Think You Can’t Use “Realtor” in a Domain Name? 53,434 People are Doing It

The NAR trademark “REALTOR®” can only be used in a domain name under very specific circumstances.

From the “Membership Marks Manual” (here is the Table of Contents, here is the specific section on “Use on the Internet“):

Here is a brief list of the principal rules affecting use of the REALTOR® marks in domain names:

1. The term REALTOR®, whether used as part of a domain name or in some other fashion must refer to a member or a member’s firm.

2. The term REALTOR® may not be used with descriptive words or phrases. For example, Number1realtor.com, numberone-realtor.com, chicagorealtors.org or realtorproperties.com are all incorrect.

I know of a few people that have received “cease and desist” letters from the NAR regarding their use of the term “realtor” in a domain name (RealtorGenius.com being the most recent I am privvy to).

From my perspective, it appears that the NAR randomly applies this rule.

“Why pray tell do you say that oh fateful editor?”

Well, let me count the 53,434 reasons….

Using a search tool available at DomainTools, you can find 53,434 active domain names with the word “realtor” in them.

Here’s a screen snip:

Granted, many of those 53,434 registered domains are in compliance with the NAR’s rules. However, many are not. I don’t have the time nor energy to review the entire list, but a quick scan shows many many domain names out there in clear violation of the NAR terms and conditions for using “realtor” in a domain name.

I mentioned a few special ones in this post - The NAR Fires a Shot at RealtorGenius.com

Why does the NAR allow domain names that clearly violate their rules to be openly sold?

You can go to just about any site that sells domain names and find examples of “illegal” use of the word “realtor”.

I was going to list some, but the list is apparently endless. Just Google “domains for sale” and take a look.

Thousands of illegal domain names? Hundreds of illegal domains hawked for sale on the open market? This all begs the question — how, when and where does the NAR chose to selectively enforce this rule?

Heck if I know. Does anyone?

Realtor.com vs Cyberhomes.com

Jim Duncan has an excellent post up today comparing Cyberhomes to Realtor.com.

There is no comparison in my opinion.

Realtor.com best get it in gear, quickly, if they plan on staying the top dog. Or whatever dog it is they are trying to be…

There is a fundamental concept that Realtor.com/Move/the NAR don’t seem to have grasped yet. Jim sums that concept up in one sentence:

It’s been said before - consumers want all the information, they want it now and they want it for free.

Quote of the Day

Does NAR have what it takes to create a nationwide MLS? Sadly, probably not. The real estate industry has been playing catch-up with technology over the last several years, and NAR with it’s 99 years of baggage, has been the slowest to evolve. NAR acknowledges their lumbering pace to embrace technology, but they are still missing the mark stating that their nationwide MLS will only be for Realtors, not the general public.

From Robert Nield at The Phoenix Real Estate Technology Exchange Blog.

The linked video in Robert’s post is from Inman’s Real Estate Connect in San Francisco. It’s 51 minutes long, but well worth a look. It’s a “Connect Duet” between Dale Stinton, NAR CEO and Rich Barton, co-founder of Zillow.com.