Maybe it’s the pioneer spirit of the West. Maybe it’s a willingness to embrace the future. Maybe it’s recognizing a smart investment opportunity when he sees one. But likely it’s a combination of all three that led Colorado broker Dennis Saffell to scoop up an ambitious list of .realestate domains the second NAR made them available to REALTORS®.Â
“Be a part of the future or get left behind.”
Saffell’s philosophy is “Be a part of the future or get left behind,” and when he learned about the .realtor™ and .realestate top-level domains, he was immediately on board. Saffell, an Accredited Land Consultant (ALC), says he had been frustrated with the lack of relevant web addresses available for his Winter Park, Colo.-based firm, which specializes in mountain and ski resort real estate. Because he’s working in some of the most popular and iconic locations in the market, the most relevant .com web addresses are already taken, or cost literally in the millions of dollars. There was simply no way to get a web address for his firm that was clear and concise.
“There were no good, clean, short, three- or four-word sites available.”
The .realestate top-level domain was a solution to Saffell’s problem, as well as an opportunity to be part of a new frontier. He is a big believer in the value and potential of industry-specific, top-level domains like .realtor™.
“Dot-com is too universal,” Saffell says, “Dot-whatever is absolutely more relevant…For all the big industries, (such as) law, auto, health, you’re going to see a bunch of dots rise up.”
Additionally, .realestate enables REALTORS® to quickly communicate everything a client is looking for: real estate in a certain location, or of a certain type, without having to fit all of that information before a .com.
An Opportunity for the Ideal Digital Strategy
With the acquisition of his ideal web addresses, Saffell has been able to organize his different areas of expertise in a way that makes sense both for potential clients and for his firm. He has .realestate web addresses for each of his firm’s locations, like vail.realestate; one for his overarching business, mountain.realestate; and landing pages for individual projects and properties. It’s a strategy that allows flexibility and customization for his ever-expanding business, while removing steps for users who just want to look at a specific property or shop a location.
“I loved the soft release just to REALTORS®. That was a really stand-up thing to do. I really appreciate NAR doing that.”
Of the exclusive early release, Saffell was a grateful fan.
“I loved the soft release just to REALTORS®. That was a really stand-up thing to do. I really appreciate NAR doing that.”
Meanwhile, he’s shocked at how many of his peers haven’t yet taken advantage of .realestate. Saffell continues to buy .realestate domains for new and future locations and projects, and encourages all of his agents and brokers to get .realestate. web addresses for any areas they specialize in. He sees .realtor™ as a great web address that sets brokers apart as real estate professionals, and believes .realestate is the most concise and memorable way to direct buyers and sellers to your business and listings in the locales you specialize in.
More pointedly, Saffell says, “Vail.realestate: Can you remember that? Yes, I think so.”Â
REALTORS® can buy .realtor™ web addresses for themselves and .realestate web addresses (or at least the ones Saffell hasn’t already claimed) for their businesses at www.get.realtor.
