Question about hyphen

I can get the perfect expired domain that is several years old. It's "brand-specificbrand.com".
Should I go with this or start with a new domain name without the hyphen?
I just want to be on the first page for a hyper local search (small town brick and mortar biz)
Thanks in advance
Matt

ps. I'm sure the original owner did this for readability. There's no spam and only a couple legitimate backlinks.

mattworld said:

I can get the perfect expired domain that is several years old. It's "brand-specificbrand.com".
Should I go with this or start with a new domain name without the hyphen?
I just want to be on the first page for a hyper local search (small town brick and mortar biz)
Thanks in advance
Matt

ps. I'm sure the original owner did this for readability. There's no spam and only a couple legitimate backlinks.

Click to expand...

It is very very difficult to find examples of hyphenated domains ranking well.

The only exception I could find:

merriam-webster.com

Even when the search terms are correctly hyphenated still unhyphenated domains won. That makes me nervous about your plan.

Thanks!

There’s a domain name out there that doesn’t use a hyphen. If you would like to make your domain name look clunky and harder to remember? If so, you can go for it.

Or else, don’t include the hyphen in the domain.

I know nothing about SEO, I'm doing well to check my email. I had read that a domain name from 1996 would improve the page rankings combined with content, etc. I don't know what is true or not. I have a long term goal, so I don't want to take any chances.
If I wasn't on a shoestring startup budget, I'd gladly pay one of you guys for help. I'm in real estate and just paid thousands of dollars for licensing and fees.
As soon as I get rolling, I'll budget SEO help. I just wanted to get started somewhere. Thanks!