Got the keys!' or a variation, then add Location, Price, and Rate. Put any extra info in the post body or a comment, not the title.