Are You Using REALTOR® Properly in Emails and on Social Media?

Let's break down the whys and rules for using the REALTOR® Mark correctly in this digital landscape.

REALTOR® has one meaning only: REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

In other words, REALTOR® means a member of the National Association of REALTORS®.

View the PDF of NAR's  Membership Marks Manual here.

THE BASICS

NAR’S THREE MAIN TRADEMARK RULES 

  1. The REALTOR® Marks must be formatted properly: all uppercase lettering with the trademark registration symbol
  2. Descriptive wording may not be used with the REALTOR® Marks.
  3. All contextual uses of the REALTOR® Marks must tie back to membership in NAR.

Members must separate the REALTOR® Marks from their personal name or business name with punctuation, such as a comma or hyphen. Separating punctuation must be used even if the REALTOR® Marks are displayed under the member’s or brokerage’s name.

  • Sally Rodriguez, REALTOR®
  • John Smith,
    REALTOR®
  • Sunshine Realty — REALTORS®
  • Pleasant Realty, REALTORS®

Separating punctuation is not needed if REALTOR® appears before the member’s name.

  • REALTOR® Sarah Jones

Members may not misspell, reconstruct, expand, abbreviate, or divide the REALTOR® Marks. The following are examples of prohibited uses of the REALTOR® Marks:

  • REAL-I-TOR
  • REALTORiffic
  • R-E-A-L-T-O-R-S
  • RLTR.
  • REALTOR® - Assistant
  • REALTER
  • REALTOR-rent of Homes

A Closer Look at  Trademark Rule #2:
Descriptive wording may not be used with the REALTOR® Marks

The REALTOR® Marks are intended to distinguish members from non-members. Using descriptive wording with the REALTOR® Marks has the improper effect of distinguishing between members. Prohibited descriptive wording includes geographic descriptors, adjectives, and words such as “my”, “your”, and “the.”

IMPROPER usage with descriptive wording:
  • Professional REALTORS®
  • Jane the REALTOR®
  • Top Chicago REALTOR®
  • www.bestrealtor.com
  • Hometown REALTOR®
  • steve@number1realtor.com

EMAIL ADDRESSES, DOMAIN NAMES, AND USERNAMES

Email addresses, domain names, and usernames, including social media usernames, that incorporate the REALTOR® Marks must comply with NAR’s Trademark Rules, with two notable exceptions:

  1. the REALTOR® Marks may appear in lowercase lettering because email addresses, domain names, and usernames are not typically capitalized; and
  2. separating punctuation and the registration symbol may be omitted because such formatting is typically not available in email addresses, domain names, and usernames.

Keep in mind that all other trademark rules still apply. The REALTOR® Marks must be used in connection with a member’s personal name or brokerage name, and descriptive language may not be used with the REALTOR® Marks.

This means that when using the REALTOR® Marks in email addresses, domain names, and usernames, the marks may only appear adjacent to:

  1. the member’s personal name or brokerage name, or
  2. the @ symbol or the .com or other extension.

The REALTOR® Marks may not appear next to other wording.

PROPER Email Addresses, Domain Names, and Usernames:
  • sarahrodriguezrealtor@gmail.com
  • www.sunshinerealtyrealtors.com
  • @realtorsarahchicago on Instagram
  • sarahrealtor@cloudrealty.com
IMPROPER Email Addresses, Domain Names, and Usernames:
  • chicagorealtor@gmail.com
    This email address is improper because it omits a member name or brokerage name, and a descriptive term (“Chicago”) appears adjacent to the REALTOR® Mark.
  • www.yourprofessionalrealtors.com
    This domain is improper because it omits a member name or brokerage name, and descriptive terms (“yourprofessional”) appear adjacent to the REALTORS® Mark.
  • Janetherealtor as a username on Facebook
    This social media username is improper because descriptive language (“the”) appears adjacent to the REALTOR® Mark. An acceptable replacement username is janerealtor.
  • localrealtorsarah@sunshine.com
    This email address is improper because descriptive wording (“local”) appears adjacent to the REALTOR® Mark.
    Acceptable replacement email addresses are:
    • realtorsarah@sunshine.com
    • sarahrealtor@sunshine.com
    • localsarahrealtor@sunshine.com
    • realtorsarahlocal@sunshine.com
NAR TRADEMARK CONTACT INFORMATION

View the PDF of NAR's  Membership Marks Manual here.

For additional information or questions about the REALTOR® Marks, please contact NAR’s Trademark Paralegal at trademark@nar.realtor or 312-329-8270.