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With
only 50 States
in the United States it is
very rare to see a State .Com
domain name change hands in a
publicly reported sale. The
last time was a little over two
years ago (in January 2019) when Mark
Thomas at VIPBrokerage.com
reported closing a $3 million
deal for California.com in
what wound up being the 3rd
biggest domain sale reported that
year).
Now
another one has come to light
- and once again VIPBrokerage.com
was part of the deal - a
transaction that closed in
November. This time the marquee
name is Arizona.com
with the new owner paying $350,000
to acquire the dazzling domain.
Thomas represented the seller in
the transaction while another
widely-known veteran broker,
John Mauriello at DomainAssets.com,
represented the buyer.
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Image
from Bigstock
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While
the WhoIs record has privacy enabled, a new website at Arizona.com shows it
being used to advertise homes for sale or rent in cities across the state.
The About section on the site lists the operator as as a company based in
Houston, Texas, L.
Custen Realty, Inc. d/b/a Realty Arizona.
The
company's business model looks to be based on forming exclusive
relationships with real estate agents in each city to help them attract
more buyers. A statement on the site notes, "Arizona.com
is an innovative mobile and online real estate resource built around
connecting clients with Premium Exclusive Agents...Offering updates on homes
and rentals newly reaching the market, data on home price history and cost,
and insights showing what to expect when living in a neighborhood –
including local crime rates, school quality, and commute times –
Arizona.com achieves further insight. With lifetime relationships in mind,
Arizona.com builds bonds between agents, property managers, and mortgage
lenders to provide the solutions and professional guidance needed while
searching for a home."
With
respect to the selling price of the domain, there is obviously a big
difference between the $3 million paid for California.com
and the $350,000 for Arizona.com. However, there are also major differences
between the states. California, with 37.7 million residents has six
times the population of Arizona (6.4 million). The price paid for
California.com was a little over eight times what was paid for
Arizona.com. Of course, a lot more goes into valuation than just
population. California has more major cities where services can be
monetized, is a huge tourist destination, has more geographic diversity, a
broader range of jobs, etc. On the other hand Arizona is experiencing
spectacular growth and, like California, it is a very popular place with
tourists (it is, after all, the Grand Canyon State)! However
you value them, both domains are unique assets that give their
owner's endless revenue opportunities and I highly doubt that anyone
who is currently fortunate enough to own one regrets their investment.
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