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REALTOR®: REALTORS® will soon have .Realtor top-level domain

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Members of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) will soon have an online address with an exclusive top-level domain (TLD) that recognizes each member as a REALTOR®. According to the national REALTOR® group, the branded .Realtor domain will make it easier for home buyers, sellers and investors to locate a trusted valued source of real estate information, resources and services online.

The special exclusive domain will ensure consumers that they are working with a trusted a real estate professional, a REALTOR® who is committed to abide by a strict Code of Ethics, according to Gary Thomas, 2013 NAR president.

"As the leading advocate for home and property ownership, REALTORS® are creating a namespace where buyers, sellers and investors will go online to find the most credible, trusted real estate information, resources and professional services," said Thomas. "In the future, when consumers visit a .Realtor site they can be assured they are working with a Realtor, a real estate professional who subscribes to a strict Code of Ethics."

The national trade association invites members to sign up now so they can receive advance notification to claim their domain as soon as it becomes available. The first 500,000 members who register will have the opportunity to get a Realtor domain free for one year. Members can sign-up at www.SignUpForDotREALTOR®.com before December 31, 2013.

NAR applied for the branded .Realtor top-level domain in 2011 through its wholly owned subsidiary, the REALTORS® Information Network, as an alternative to the commonly used .com and .org. Only members of NAR and the Canadian Real Estate Association, which has an exclusive marketing partnership with NAR, can call themselves REALTORS®, and only REALTORS® will be allowed to use the .Realtor domain in connection with their name.

"Anything that sets REALTORS® apart from real estate agents is a good thing," said Carolyn Miller, president of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS®. "Some consumers think all real estate agents are REALTORS® and use these terms interchangeably, not realizing that not every real estate agent can legally use the title of REALTORS®. Not all real estate agents are REALTORS®."

Miller explained while real estate agents and REALTORS® are both licensed to sell real estate, REALTORS® is a trademarked term and used by agents who are members of the National Association of REALTORS®. "A REALTORS® is held to an even higher standard of conduct than other real estate professionals. REALTORS® must abide by a Code of Ethics, which is diligently enforced by our peers through the Grievance and Professional Standards processes," said Miller.

Miller said numerous top-level domains are coming soon, sought after by numerous companies. "This will change the way consumers do business online. I'm glad NAR is pro-active and getting on the forefront of this new development," said Miller.

Final approval and launch of the .Realtor domain is anticipated in 2014. For more information, visit www.realtor.org/domain.


The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.

The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.

For further information, please contact Rose Meily at SILVAR Public Affairs, email , or phone (408) 200-0109.

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