very important

If I most I assume your goal is to get business.  If yes you need to get your google ratings high. This is why the name is very important

Tony

Terrie, I wrote a nice blog on this subject. check it out: http://activerain.com/blogsview/473248/What-s-in-a

it is very important, so read about it, feel free to ask me any questions, but do it fast.

Terrie,

I recommend you to get a templated website from homes.com or one of the others. They will allow you to use your own domain name. I recommend that you check on godaddy to see if Sparks,Nevada real estate domain name is available!

Chadd and Tony - Thank you!

Peter -  I just read your What's-in-a-name blog that your referred me to. Thank you so much. I got all the info I need and now I know exactly what to do. If I had read your post first, I would not have had to write mine. Anyway, cannot tell how much I appreciate your comments. Thank you.

Mike - Thanks and I will check out homes.com and see have. Totally appreciate it.

Terrie

Teri, glad it worked for you. I've learned things I didn't know from others here at AR, I am happy to share things that I do know.

good luck, if you ever have a question, don't hesitate to ask.

There is always so much to learn and so many people have different opinions on the subject.

Your domain strategy should certainly come first.  I just posted 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Domain tonight on my AR blog.  Be sure to check it out before you buy a domain.  Most agents make at least one of those mistakes.  

Buy your domain independent of any real estate template company to retain your independence (and often save $).  Godaddy.com is a good place to buy it.

Get a domain name or 2 or 3, then work on your website.

Teri, I just noticed I had another (older blog) that also talks about domain names. you should definitely read this one: http://activerain.com/blogsview/470103/Domain-names-are-becoming

domain names are the real estate of the 21st century.

Peter - Thanks again.

Georgina - Great advice. Thanks

Real Estate Web Critic -  Your blog "10 Mistakes to Avoid when buying a Domain" was great. I just wish I had read it before buying my domain name! But it all worked out, I was able to fix my name thru godaddy.com at no extra cost. Thank you so much.  Terrie

Teri,

I have just finished getting a couple of new websites up and running.  After having 2 sites in the past that I didn't put much thought into, my approach this time was to make sure I had a plan.  I did a lot of research right here on AR, and found a TON of good info.  Some good advice I recieved on domain names is to try and incorporate keywords that you'd like to place high on in the search engines.  I chose www.BoiseIdahoRealEstatePro.com because the keywords "Boise Idaho real estate" get searched over 5 million times a month.  Go to Google Suggest, and they can help you get a feel for which keywords are being searched for your market.  Good Luck!

Ben  -  Thank you so much for the advice. I like the name you chose and all of the other info and advice I have received is pretty much similar to yours, try to incorporate keywords in the name. And  you are right, AR provides so much info and great advice. So thank you for yours!! Terrie