Why is "Realtor" always capitalized?

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

"Hi, I'm a Realtor!" Well, I'm an Attorney/Lawyer - so what? (no offense to agents out there - I have wondered this for some time now).

[Oeditpus Rex]

1. It was trademarked by the National Association of Realtors

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

2. Thanks

A fund of knowledge, you are! :hi:

[Oeditpus Rex]

3. It's not something I'm happy to report

AP style dictates that it's up because of the trademark, but I refuse to use it in casual writing. It's so fucking pretentious.

[Dangerously Amused]

15. Oh sweet! I'm gonna trademark "Bitch"!

:bounce:

[datasuspect]

4. what's funny is that Realtor is capitalized but broker isn't

and brokers spank Realtors in terms of earnings.

[Saphire]

5. I worked at a Board of Realtors, and you have to remember to put the

little "registered trademark" symbol after it, too.

[trof]

6. And none of the 'rill-uh-tors' can pronounce REAL-tor.

At least not in South Alabama.
"What do you do?"
"I'm a rill-uh-tor."
d-u-m-b

[asthmaticeog]

7. I always wondered the same thing about "God."

:shrug:

[tjwmason]

8. It's a name.

When used for folk like Osiris, Zeus, Woden &c. one doesn't capitalise - however we Christians (being sneaky sods) turned it into a name thus it is capitalised in that context because God hasn't told us to do an e e cummings on him yet.

[trof]

9. Yes, but is it copyrighted?

If not, could I legally change my name to 'God'?

[asthmaticeog]

12. If it's not trademarked yet, I'm gettin' on that shit.

I'M GONNA BE FUCKIN' RICH! :bounce:

[DS1]

10. What other professionals always have their photo plastered everywhere?

I don't get that.

[asthmaticeog]

13. Columnists, politicians, and the FBI's 10 most wanted. nt

[RebelOne]

11. OK, this is from the AP Stylebook

Realtor is a service mark, which is a brand, word, etc. used by a supplier of services and protected by law to prevent a competitor from using it: Realtor, for a member of the National Association of Realtors. When a service mark is used, capitalize it.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

14. There was a movie tentatively titled "Realtors" in preproduction some months back and

a swarm of trademark lawyers descended on the studio. That was the first I'd heard that someone owned it. First for the studio, too, apparently.

[MorningGlow]

16. It's different from being a real estate agent--well, extra, let's say

You can get licensed to be a real estate agent (small R small E small A), but you have to get special certification to be a Realtor (big R, copyright symbol after it) and they're members of the National Association of Realtors. It's supposed to be especially reassuring--Realtors are supposed to be better agents because of their extra certification, plus they're subject to rules and ethics guidelines of the National Association of Realtors. So if a Realtor pulls something stinky on a client, s/he can be hauled before the board and sanctioned with a fine or, in dire cases, threat of having their title removed.

Damn, I know too much about this. Can you tell I'm doing freelance work for the local division of the NAR? :P

[pitohui]

17. the job is real estate agent or broker, and the job is not capitalized

"Realtor" is a made-up trademarked word for real estate agents who have paid some fee to pretend they know more than the rest