realtor

Wikipedia

English

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA: /ˈril.tɚ/, /ˈriəl.tɚ/, /ˈriəl.tɔɹ/, /ˈɹiləɾɚ/

Usage notes

• Pronunciation /ˈɹiləɾɚ/ is usually considered incorrect.

Etymology

Coined by Charles N. Chadbourn in 1916, from real (in real estate) and -or, based on the model of Latin agent nouns ending in -tor (such as actor, creator), to refer to real estate professionals who are members of the National Association of Realtors, a trade association in the United States.

Noun

realtor (plural realtors)

1. (North America) A person or business that sells or leases out real estate, acting as an agent for the property owner.
   • 1919: w:United States Senate, U.S. Housing Corporation. Hearings Before a Subcommittee

     Mr. Shannon (witness): It was composed of an engineer, if I remember correctly, a town planner, a realtor, and occasionally an architect ...

   • 1922: Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt

     First place, we ought to insist that folks call us ‘realtors’ and not ‘real-estate men.’ Sounds more like a reg’lar profession.

   • 1975: Jerzy N Kosinski, Cockpit, New York, Grove Press, 1998, p.189

     Intrigued by the prospect of an additional commission, the realtor hurriedly assured me he foresaw no problem in obtaining the lease.

   • 1997: Douglas A. Gray, Canadian home buying made easy, 2nd edition, p.72

     The terms agent, broker, and realtor are often used interchangeably.

   • 2003: Gary Andrew Dresden, Confessions of a Gynecologist, Lincoln, NE, iUniverse, p.111

     The realtor was like a carnivore, ready to spring. He was originally from New York and he seemed like the kind of guy who could smell a deal.

Usage notes

• According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) web site, realtor "is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Realtors and subscribes to its code of ethics." The NAR spells "realtor" in all capital letters.

Synonyms

• estate agent (British)
• real estate agent

Related terms

• real estate

Quotations

• For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.

Translations

dealer in real estate

Chinese: Mandarin: 房地產經紀人 (zh), 房地产经纪人 (zh) (fángdìchǎn jīngjìrén) French: agent immobilier (fr) m. German: Immobilienmakler (de) m. Japanese: 不動産屋 (ja) (ふどうさんや, fudōsan'ya)

Macedonian: агент за недвижности (mk) (agént za nedvížnosti) m., агент за недвижнини (mk) (agént za nedvížnini) m. Russian: агент по продаже недвижимости (ru) (agént po prodáže nedvížimosti) m., риэлтор (ru) (riéltor) m. Spanish: agente inmobiliario (es) m., fideicomisario (es) m., bróker (es) m., realty (es) m., realtor (es) m.

Anagrams

• relator

References

External links

• Jacob Zimmerman v. Nat'l Ass'n of Realtors, Cancellation Nos. 92032360, 92040141, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (March 31, 2004), discussing the claim that "realtor" is a generic term, and including 10 dictionary definitions of the term (pp. 17-19).