Facebook Ad Library for Real Estate: How to Spy on Competitor Ads (2026)

Last updated: 14 October 2026

The Facebook Ad Library for real estate research is free, needs no login, and shows every ad currently running on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network. Type a builder’s name or a phrase like “flats in Mohali”, set the country to India, and you can see the exact creatives, copy and start dates of the ads your competitors are running right now. You cannot see their spend, targeting or results for ordinary property ads.

That makes it the fastest way to see what other builders and brokers in your city are testing. It is also the easiest way to check whether your own agency is actually running the ads it bills you for. This guide shows how to use it step by step and what to look for.

What the Ad Library shows, and what it does not

Meta’s Business Help Center sets out what is visible. For ordinary ads that are not about social issues, elections or politics, and that do not reach the EU or UK, the Library shows:

You can see	You cannot see
The ad creative: image, video or carousel	How much was spent
The copy and the call-to-action	Impressions or reach
The Page that ran it	Targeting choices
The date the ad started running	Leads or results
Platforms and the number of ad versions	Ads that have stopped running
Page transparency details

The last row on the right matters. Property ads are only visible while they are active. Meta keeps an archive for seven years only for ads about social issues, elections or politics, and for one year for ads delivered in the EU or UK. If you want a record of a competitor’s campaign, screenshot it while it is live.

How to use the Facebook Ad Library for real estate research

1. Open facebook.com/ads/library. No account is needed.
2. Set the country to India.
3. Set the ad category to All ads.
4. Search either a keyword (“plots in Kharar”, “3 BHK Zirakpur”, “Dholera”) or an advertiser: a builder’s or broker’s Page name.
5. Use the filters: active status, platform (Facebook, Instagram), media type (image, video), and language.
6. Open an ad to see its versions. “This ad has multiple versions” often means the advertiser is testing headlines or images.
7. Click through to the Page to see all its active ads together.

Search in English and in Hindi or Punjabi terms. Many local brokers write their copy in Hinglish, so try both “flat for sale Mohali” and the way a buyer would actually type it.

What to look for in competitor ads

• Long-running ads. The start date tells you how long an ad has been live. An ad running for months has probably kept earning its budget, although the Library cannot prove it.
• Many versions. A Page testing several versions of one offer is taking its ads seriously. Note which hooks keep coming back.
• The offer. Price on the creative or not? “Starting at” or “all-inclusive”? Payment plan, discount, free registration? You will see the market’s offers within ten minutes.
• Formats. Are your competitors using walkthrough videos, reels with an agent on camera, or static flyers? See our notes on real estate ad creative for what tends to work.
• The destination. Click through. Is it an instant form, WhatsApp, or a landing page? Fill nothing, but notice what they ask for.
• Gaps. If every builder in your micro-market runs the same flat render, a real site-visit video stands out.

Check RERA compliance, including your own

Every ad for a RERA-registered project needs the registration number and the Authority’s website. The Ad Library lets you check this quickly across a whole market. You may find project ads with no RERA number at all.

Run the same check on your own Page. If your agency or a channel partner is running ads for your project without the number, that is your problem as much as theirs. Our guide to RERA advertising rules lists what every property ad needs.

Use it to audit your own agency

This is the most useful thing a builder or broker can do with the Ad Library, and few do it:

• Search your own Page name. Are ads actually running today?
• How many ads are live, and when did each one start? If your agency says it “refreshes creatives weekly”, the start dates will show whether that is true.
• Are the ads running from your Page, or from a Page the agency owns? If it is their Page, the audience and the ad history belong to them. Our guide on who owns your real estate ad account explains why that matters.
• Do the ads match what you approved, including the price and the RERA number?

Five minutes a month in the Ad Library tells you more about your agency’s real activity than most monthly reports.

What the Ad Library cannot tell you

It does not show what a competitor pays per lead, who they target, or how many site visits they get. Do not copy an ad just because it is running. It might be running badly. Use the Library for ideas and market awareness, then test your own versions with your own budget. Our guides to Facebook ads targeting for real estate and Instagram ads cost for real estate cover that side.

FAQ: Facebook Ad Library for real estate

Is the Facebook Ad Library free to use?
Yes. Anyone can search it at facebook.com/ads/library without logging in.

Can I see how much a competitor builder spends on Facebook ads?
No. For ordinary property ads in India, the Ad Library shows the creative, copy, Page and start date, but not spend, reach or targeting. Spend is only shown for ads about social issues, elections or politics.

Does the Facebook Ad Library show old real estate ads?
No. Ordinary ads are visible only while they are active. Meta archives ads about social issues, elections or politics for seven years and ads delivered in the EU or UK for one year.

Can I see Instagram ads in the Facebook Ad Library?
Yes. The Library covers ads running across Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network, and you can filter by platform.

How can I check if my agency is running my ads?
Search your own Page name in the Ad Library. You will see every active ad, its start date and its versions, and you can check that they run from your Page and include your RERA number.

The short version

Using the Facebook Ad Library for real estate is free and quick. Search India, by keyword or Page, to see your competitors’ live ads, offers and formats. Screenshot what matters, because ads disappear when they stop. Check RERA numbers across the market, and once a month search your own Page to confirm your ads are live, current and running from an account you own.

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Source: Meta Business Help Center, About the Meta Ad Library. Checked on 14 October 2026. leadproio is not affiliated with Meta.