Identifying as a member of National Association of Realtors
If you are a real estate agent or real estate broker, and a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and interested in publicizing yourself as a member, here are a summary of guidlines to follow.
For in-depth and up-to-date rules on usage, please view the NAR Membership Marks Manual.
First, let’s begin with a good rule of thumb to follow in general.
- In all your online activies, including the content of your website, be authentic and do not mislead or play games like “clickbait”.
- Trademarks and logos are valuable assets to an organization. They spend a lot of time and resources building a brand around them. How they are used and represented is a very big deal.
In general, restrictions apply only to all cap versions and you must use the ®.
- Do not use descriptive words or phrases with “realtor” – For example: bestrealtor.com, realtorhomes.com, or thistownsrealtor.com are not correct.
- The term realtor” cannot be combined with words like “my”, “our”, or “your” – actually any phrase or descriptive wording between your name membership rank.
- You cannot use the all caps “realtor” as part of a web link (URL).
- The bock R logo and/or all caps “realtor should only be used to denote membership in the NAR.
- The (all-caps) “realtor” denotes a real estate professional, who abides by the NAR rules and ethics, and who is a NAR member in good standing. Otherwise, you are a real estate agent or real estate broker.
What are the all-caps “realtor” marks?
The federally registered collective membership marks owned by the NAR are (translate all to all upper case, “realtor”, “reastors” and “realtor-associate”. Again, all should be followed by the block “R” logo.
Is a real estate professional a “realstor”?
Actually, no. The acknowledged definition of realtor is, “A real estate professional who is a member of the NAR.
What if you cannot use, for whatever reason, the trademark registrastration symbol?
If you cannot print or display the ® symbol, then the preferred format after that is all capital letters.Should you promote your membership to the NAR?
Yes, if you actually are and abide by thei NAR rules! It’s a recognized organiation and provides you with added credibility. If usage rules seem complicated, they really aren’t. Remember, just stick to using the realtor mark as proof of your memberhsip to your market.
To obtain legitimate NAR marks/logos and to verify the rules, simply visit the NAR Logos & Trademarks Rules page.
If you need help, reach out to us! We’ll be happy to update your website – It’s part of our services suite!
This article purposely avoided using the official, trademarked version of “realtor” to demonstrate the pursposefull non-association with the NAR. In other words, we value others’ trademarks and brands, as we understand the investment made in cfeating and maintaining the trademarks and associated brands. Adopt this type of policy as a rule of thumb.
Nothing in this article should be construed or inferred to be any type of legal advice, nor should it be inferred or construed to be applicable to all situations or circumstances. In other words, do your due dilingence. We are a marketing and advertising agency, not a law firm.
