Is a .haus Domain a Good Choice for Real Estate and Hospitality Businesses?

1. What Is a .haus Domain?

A .haus domain is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) based on the German word "haus," meaning "house." Rather than being industry-specific (such as real estate or construction) or region-locked, the domain is open to anyone, regardless of the website's language. Because of this, businesses don't need to be in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland to register .haus domain names.

The extension became available for registration in 2014 as part of ICANN's New gTLD Program. Its IANA root database entry lists Dog Beach, LLC as the sponsoring organization, which itself is a subsidiary of Identity Digital Inc. Identity Digital has a rich portfolio of gTLDs that it manages, and is one of the biggest registry operators in the industry.

2. Who Should Use a .haus Domain?

The literal meaning of "haus" as "house" naturally lends itself to use by real estate and construction, including agents, brokers, property managers, builders, contractors, or renovators, among other professions.

Beyond this, the "house" implication can be used by hospitality venues such as guesthouses, boutique hotels, or coffee houses. With coffee houses in particular, the domain extension reinforces a European chic (as Vienna was famous for coffee houses and the hospitality industry in general).

For a more practical example, if your business name ends in "house," you might be able to use the .haus TLD as your domain name to make it more memorable.

3. Does .haus Make Sense Outside German-Speaking Markets?

While it might sound counterintuitive, the word "haus" does read clearly to English speakers. It's close enough to "house" that most visitors recognize it even without knowing German.

In particular, you can use it for design-minded brands that want a slightly European or editorial feel. It would function more as a branding choice.

4. What Makes a Good .haus Domain Name?

One of the primary uses for a .haus name is to drop the word "haus" or "house" from the brand name itself since the extension already says it. If your business name already ends in "house," just use the rest of the name and have the .haus domain do the rest. If it doesn't, you can use it as a marketing signal for the industry you're in.

Shorter names are also easier to say over the phone and to fit on signage or business cards. The Register. Domains AI Domain Name Generator can help narrow down options if the exact brand name is already taken.

5. Who Can Register a .haus Domain?

Anyone can register a .haus domain; there's no accreditation, residency, or industry requirement. Names can run from 1 to 63 characters and may include letters, numbers, and hyphens, though a hyphen can't sit at the very start or end of the name. Registration terms run from 1 to 10 years at a time.

The registry supports internationalized domain names (IDNs), including German characters such as ä, ö, and ü. These are common in German-language business names, making the domain even more suitable for a German-speaking audience.

6. How Much Does a .haus Domain Cost?

The first-year promotional pricing on .haus is around $19. This is a bit higher than .com, which usually lands in the $7-$12 range. Renewal is where the extension costs more, costing around $36 per year for each year after the first. Always check the renewal price before registering, since it can be two to three times the first-year rate.

7. How Does .haus Compare With .com, .house, and .immo?

The .haus extension is strongest with brands that have the term in its actual brand name, such as real estate or architecture businesses, but its value drops if you have other domain options available.

All prices above are approximate first-year and renewal ranges as of August 2026, as found on Register.Domains.

.house is the closest English-language equivalent that reads naturally to a broader, non-German-speaking audience. .immo leans French, Italian, and German (immobilien, immobilier, immobiliare), but it also fits real estate specifically rather than the larger "house" or "housing" industry.

Out of all options, .com is by far the most common and popular TLD (at around 40% of all registrations). However, while the prices for it might seem low, the lack of available names might mean a matching domain name is only available on the secondary market at an inflated price.

For businesses in construction, design, or property services more broadly, the Register.Domains Construction & Housing domain category has more than two dozen other related extensions worth checking.

8. Is a .haus Domain Good for SEO?

The .haus TLD doesn't have any influence on Google search results. In fact, the search engine has stated directly that it treats new gTLDs the same way it treats .com or any other generic extension. Rankings come from content quality, relevance, and overall site experience, not the ending on the domain.

9. How Do You Register and Set Up a .haus Domain?

Start by checking availability through the Bulk Domain Search if you're comparing several names at once. Once you've picked a name, choose how long you want to register for (between one and 10 years), and add additional features like WHOIS privacy or hosting. Then, you need to point the domain to your DNS servers and build the website.

From there, add an SSL certificate to make the website more secure. You can find the full walkthrough on Register.Domains' guide on how to register a domain name.

10. Should You Register Matching or Defensive Domains?

If you can register a matching domain on the alternatives listed above, you should. By registering additional domains, you can protect the brand from lookalike registrations and give visitors who default to typing ".com" a domain to land on, which you can redirect to your primary .haus site.

11. Frequently Asked Questions