Nico Hohman

By Nico Hohman

There are many decisions to make in your real estate business before you jump into action. You need to determine what brokerage you will join. You need to set up your website and all of your social media properties. You need to print business cards and start prospecting.

But one of the most important decisions you need to make is probably one that you are going to overlook:

“What email address should I use?”

There are lots of options available when it comes to selecting an email address. You can use your personal email address at a generic domain, like gmail.com, yahoo.com, or aol.com. Or, you can choose to go with your broker’s email domain, like kw.com, century21.com, or remax.net. Or, you can choose to make up your own vanity email address, like nicosellshomes.com, listwithlarry.com, or thebrandonbroker.com and so on.

After I conducted research on sales data in my MLS, it is clear that some email addresses are better than others when it comes to winning more business.

@Yoel, 2014. Morguefile

Here are some of the key points from that research:

Of the agents who decided to keep a generic or personal email domain, the most popular choice is gmail.com. It accounts for approximately 25 percent of the total transaction sides and volume found in the MLS data I pulled.

The remaining generic email domain choices are split among the next 13 most popular choices. Of these remaining, aol.com (6.95 percent) and yahoo.com (6.46 percent) come in a distant second and third, respectively, behind gmail.com.

Just under half (44.5 percent) of all REALTORS® in my research chose to go with a broker’s email domain or their own vanity email domain.

When it comes to average sales prices, however, there is a clear and distinct winner. If you want to sell high-valued property, the best choice is an email address that includes the term REALTOR®.

With an average sales price 38 percent higher than the total average sales price in the Mid-Florida MLS, the .REALTOR email domain his head and shoulders above the competition. Those practitioners also have an average sales price 53 percent higher than the average sales price for transactions conducted by someone with the gmail.com domain.

Now, could those agents be the same ones providing stellar service to their clients? Sure. But it seems to me that not all email addresses are created equal. At least in business. It goes to show that even the small things can persuade your potential clients – and the term REALTOR® could be what’s standing out.

When it comes to choosing a brokerage, business cards, or even an email address, know the facts. As you set up your real estate business and establish your marketing practices, be sure to make decisions that will best line you up for success down the road in real estate career.

Nico Hohman is a Tampa-based real estate pro with NextHome Discovery who works on renovation and rehab properties. Learn more about Nico at hohmanhomes.com or connect on Twitter: @thenicohohman.