NAR’s new .realestate domain sets the stage for continued growth
Branching out on her own just one short year ago, real estate professional Beth Ferrari is currently in the midst of growing her business by exploring and investing in a variety of areas. One of her most significant investments to-date? Specialized top-level domains (TLDs).
With multiple .realtor™ websites to her name—which the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), in partnership with Second Generation, Ltd., has been offering to active REALTOR® members since 2014—Ferrari jumped at the chance to secure the new .realestate domain during a pre-sale this past September. As of November 26, the TLD is now available to the public.
“I never got in on the dot-com craze, but now that I’m planting the seeds to invest in the future of my business, it made sense to invest in these top-level domains,” says Ferrari, broker/owner of Ferrari + Co.
“I seized the moment and took advantage of sites that I thought would be potentially lucrative in helping me grow my business down the line,” says Ferrari, who can now be found at nantucket.realestate, bostoncondos.realestate, instantoffers.realestate and ibuyers.realestate, to name a few.
For Ferrari, a key piece of the puzzle comes in evaluating the risk and potential reward associated with the myriad of opportunities real estate professionals have access to today. “There’s a price tag associated with every site you buy, but I thought it was a good idea that was worth the risk, and will hopefully be worth the reward.”
As consumers continue to become more comfortable and familiar with newer ways to find real estate professionals to represent them throughout the home-buying and/or -selling process, it’s more important than ever to spread yourself out so that you can be found through a variety of channels.
“Technology has grown infinitely in the past few years, and you need to keep up with it,” says Ferrari, “and having as many opportunities to lead people to your information is the name of the game.”
To that end, “Having multiple sites and different ways people can reach you so that you can keep your finger in multiple cookie jars isn’t a bad idea,” notes Ferrari. While .realtor™ is a natural extension that’s worked well for people over the years, Ferrari is excited about the potential .realestate will bring to the table.
“Real estate professionals need to be open to change, and they must understand that they have to take risks and try different things,” concludes Ferrari. “There’s always an opportunity, but you have to keep your eyes open and be willing to try it.”
For more information, please visit www.get.realtor/RIS.
Paige Tepping is RISMedia’s managing editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at paige@rismedia.com. For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmark RISMedia.com.
