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Inman Innovator Award

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Coldwell Banker® Wins Inman Innovator Award
 
Brand's Use of Online Video and Entrance into Second Life®
Earns"Most Innovative Brokerage or Franchise" Title
 
PARSIPPANY, N.J. (August 8, 2007) – Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC enhanced its reputation as an industry leader by winning a 2007 Inman News Innovator Award in the brokerage/franchise 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."
 
Recent Online Firsts
 
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 itlaunched 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.
 
  • September 2006 saw another first for the real estate industry with the development of the new Coldwell Banker Personal Retriever®. Utilizing Real Simple Syndication (RSS) technology, the online Personal Retriever now has a downloadable "widget" application that automatically delivers daily, personalized real estate listings directly to a computer desktop. Each day it showcases all newly listed properties that meet a consumer's specifications (e.g., location, price range, etc.), complete with a link directly to more fully detailed information about the property on coldwellbanker.com. In addition, the widget provides updates to daily mortgage rates.
 
  • In March 2007, Coldwell Banker, in conjunction with its parent company Realogy,announced that all listings on coldwellbanker.com would be automatically be syndicated to Google and Trulia at no cost to sales associates and sellers.   Realogy announced a similar listings distribution arrangement with Yahoo! on August 2.

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 approximately 100,000 sales associates in 47 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.

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