Coldwell Banker Real Estate Builds New Skill for Amazon Alexa to Showcase Property Listings and Connect Consumers with Local Agents

Coldwell Banker pursues voice control as the Echo Dot joins the Smart Home Staging Kit

Madison, N.J. 06-06-2017 — Amazon Alexa users are one step closer to finding the home of their dreams. Today, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC is announcing its first Skill for Amazon Alexa. By prompting Amazon's voice assistant with "Alexa, Ask Coldwell Banker for the Home of the Week," users will hear a one-minute description of a featured Coldwell Banker listing and can be connected to their local Coldwell Banker office.

In January, a Coldwell Banker consumer survey found that 72 percent of Americans with smart home products want voice control, which prompted development of the Coldwell Banker Skill for Amazon Alexa and the addition of the Echo Dot to the Smart Home Staging Kit. The kit, available at smarthomestaging.com, is a curated slate of smart home products that meet the Coldwell Banker / CNET Smart Home definition. The kit easily and affordably turns any home into a smart home through smart lighting, smart temperature controls as well as smart security locks and cameras. The Echo Dot joins products from August, Lutron and Nest in the kit. Now homeowners and agents showing smart homes can control the house's core functions through simple voice commands.

"As the real estate leader in smart home Coldwell Banker is focusing on what's resonating with our network and consumers, voice control," said David Marine, senior vice president marketing for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. "By developing our first Alexa Skill, Coldwell Banker is deepening the connection between consumers and our agent network."

"The Home of the Week skill provides agents with a new and modern way to showcase their most prominent listings," said Jade Mills, global luxury ambassador and estates director for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Beverly Hills, CA. "Not only does it provide users with a look into the most luxurious homes, the skill also connects users to their local Coldwell Banker office, opening a new line of contact between potential clients and agents."

"Consumer demand for homes with smart technology has been rising exponentially," said Danny Hertzberg, sales associate of The Jills® for Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Miami, FL. "The Home of the Week Skill and addition of the Echo Dot to the Smart Home Staging Kit proves that Coldwell Banker is keeping a pulse on what homebuyers want and providing agents with the tools needed to help buyers transform their homes into smart homes."

"We're always looking to bring Alexa to customers in new ways, and we think having Echo Dot in the Smart Home Staging Kit will provide a delightful experience for home buyers and real estate agents. With the introduction of the Echo Dot to the Coldwell Banker network, even more customers can experience the convenience and ease of Alexa," said Daniel Rausch, vice president for Amazon Smart Home.

The Coldwell Banker Skill for Amazon Alexa is an extension of the Coldwell Banker Home of the Week video series. The Home of the Week series currently profiles one active Coldwell Banker listing per week in a video that takes viewers on a tour of a breathtaking home. The first Home of the Week listing featured on the Skill will be 1006 Laurel Way in Beverly Hills, listed for $34.9 million by Jade Mills, global luxury ambassador and estates director for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Beverly Hills, CA.

The Coldwell Banker Skill for Amazon Alexa will provide an interactive narration of the same Home of the Week listing and will provide users with more information on the listing. Users will also receive contact information for their nearest Coldwell Banker office via the Alexa app. The Home of the Week Skill will be listed under the Business & Finance category.

Coldwell Banker recently surveyed nearly 1,000 Coldwell Banker real estate professionals to gauge their opinions on smart home technology and learn more about home buyer demand for smart home technology. Seventy-nine (79) percent of respondents report that home buyers are interested in smart home technology, underscoring growing demand for voice controlled assistants and other smart home devices.

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 brokerage services. Coldwell Banker Real Estate is the oldest national real estate brand and franchisor in the United States, and today has a global network of 3,000 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 49 countries and territories with more than 88,000 affiliated sales professionals. The Coldwell Banker brand is known for creating innovative consumer services as recently seen by taking a leadership role in the smart home space, 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 an iPhone application with international listings, the first to develop an iPad application (CBx) to easily bring big data into home listing presentations, and the first to fully harness the power of video in real estate listings, news and information through its Coldwell Banker On LocationSM YouTube channel. Coldwell Banker is a leader in niche markets such as resort, new homes and luxury properties through its Coldwell Banker Previews International® marketing program delivering exceptional experiences for all consumers served.