Coldwell Banker Real Estate Presents CNET-Moderated Panel, "A Smart Look At Home Innovation," Featuring Biggest Names In Home Technology

MADISON, N.J., April 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent survey of independent sales associates affiliated with the Coldwell Banker^® brand found that home buyers are increasingly interested in smart home technology. Now Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, the original San Francisco real estate start-up founded in 1906, is joining CNET and some of the biggest names in smart home innovation to share insights on the future of home technology for the country's leading real estate leaders.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate is bringing together senior executives from leading smart home brands including LG, Lutron, Nest, Sengled and Tesla for a panel titled "A Smart Look at Home Innovation." The panel will take place April 30 at the Gathering of Eagles, a real estate industry conference hosted by REAL Trends. The Coldwell Banker panel will discuss smart home trends and reveal the latest in connected home technology.

The discussion will be hosted by CNET global vice president of media sales and CNET magazine publisher Courtney Cochrane and will highlight the future of smart home technology and the increasing accessibility of these products and tools. CNET is the world's largest and most trusted online source of consumer technology news and reviews.

Panel Speakers: "A Smart Look at Home Innovation"

"During the 2015 International CES, it was evident that smart home technology is becoming a must-have item in homes across the country," said Sean Blankenship, chief marketing officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. "We met with a number of leading companies in this space and are excited to bring their expertise together at the REAL Trends conference to present a deeper look at the connected home and various trends as smart technology continues to evolve based on homeowner needs."

"It's an exciting time for the smart home, and at CNET, we are seeing increased interest from consumers in the smart home as this technology becomes more accessible and easier to use," said Cochrane of CNET. "Smart home devices and apps are making homes more intelligent, efficient and safer."

Earlier this year, Coldwell Banker Real Estate released a survey uncovering what smart features home buyers are looking for when purchasing a home and how those features impact a home's sale.

The survey of more than 500 independent sales associates affiliated with the Coldwell Banker® brand found:

• Buyers want smart homes: Nearly two in three (64 percent) of the sales associates surveyed agreed that buyers today are more interested in homes with smart home features and technology than they were two to five years ago.
• Buyers want to control a home with a swipe of their phone: 62 percent are seeing more buyers interested in controlling their home technology through their smart phone or tablet now than they were two to five years ago.
• Gen X is the "smartest" home buyer generation: While almost half of sales associates are seeing tech-savvy Millennials (age 18-24) interested in homes with smart home features, even more (57 percent) identified Gen X (age 35-49) as the top buying group interested in smart home technology.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

According to the survey, Coldwell Banker Real Estate found that home buyers are most interested in smart home technology related to security (65 percent of sales associates agree), temperature control (57 percent), safety (48 percent) and lighting (46 percent).

Coldwell Banker Real Estate also released a list of 25 smart home products and systems to watch following the brand's visit to the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States between Jan. 12 – Feb. 24, 2015 among 513 real estate sales associates affiliated with the Coldwell Banker® network.

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 network of approximately 3,000 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 43 countries and territories with more than 86,000 independent sales professionals affiliated with the network.  The Coldwell Banker brand is known for creating innovative consumer services as recently seen by 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 a iPhone application with international listings 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.  The Coldwell Banker System 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.

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SOURCE Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC