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Coldwell Banker In The News

COLDWELL BANKER® WINS INMAN INNOVATOR AWARD

BRAND’S USE OF ONLINE VIDEO AND ENTRANCE INTO SECOND LIFE® EARNS “MOST INNOVATIVE BROKERAGE OR FRANCHISE” TITLE

Coldwell Banker Real Estate enhanced its reputation as an industry leader in the use of technology by winning the 2007 Inman News Innovator Award in the brokerage category. The announcement came Friday at the Inman Real Estate Connect Conference in San Francisco, just one day after Coldwell Banker® made history by being the first national real estate brand to market a real home in the virtual 3-D world of Second Life. Inman News is a leading independent real estate Web site and media news service.
“Coldwell Banker might be a 101-year-old brand, but we certainly still ‘get it,’” said Jim Gillespie, president and chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “We understand the consumer has upfront control in the real estate process and enjoys the ‘infotainment’ stage where they search for listings and get comfortable with the homebuying and selling process. By combining our rich heritage and innovation, along with a sales force of 120,000 in 42 countries, Coldwell Banker is able to continually redefine the consumer’s real estate experience.”

Coldwell Banker entered the second phase of its involvement in Second Life on August 2 when it unveiled a 3-D reproduction precisely matching the specifications of a newly constructed $3.1 million Mercer Island, Wash., home, currently listed for sale by Coldwell Banker Bain on coldwellbanker.com (MLS# 27053398). Users can visit www.coldwellbankervirtualhome.com for immediate access to the “real world” home and to Second Life.Previously, Coldwell Banker became the first national real estate company to open a virtual headquarters on Second Life and in March began selling 500 virtual homes to Second Life members.

“Second Life is a great example of our willingness to explore new channels,” said Charlie Young, senior vice president of marketing for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “We are gaining insight into the potential of 3-D as a marketing vehicle and learning how a tech-savvy consumer wants to interact with the brand prior to even contacting a sales associate.”Joining Second Life is the latest online offering from the real estate company. Other recent innovations include:

* In April 2006, Coldwell Banker became the first major national real estate company to debut streaming video content on its Web site. The video library, available from the front page of the Web site, features content from such well-known entities as Forbes, HGTV and internet video producer, Turn Here. Today, www.coldwellbanker.com hosts more than 40 videos.


* In mid 2006, Coldwell Banker set another industry standard when it launched its comprehensive satellite mapping service on coldwellbanker.com. Using Microsoft Virtual Earth technology, the mapping feature enables Web users to view Coldwell Banker properties from a variety of perspectives within a state, city and community. In addition, it allows them to see a home’s proximity to 10 important service categories, including schools, shopping, dining, health services, banks and places of worship, among others.