Oh, those pesky rules

You’re a REALTOR^® – shout it from the rooftops. But do it carefully.

Everyone knows that if you’re not a REALTOR^® member you can’t use the term, but did you know that there are significant limitations on member use of the terms as well? NAR’s Membership Marks Manual has all the rules and regulations about the proper (and improper) use of the term REALTOR^® and what it says may surprise you.

A few of the top things to remember:

#1: The word “Realtor” can be used in the name of a firm ONLY if it is set off from the name of the firm by some sort of punctuation.

Unacceptable: Smith Company REALTORS^®
Acceptable: Smith Company, REALTORS^®

#2: “Realtor” may be used in a domain name or e-mail address of a member ONLY if it is used with the member’s name or an acceptable variation thereof.  Members are NOT permitted to use the term with any sort of a geographic term or other descriptor.

Unacceptable: HarrisburgRealtor.com; NumberOneRealtor.com; [email protected]
Acceptable: JohnSmithRealtor.com; [email protected]”

#3: Never use “Realtor” with a descriptive term

Unacceptable: “The Concerned REALTOR^®; “The REALTOR^® with Integrity”; “Harrisburg’s Best REALTOR^®.”

#4: All the other marks owned or administered by NAR (including all the NAR designations) have their own sets of rules to follow.

You may be wondering to yourself, “who writes these rules?”  The answer is NAR owns the various trademarks and service marks so it is up to them to write usage rules that protect the integrity of the marks. Given that the term REALTOR^® has been challenged in court throughout the years, these rules are NAR’s attempt at maintaining the marks against challenges that they have become generic.

NAR’s model bylaws for local associations contain mandatory rules that require members to follow the rules for useage. Because membership starts at the local level, local associations are encouraged to educate members about proper use and to enforce the rules as much as they can.  The Membership Marks Manual even contains sample letters to help with enforcement. If those misusing the marks don’t comply, locals can then elevate the issue to NAR, which will address it through their legal department. And nobody wants that, do we?