What's in a name? A lot According to NY DOS

By
Real Estate Agent

Mitchell Hall (Licensed as Mitchell J Hall)

I'm sorry to get all formal but from now on I'm Mitchell J Hall, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker. I can no longer use Mitchell Hall and forget about Mitch Hall on profiles or marketing without including the suffix Licensed as Mitchell J. Hall.

I have nothing against my middle initial, my middle name is Jeffrey. The only time I use it is when I'm asked for it on an application. In 2001 I filled out an application with NY State DOS for a real estate salesperson license. I gave my middle initial. I've since become a broker and have renewed my license several times.  On my current license it says Hall Mitchell is duly licensed as a Real Estate Assoc Broker with Corcoran Group. However the state records show I'm licensed as Mitchell J Hall and I must be in compliance by only using that name.

You are receiving this email because your profile on Guaranteedrate.com includes contact information that does not comply with Department of State regulations.  In order to be compliant, you must display your correct Department of State title (Licensed Real Estate Salesperson OR Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker), an office phone number (i.e. cannot only display a mobile number)and your licensed name (if different from the name you go by).

Is Mitchell Hall a different name than my licensed name? Mitchell Hall (licensed as Mitchell J Hall)

 

Mitchell Hall (Licensed as Mitchell J Hall)Now for the irony:

About 10 years ago or so I started a website. I wanted MitchellHall.com but it was not available. I was annoyed but I bought the domain MitchellJhall.com and started a website.

It really bothered me that some one else had MitchellHall.com. It wasn't even anybody with my same name "Mitchell Hall" but somebody that designed software from a college dormitory named Mitchell Hall.

I knew one day I would get that domain name. I would wait and waited and waited for years and then it appeared on an auction so I paid $500 for the domain MitchellHall.com.

At first I pointed MitchellHall.com to MitchellJHall.com. but eventually I built a new website MitchellHall.com and now have MitchellJHall.com point to MitchellHall.com.

Thinking back now, what was I thinking? I must have been totally neurotic. I actually believed Mitchell Hall would be much easier to remember than Mitchell J Hall. To think I built a website than took it down and built it all over without my middle initial in the domain.

Who knew NY State one day would mandate the use of my middle initial. What's in a name? Ask NY DOS?

Posted by

©Mitchell Hall 2022

All content/images, unless noted, are the property of Mitchell Hall & may not be used without permission. 

nyc BLOG estate

 
          Call Mitchell Hall @ 917-312-0924
          Email: mh@MitchellHall.com

Comments (15)

J. Philip Faranda
J. Philip Faranda (J. Philip R.E. LLC) Westchester County NY - Briarcliff Manor, NY
Broker-Owner

Cry me a river! ;-)

- J(oseph) Philip Faranda

Sep 06, 2013 11:17 PM
Mitchell J Hall
Manhattan, NY
Lic Associate RE Broker - Manhattan & Brooklyn

Hey Joseph Philip Faranda. Nice name.

Sep 06, 2013 11:25 PM
Miriam Bernstei
Rochester, NY

In Louisiana we must also use only our legal names on everything real estate related.  If we have a nickname we are known by we must submit that name for registration with the real estate commission.  Believe it is about fraud.  To the state the individual with the initial may not be the same person as the individiual without the initial.

Sep 06, 2013 11:25 PM
Roger D. Mucci
Shaken...with a Twist 216.633.2092 - Euclid, OH
Lets shake things up at your home today!

Who knew?  Certainly not I Mitchell J. Hall..................yowza!

Sep 06, 2013 11:27 PM
Merline D Pennant - New homes, Short Sales and Pre-foreclosures
Regal Realty of the Treasure Coast LLC - Port St Lucie, FL
New City, New Towns, New homes

Michell J Hall this was insiteful.  After all these years who would have thought.

Sep 06, 2013 11:28 PM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Yes, I've been hearing about this for months and it is unbelievable how much time and money this is going to cost a lot of people - websites, online profiles, business cards, signs, brochures.

Sep 06, 2013 11:44 PM
Lenn Harley
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

They clearly have too little constructive work to do. 

Make work by making others work.

Sep 06, 2013 11:55 PM
Mitchell J Hall
Manhattan, NY
Lic Associate RE Broker - Manhattan & Brooklyn

Miriam, I've had to change Associate Broker to Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker too.

Roger D, What does the D stand for? Now that I'm noticing middle initials.

Merline, When I first started I had Mitchell J Hall on my business cards until somebody said why so formal?

Sep 07, 2013 12:05 AM
Mitchell J Hall
Manhattan, NY
Lic Associate RE Broker - Manhattan & Brooklyn

Debbie,

I had to return all my old business cards to make sure they are never used. My new ones say Mitchell Hall (licensed as Mitchell J Hall) and Senior Associate Broker was changed to Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker.

Lenn, It is a lot of working finding all my profiles on line. It may be a new revenue source for NY DOS by issuing fines for non compliance.

Sep 07, 2013 12:16 AM
Anonymous
Madison

My name is Madison V. Meadows and I am a licensed real estate broker in the state of Washington. So many people call to lease rentals and want to rent at the Madison Meadows apartments. There are so many golf courses, schools and housing sub divisions with my name.  Names are so much fun.

Sep 07, 2013 01:00 AM
#10
Kathy Stoltman
Balboa Real Estate - Ventura, CA
Ventura County Real Estate Consultant 805-746-1793

How interesting and annoying.   I use Kathy on all my business items even though my official name is Kathleen and this is ok in CA.

Sep 07, 2013 01:27 AM
Mitchell J Hall
Manhattan, NY
Lic Associate RE Broker - Manhattan & Brooklyn

Hi Madison. Madison V Meadows is a great name. Hopefully you have been able to leverage it in some of those housing divisions. Mitchell Hall is always a school dormitory or mess hall or stadium out of state and outside the US.

Hi Kathy, In NY you would have to be Kathy Stoltman, Licensed as Kathleen Stoltman.

Sep 07, 2013 04:04 AM
Janis Borgueta
Newburgh, NY
Retired RE Salesperson

Yes Mitchell J Hall. I am in the midst of figuring out all the details with the signs, the online compliance and all the rest of their little quirky things. I went to a lecture a few months ago and they were contemplating whether they would delete the world Licensed from our required title. The sign costs will be huge to the brokers. Most agents are not going to understand what is not compliant for some time. The revenue potential is going to be huge with fines. My sign guy is going to be a millionaire!

Sep 07, 2013 02:18 PM
Gabe Sanders
Real Estate of Florida specializing in Martin County Residential Homes, Condos and Land Sales - Stuart, FL
Stuart Florida Real Estate

I always thought that I was missing out by not having a middle name.  Now, I'm thinking it's not such a bad thing!  

Sep 07, 2013 10:10 PM
Roger D. Mucci
Shaken...with a Twist 216.633.2092 - Euclid, OH
Lets shake things up at your home today!

David

Sep 07, 2013 11:42 PM