Coldwell Banker Real Estate backs smart voice-assist technologies

One of America's leading real estate franchises, Coldwell Banker Real Estate, is tapping into Amazon's Alexa voice assistant device to help provide a way for consumers to get more real estate information.

The company has added a new skill to Alexa, and now users can simply say something like: "Alexa, ask Coldwell Banker for the Home of the Week”, and Alexa will provide na 60-second description of a featured Coldwell Banker listing before being connected to their local affiliate office via the Alexa app. After listening to an interactive narration of the Home of the Week listing, users can then receive the contact information for their nearest Coldwell Banker office

"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, California. “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.”

In addition to the new Alexa Skill, Coldwell Banker has added a second voice-assist device called the Echo Dot to its Smart Home Staging Kit. This "kit" lists a number of smart home products that meet the company's "Smart Home" definition, providing homeowners with tools they can use to transform their home into a smart one. Devices in the kit include smart lighting, smart temperature controls, smart security locks and smart cameras. Echo Dot's voice-assistant offers homeowners the ability to control their home's core s with spoken commands.

Coldwell Banker’s attention to voice-assist devices comes after a survey by the brokerage in January showed that 72 percent of Americans with smart-home products desire more voice control.

“Consumer demand for homes with smart technology has been rising exponentially,” said Danny Hertzberg, sales associate with The Jills for Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Miami. “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.”