Coldwell Banker has spent a lot of time and money researching better ways to offer the public a new approach to searching for homes. Online sites now offer a plethora of data, but Coldwell Banker’s new approach targets the subjective decisions, the lifestyle decisions, that make or reject a move.
‘What’s happening in real estate now is that people are looking for more information than prices and what’s available in drop-down windows,’ says Michael Fischer, chief marketing officer for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. ‘Through our partnership with Onboard Informatics, they’ve designed a search that is more about people… a Lifestyle Search Engine.
‘People are as emotional as they are rational,’ he continues. ‘They want to explore or dream, and through Onboard’s creation, they can do that. It can be informational, but also entertaining.’
With Onboard’s technology, visitors to the Coldwell Banker website can target larger geographic areas, down to the county or metro. By using different categories and ranking the importance of each, users get feedback with criteria. Search options include: fun; hip and trendy; schools; arts and music; median home price; fresh air to times square; commute; mass transit or private; golfers’ paradise; convenience to amenities or ‘I want it all.’
‘This search offers us so many ways to bring people in,’ says Anna Visioli, director of Interactive Production for Coldwell Banker Real Estate. ‘How many times has someone planned a move or relocation to a certain area, chosen an agent and then found a house in a different area that their agent didn’t serve?
‘This way, you get so much more information about an area before actually looking at homes. You can choose an agent upfront – in the area you’re educated about and know you want – even eight months before you’re ready. It’s about getting people to understand our value proposition and why our agents deserve their consideration. After all, they are connecting with more than 100,000 agents.’
Users can access Coldwell Banker’s property information and then also view additional information, such as demographics about the neighborhood, schools and data on home sales – all courtesy of Onboard. ‘That additional information is a big help to consumers,’ adds Visioli. ‘Adding our new Lifestyle Search to the information we already provide engages our visitors from the very beginning – more along the lines of speaking to an agent than visiting a website. Now, visitors are led down the best path from the very start and when they do converse with their agent, the conversations are targeted, allowing the home buyers to match their lifestyle to their home.’
We at Coldwell Banker Island Affiliates like to think of ourselves as specialists, experts, in our island areas. We hope you will use our Coldwell Banker online resources, and then call, email, or stop by one of our offices to use the expertise our local agents offer you in buying and selling real estate.
