Special offer

Funny Story

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 GREC# 169695

Most of the time I don't read "junk" emails.  Today, I was sitting and waiting for an agent to stop back in the office when one popped in my email box and I opened it about 5 seconds after it arrived..  The content of the email was :

Hi,

 
My Company is exclusively brokering the domain name VacationhomesGeorgia.com for our client. we found your company and think this domain name is perfect to grow your brand.
 
VacationhomesGeorgia.com already gets over 60,000 direct match searches every year and ranks easy for SEO. This domain will keep increasing in value as more and more great domains like this are being taken off the market. So basically if you sat on it for a few years, you could definitely make money of it if you decide to sell it. It is premium internet real estate.
 
Furthermore, the domain name has the potential to capture a targeted audience and generate leads for your business. By having a name that is specific to your industry, you can attract visitors who are actively searching for products or services like yours.
 
VacationhomesGeorgia.com also doesn't limit you geographically if your company were to grow to include many locations in the area or even nationwide
 
That being said, can I answer any questions to help you acquire this premium domain?
 
Thanks in advance,
Franklin
Domain Expert Dan.com
 
So I popped over to godaddy.com and looked it  up to to see what "price" might be on it there.  Well guess what, it said "available" and yours for 99 cents for the first year with a 2 year contract.  So now it's mine.  I paid $80 and change and it's mine until 2028.  I will point it at my website with a forward.
 
So should I email Domain Expert Dan back and tell him I already own that website, but thanks for asking. So the moral of my story is.... you can't sell me something you don't own and sometimes it's worth reading the junk that comes in your inbox.
 
 

 

Posted by

706-485-9668  us on facebook

Tammy@Lake-Sinclair.com

(Click on Lane Realty Logo for web site)

Tammy Lankford, Broker/Owner

 

Broker License # 169695  Lane Realty License # H-11420

Real Estate Instructor License # 355089

Call me today for all your Lake Sinclair real estate needs.

 Search for homes on Lake Sinclair now

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Comments (17)

Hannah Williams
HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA
Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

Tammy Lankford, I received an email asking me if I wanted to purchase buyer and seller reviews - I deleted it 

Jan 17, 2023 02:57 PM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Tammy, every so often I get one of these type of emails too, guess next time I will read it!  Good job!

Jan 17, 2023 03:48 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good evening Tammy,

OMG....this is hilarious! You know if they sent to you they probably sent it to others..they didn't even own it and wanted to be paid..good for you for snagging it! Just goes to show you it never hurts to read some of the junk email!

Jan 17, 2023 04:10 PM
Don Baker
Lane Realty - Eatonton, GA
Lake Sinclair Specialist

It pays to be smarter than the scammers.  Too bad they didn't know that.

Jan 17, 2023 04:32 PM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

So I guess they were hoping to buy it for the 99 cents for the first year themselves, and then turn around and charge some exorbitant price to sell it. Duh.

Good for you for investigating and scooping that up!

Jan 18, 2023 04:43 AM
Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

Haha, I think you should mess with him a bit that would be funny.  I like your featured photo, looks like a happy family that you helped purchase a home!

Jan 18, 2023 05:18 AM
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

Kat Palmiotti that's my thoughts.

Brian England I did think about it, but I didn't do it.

Jan 18, 2023 02:36 PM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

That's a great story, Tammy. Wonder what other URLs Domain Expert Dan has "for sale." Hope it turns out to be a great lead generator! Seems like it can be easy to outwit some scammers. LOL.

Jeff

Jan 18, 2023 08:00 PM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

I wonder how much he intended to charge you for it?

Jan 18, 2023 08:32 PM
Tammy Lankford,

I really should email him back and ask "how much is it?"

 

Jan 19, 2023 06:47 AM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-617-6375
Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty - Love our Great City - Love our Clients! Buckhead - Midtown - Westside - Atlanta, GA
Concierge Service for Our Atlanta Sellers & Buyers

 

Hi Tammy!  
Always a pleasure to see your smiling face! 
So true - "you can't sell me something you don't own"
 Marte Cliff  has a great question!
All the best - Lynn

Jan 18, 2023 09:02 PM
Tim Maitski
Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage - Atlanta, GA
Truth, Excellence and a Good Deal

There you go.  Sometimes it pays to read junk email.  It can give you ideas.

You gave me an idea.  I just went over to GoDaddy and checked some other names.  It's surprising that some good names are still available.  VacationHomeMontana.com  VacationHomesIdaho.com  VacationHomesWyoming.com and others.

Good urls are hard to come by now.  You could also use the singular of homes and it would still be good.  

So many times I think I thought up a great domain name and then when I go to GoDaddy it's taken already.  It's so frustrating.  But it proves the point that there are few original ideas out there.  If you thought of it, most likely someone else has already done something.  But in this case, there seems to still be a lot of good opportunities.

I think Domain Expert Dan had the right idea but one has to invest in controlling the inventory before you try to sell it.

Jan 19, 2023 06:13 AM
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

Marte Cliff well I emailed him back and he wanted $299. LOL   I told him no thanks.

Jan 19, 2023 08:41 AM
Ed Silva, 203-206-0754
Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT
Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

How cool is that. We all get emails from marketing experts and that person just did you a great service with a point to domain name.

Jan 19, 2023 09:17 AM
Ed Silva, 203-206-0754

Must be a pattern as I opened up an email with a similar opportunity for me in CT, and the domain showed nothing when I googled the address

Jan 19, 2023 01:10 PM
Diana Dahlberg
1 Month Realty - Pleasant Prairie, WI
Real Estate in Kenosha, WI since 1994 262-308-3563

Oh Tammy Lankford, I LOVE this!  What a perfect opportunity and it came at the perfect time when you least expected it ... and you WON!  That is one-up-manship if I ever saw it.  I hope you are still smiling!  Wonder what this guy was thinking? LOL

Jan 24, 2023 03:30 PM
Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP
DFW FINE PROPERTIES - Flower Mound, TX
Selling Homes Changing Lives

Tammy Lankford, - what if you contact him and say your attorney is interesting in speaking to him, what days and time does he have available? 

Feb 24, 2023 02:26 PM
Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089
Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI
Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

Haha, that is a good story!   Congrats on getting a good domain for a good price.

Apr 22, 2023 06:16 PM
Anthony Kirlew
Group 46:10 Network @ eXp Realty - Gilbert, AZ
Helping You Make Fiscally Sound Real Estate Deals!

That's a rookie move by Franklin.🤣  I run a legit domain brokerage company (Brandovators) in addition to my real estate business, and it sounds like he was trying to make a quick buck. And it could end up with him being (as what a former employer calls) the "accidental con artist."

Let's say he found someone willing to pay him $299 to help them find a great domain name. That alone isn't a scam, as he is providing a service. But here is where the problem comes in. If someone pays him $299 then he goes to register the domain and it is not available, then he has to find a different domain that the end user agrees to or refund the money.... assuming he still has the money. If he claims he spent the money, then someone would be stuck trying to collect from a random person behind a random email address. This is why it is important to use a domain escrow service (which most people don't even know exists) or a credit card for such a purchase and not PayPal, Zelle, or Venmo, where you may not have recourse. 

When I send out an email offering a domain name, people get all of my contact info including my phone number and my website, that shows I am legit. As I write this, I would say that an email without a phone number where you can call and verify the person is legit is another red flag.

Congrats on your domain purchase!

Sep 14, 2023 10:36 AM