Coldwell Banker Real Estate Unveils New Digital Platform Designed To Evolve The Real Estate Process

New Platform is First to Connect Buyers, Sellers and Agents, Allowing Sellers to Actively Participate in the Storytelling of their Home

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Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC

Nov 06, 2014, 10:00 ET

MADISON, N.J., Nov. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC unveiled a new digital platform that allows sellers to actively participate in marketing their home by sharing personal stories, photos and videos. Designed to connect buyers, sellers and agents like never before, the platform provides social collaboration giving buyers the opportunity to share listing feedback with friends and family, as well as feedback to real estate agents and sellers.

"Seller participation fills a void in the real estate process," said Sean Blankenship, senior vice president of marketing, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. "Up until now, digital real estate platforms have lacked the tools to truly capture a home's character and personality. Our new platform will now solve the age-old question 'What if the walls could tell a story?'"

A Focus on Sellers
According to a recent study conducted by the Coldwell Banker^® brand, 87 percent of Americans feel the process of buying and selling a home could be improved. More specifically, 64 percent would prefer to engage a real estate agent who allows them to share their own photos, videos and personal stories of their home with potential buyers.

"For years, the real estate industry has focused on targeting buyers. In many ways, sellers are being ignored in the existing process," said Blankenship. "That's why Coldwell Banker has taken a more personal approach by empowering sellers to be as involved as they would like in the selling of their home. This will in turn benefit buyers all over the world."

Hollywood power couple William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman are among the first sellers to take advantage of the new platform. Their home's listing on the Coldwell Banker digital platform provides a personal account of what the home meant to them.

"We love this house and so do our two girls. We've had the best dinner parties and holiday feasts," wrote Macy on the home's listing page. "Felicity and I love to hike up toward Sopris Mountain, right out the back door. We've spent hours on the back deck watching the fantastic color as the sun sets over the ranch. We put a secret door between the kids' bedrooms which has been a huge hit, and of course my wood shop where I've made some lovely pieces of furniture."

Another story from a home listing in Alabama reads, "Designing and putting together this home and property has been a pleasure. There is an incredible view from each window with the privacy of a tall hedge in the distance. Hearing the sounds of nature throughout the day, the running water from the pond and the bullfrogs' orchestra at dusk makes one forget about any worries you might have. With the chosen plantings, there is color blooming year round, not to mention the delightful smells. For me, it has been a place to relax, create and enjoy life's pleasures, a wonderful place to nourish one's soul."

Beginning today, all Coldwell Banker^® home sellers can upload stories, photos and videos to their listing page. Once approved by their agent, these personal contributions from the seller will be displayed alongside the agent's images and listing description. In the near future, the brand will launch a seller dashboard that provides real-time feedback from buyers on how the seller's listing is performing. The ability to access this information will allow sellers and their agents to determine how to best market the home.

Buyer Benefits
Nearly three-quarters of Americans (72 percent) agree that too often real estate listing descriptions incorrectly portray the home for sale, according to the recent Coldwell Banker brand study. The brand's new digital platform gives buyers more transparent and authentic information directly from sellers. Buyers will have the ability to rate different home features, the home description, photos, videos and more. Additionally, buyers can take their own photos of a property, write notes and create comments to be shared through the platform with their selected circle of friends and family.

"Coldwell Banker has always been a leader in real estate, dating back to 1906 when Colbert Coldwell and later Arthur Banker created their real estate startup in San Francisco," said Budge Huskey, president and chief executive officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. "Innovation is in our DNA. We were the first real estate brand to use video, the first with a YouTube channel, and now we are the first to create a destination for social sharing, storytelling and customer participation. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Coldwell Banker affiliated agents have access to the innovations we provide to create exceptional experiences."

A video about the new Coldwell Banker digital experience can be viewed here.

Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States between September 5th and 9th, 2014 among 2,013 adults (aged 18 and over) by Harris Poll on behalf of the Coldwell Banker brand via its Quick Query omnibus product. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, the words "margin of error" are avoided as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The data has been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC
Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker® organization has been a premier provider of full-service residential and commercial real estate. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC is the oldest national real estate brand in the United States and today has a network of more than 87,000 affiliated agents working in approximately 3,100 offices in 49 countries and territories. The Coldwell Banker brand is known for creating innovative consumer services as recently seen by being the first national real estate brand with an iPad app, the first to augment its website www.coldwellbanker.com for smart phones, the first to create a iPhone application with international listings and the first to fully harness the power of video in real estate listings, news and information through its Coldwell Banker On Location^SMYouTube channel. The Coldwell Banker System is a leader in niche markets such as resort, new homes and luxury properties through its Coldwell Banker Previews International® marketing program.

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