Category — Coldwell Banker

Unemployment is a major concern as a result of the current economic conditions, and unemployment fears may be associated with “on the fence buyers” in today’s housing market. 

The simple fact is that people don’t have the sense of job security that they once did, so they are holding off on making large purchases, such as a house.  Coldwell Banker Inc. is happy to announce that they are launching a new incentive program, The Paycheck Guardian. 

This program provides a qualified homebuyer a monthly benefit of up to $1,500 for 6 months in the event of job loss.  This plan also includes a $10,000 lump sum payment for accidental death. If a seller decides to purchase this program, they can include this insurance as an additional feature on their home listing. 

This program offers peace of mind that can also provide competitive advantage over other listings in your marketplace.

The Outer Banks housing market is beginning to show signs of positive growth.  In April there were a total of 150 properties that went into an “Under Contract” status, according to the Outer Banks Association of Realtors.  This compares favorably to one year earlier, April 2008, when we saw 159 properties go “Under Contract”.  While we are still tracking behind last year’s numbers, this is the closest we’ve been, month over month, in a long time. 

In fact, the Outer Banks has shown five continuous months of increases in homes going under contract.  Which makes this is the first time since early 2005 that we’ve seen five months of continuous increases in sales agreements. 

With this trend we expect to see continued improvements in the numbers of buyers coming off of the sidelines and purchasing homes.  This will result in a continued shrinking of inventory and the eventual increase in values. 

To learn more, contact sales@seasiderealty.com.

 Are you interested in buying a home in the Outer Banks, but are unsure of how to proceed?  If you are looking for a no pressure way to learn about buying a home in the Outer Banks, visit our weekly Homebuyers Seminar.  The seminar is being held weekly throughout the summer.  

     Come spend an hour, and learn about investment opportunities in the Outer Banks.  Two seminars will be offered weekly.  The Wednesday seminar will be held in the Kitty Hawk office of Seaside Vacations.  The Corolla seminar is being held on Thursday’s in the Corolla offices of Seaside Vacations.  Come on in, and learn about the benefits of buying a vacation or investment home in the Outer Banks.  

 Some Topics the Homebuyers Seminar will cover:

Today’s Outer Banks real estate market

Difference between short sale, foreclosure and bank owned

Steps in buying a vacation or investment home

Insuring your Outer Banks home

Managing your Outer Banks investment

Costs associated with owning a beach home.

**Just Added**: Buying a bank owned home or short sale  

Weekly Outer Banks Homebuyers Seminar

When: Every Wednesday in the Kitty Hawk offices of Seaside Vacations

           Seaside Kitty Hawk Office is located at 4820 N. Croatan Highway, Kitty Hawk NC 27949 

           Every Thursday in the Corolla office of Seaside Vacations

           Seaside Vacations Corolla office is located at 1070 D Ocean Trail, Corolla NC 27929

Time: 10 am.  

Who: Seminar is open to anyone who is interested in buying in the Outer Banks.

For Additional Information: Kevin O’Brien – 252 489 3706 – Kevin@seasiderealty.com

Jim Gillespie, CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, appeared on Fox Business News Wednesday.  The Topic of discussion was the current state of the Housing Market and what will happen next.

Enjoy the video:  Coldwell Banker on Fox Business News

May 13, 2009

Dear Coldwell Banker® Brokers/Owners:

During the first week in June, I am heading to Washington DC to meet with key members of the House and Senate as well as the media to have a dialogue on the critical issues still facing the real estate industry. As many of you would agree, the $8,000 first time homebuyer tax credit has been a good start and there have been some positive signs in our economy recently. But to fully pull real estate and the economy out of its current state, our government needs to do more. And in order for me to make the strongest impact possible while in Washington, I need your assistance.

During the week prior to my meeting (the four days that follow Memorial Day, May 26-29), all Washington DC representatives are expected to be back in their home offices, and will be working. I am proposing we initiate a “Coldwell Banker Legislative Week” during this time, in which Coldwell Banker brokers nationwide meet with their local representatives and discuss what else needs to be done with the housing market to truly mend the economy.   

