Caroline here. Today I want to share a quick rumination (more like a random collection of cautions, Post-It Note style?) on renaming your real estate business.

Despite the fact that renaming is not an exercise our studio offers, I talk about business names plenty with the Realtors who engage us or reach out to poke more around our offerings.

Lots of people embark on rebrands wanting to rename as well. These folks are often tripped up on trivial challenges like clogged funnels (“It must be the name!!”) and sheer brand boredom (“ASSEMBLE THE TROOPS, IT’S TIME TO RENAME!!!!”). 

Renaming can feel like an accessible way to make marketing sexier in times of downturn or, again…brand boredom. 

I’ve written on the blog about renaming your real estate business, already. But on the heels of some convos I’ve had with agents recently, let me add three things.

01 – Say it with me: “Changing my company name is a big deal and should never be taken lightly.”

To be clear, it’s actually extreme: renaming risks losing a big chunk of your hard-earned brand equity, resetting your reputation to near-zero. And it forces you to reskin everything from the website and blog to the company stationary and signage. 

Sure, a visual rebrand is also a bit extreme, forcing company-wide shifts. But renaming should never automatically accompany a rebrand unless your name is actively working against you.

Renaming becomes a massive distraction, when it’s unnecessary. Unless you have the company culture of a Swiss Watch, then the renaming process alone could take months. (To do well.)

02 – Choosing a company name is a dramatically subjective thing.

A name that’s acceptable to most is likely exciting to no one, and if you have three or more stakeholders involved, you’re in for a bruising ride.

So if you must rename, keep your naming team as small as possible. 

You may need to widen your stakeholder circle eventually in the process, but successful naming — like successful rebrands — comes from giving a few people the power to make decisions, then letting them do it.

03 – Beware of the Real Estate Company Name Gag Factor.

In the last five years in particular, we’ve witnessed the rise of brokerages imitating tech company names as a way to position themselves as (deep breath) “innovative.” Smart, futuristic, virtual, digital, etc.

Just be careful. Most of us should *lower* our sights when it comes to naming — because the surest way to end up with an awful name is to aim for The Really Awesome Cool Name.

Rarely does the polarizing, futuristic real estate company name make sense.

Better to stay simple, memorable, and in the right zone of word associations (that’s a whole other kettle of fish). Which is why, for many other reasons, I always advocate you consider making peace with naming around your personal name, first. Resist the urge to let brand comparison, marketing challenges or boredom push you to the renaming precipice either incorrectly or immaturely.

There are sometimes good reasons to immediately distance yourself from your personal name. (More about this on the blog already.) 

Otherwise, have a come to Jesus with yourself and understand that “the great real estate name” fallacy can really trip you up if you’re not careful. Remember – you’re well-intentioned, you’ve built an incredible business, and odds are, you’ll land right on your feet when it comes to naming, if you’re making a big shift. 

Just take it easy on the creative process and proceed wisely.

P.S – What’s BLUEPRINT, again? 

We’re a gaggle of designers, writers, and creatives on a mission to change the branding narrative in real estate.

We offer a signature branding service and the industry’s most elegant and high-converting digital products to help modern, stylish Realtors do three things:

➝ Communicate their worth;

➝ Become the obvious choice;

➝ Tell the right stories to stand out + SELL more.

We love new friends, so hop on our email list for more value content, take our wildly popular real estate personality quiz, or follow us on The ‘Gram to join the family.