So between now and then, I’m asking that you please reach out to your local representative and set up a face to face meeting during these four days. Call their local office and ask for the person who coordinates the representative’s schedule. If you cannot get an appointment with the representative, ask for a meeting with their chief of staff. Also, if you are asked why you want to meet, let them know local real estate affects the national economy and Coldwell Banker would like to present suggestions on how to remedy the real estate market. (As a side note, please put your political beliefs aside regardless of your support for the representative – this is about real estate which affects us all.)

In terms of what you should be communicating in your actual meeting, I will be recording a Webinar by the middle of next week, that will highlight our message points so you’ll know what to say and what questions to ask. We will e-mail you access information for the webinar by early next week, as well as make it available on CB Works once complete.

We have created an email address electedofficial@coldwellbanker.com as a place to gather all feedback – we ask that you send us a brief report to this address highlighting whom you met with and what was discussed. When we distribute details about the webinar, we’ll also include a “fill in the blank” form for reporting back what was discussed that you can just forward to the electedofficial@coldwellbanker.com e-mail address.

If you’re unsure about the contact information for your representatives, there are two websites that you can visit for all necessary info:

• Congress: to find your local representative and make an appointment, please visit:

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

• Senate: this site will take you to individual senator Web pages and their respective contact info:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

I understand there is a short window of opportunity for us to complete this and not all of you will be able to secure an appointment. Even if you can only secure a brief or future appointment or hold a phone conversation, please inform us anyway. Just know that even if you are unable to secure any type of appointment, the message is logged with the representative, so you are still making a difference no matter the outcome. But do whatever you can to make these meetings happen during the Memorial Day week as this is a perfect chance to showcase the national power and influence of the Coldwell Banker brand. 

I look forward to reading all your feedback. If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to e-mail me and I’ll be happy to respond.

Let’s make the Coldwell Banker voice heard!

Regards,

NEW COLDWELL BANKER ‘ON LOCATION’ YOUTUBE CHANNEL FIRST IN INDUSTRY TO FULLY TAP POWER OF VIDEO FOR REAL ESTATE SEARCH AND INSIGHTS

First Branded YouTube Channel to Use Dynamic IP Lookup to Generate Specific Local Results and Help Consumers Learn About Real Estate Issues That Matter to Them

Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty

PARSIPPANY, N.J. (May 4, 2009) – Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC today launched an innovative branded YouTube™ channel designed to offer consumers a new way to search for and interact with real estate information and listings.  Named Coldwell Banker On Location (www.youtube.com/coldwellbanker), the channel was created to more fully tap into the power of video for real estate search and discovery, and to drill deeper into the local insights that consumers want.

To create On Location, Coldwell Banker Real Estate closely collaborated with both YouTube, a Google subsidiary, and Google to develop a customized framework and user experience – offering what is arguably one of the most comprehensive and immersive brand channels on the YouTube platform.  On Location is the first branded YouTube channel to use dynamic IP lookup to search for videos, which automatically serves up local results when visitors first hit the site.

An Emphasis on Video and Local Content

Two areas of strategic focus set Coldwell Banker On Location apart from other real estate Web sites.  First, it showcases the power of video to bring real estate more vividly to life – offering behind-the-scenes looks at towns and neighborhoods, smart tips and timely news on real estate topics, and video listings of homes for sale.  Second, content posted to On Location has a strong emphasis on local information and insights, so consumers can dig deeper into the areas of the country that interest them most.

Supporting this highly localized perspective is one of the more unique aspects of Coldwell Banker On Location – the ability to search for videos through a special map feature that has been developed specifically for the site.  The map ‘widget’ is a prominent feature at the top of the On Location site and the main starting point for consumers searching for a home, a specific area of the country or more information on a real estate topic.

At launch, Coldwell Banker On Location will be the first YouTube brand channel to use dynamic IP look-up, so visitors to the site will automatically be shown video search results from their own area / zip code.  Then by clicking the link “Browse By Map,” consumers can enter the city / state or zip code of their choosing – which will immediately pull up all videos posted to On Location associated with that area.  These video results are displayed as icons on the map.

Each search will return a wide range of video results, including video listings, spotlights on that local community and Coldwell Banker sales associate/representative profiles.  Consumers can click through to view specific videos – as well as connect back to the main Coldwell Banker Web site to learn more about a specific property for sale.

“Video is a critical part of how today’s consumers want to explore real estate, and we intend to use it to an extent never before seen in our industry,” said Jim Gillespie, president and chief executive officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.  “On Location provides an exciting new platform for our vast network of thousands of sales associates to directly share the kind of local insights and knowledge that is invaluable to consumers hoping to learn about a new area.”

Gillespie noted that the site will appeal to a broad range of consumers.  “You might be a first time homebuyer deciding between a few different towns in your area, someone about to relocate across the country, a Boomer thinking ahead to where to retire, or simply a person who’s dreaming about your ideal home.  No matter what stage you’re at in your life or the real estate process, On Location has the insights you need served up in an exciting new format,” he said.

“Coldwell Banker On Location is about building the Web’s richest array of real estate video content that is also the richest in local insights,” said Michael Fischer, senior vice president of marketing, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.  “It’s the combination of these two missing pieces of the puzzle that make this site so exciting.  In addition, Coldwell Banker Real Estate is the first in the industry to put the full power of its brand and network behind a tool that represents the future of real estate – the video listing.”

“Every month, millions of people search on YouTube for real estate content,” said Sam Sebastian, Classified and Local Advertising Director at Google. “Consumers are hungry for real estate-related videos. I’m thrilled that Coldwell Banker is developing such a substantial innovation for real estate video. I look forward to seeing Coldwell Banker build On Location into one of the most active destinations for real estate search, discussion and engagement.”

1. Some of the video and written content for On Location will be supplied by a select group of content providers, including the Associated Press, CNN, Reel Productions TV, This Old House and TurnHere.  Coldwell Banker On Location will complement the company’s main Web site at www.coldwellbanker.com – including the ‘Learn’ section which features educational content as well as news articles and updates on the real estate sector. It extends the company’s already robust social media strategy, which includes Facebook pages for the brand and its two founders, Colbert Coldwell and Arthur Banker, a Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/coldwellbnkr) and profiles on Flickr and FriendFeed.

In addition to using YouTube as a platform, Coldwell Banker Real Estate is using the Google family of ad networks and channels for promotion of On Location.  This includes both Google and YouTube search ads, YouTube banner promotions and Google TV.

Development of the On Location site was a collaborative effort by Coldwell Banker interactive agency partners, FD Kinesis and Bootstrap Software, Inc.

To see a video about Coldwell Banker On Location please visit:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1AKZDhUrLY

YouTube is a subsidiary of Google Inc.

About Coldwell Banker®
Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker® organization has been a premier full-service real estate provider. In 2008, Franchise Times magazine’s prestigious Top 200 issue ranked the Coldwell Banker system No. 1 in real estate for the ninth straight year and 12th among franchisors in all industries. The Coldwell Banker System has approximately 3,500 residential real estate offices and 105,300 sales associates in 46 countries and territories. The Coldwell Banker System is a leader in the industry in residential and commercial real estate, and in niche markets such as resort, new home and luxury property through its Coldwell Banker Previews International® division. It is a pioneer in consumer services with its Coldwell Banker Concierge® Service Program and award-winning Web site, www.coldwellbanker.com. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, a global provider of real estate and relocation services. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Each office is independently owned and operated.

Jim Gillespie, CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, participated in an open panel discussion on CNBC last Friday which aired live from the New York Stock Exchange. 

The segment, which the network labeled “The Road to Rebound”, discussed the condition of the Housing Market in today’s shaky economy.

In the discussion, Mr. Gillespie encouraged government leaders to put a $15,000 non-refundable tax credit to all home buyers.  He also called for a mortgage buy down that would reduce rates to the 4 – 4.5% range.  The National Association of Realtors reports that this sort of stimulus would generate an additional $840,000 in home sales in a 12 month period.