Coldwell Banker Asks Facebook Users, ‘What’s Your House Sign?’

RISMEDIA, June 23, 2008-Continuing to pioneer a path of innovation and industry firsts, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC launched a creative, new “Housetrology” quiz on Facebook.com, which allows participants to uncover their inner “house signs” and better understand the various factors that influence their home style preferences.

According to the company, Coldwell Banker is one of the first full-service real estate brands to take advantage of the power of social networking with a Facebook application. Facebook is a social utility that helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers. The site currently has 80 million active users, with the fastest growing site demographic being 25 years and older*.

Encouraging consumers to think beyond such standard home buying variables as square footage or school districts, “Housetrology” examines how emotional instincts could be a factor in the type of house a person might want to live in. Answers to such questions as, “Which TV show’s house would best suit you?” or “What would you see out of your dream home window?” include images and descriptions. At the conclusion of the quiz, consumers learn what their ideal home style is. Respondents will be classified as a:

• Victorian
• Colonialista
• Urbanist
• Contemporarion
• Ranchero
• Eclectic

“Before deciding to visit an open house or reaching out to speak with a sales associate, consumers research and collaborate online in a what we call the ‘dreaming phase’ of the home buying process,” says Michael Fischer, senior vice president, marketing, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “By delivering this fun and informative ‘Housetrology’ quiz online, we’re helping future homeowners dream and identify the kinds of homes they like most, and we’re reaching them in a way that no other real estate company has done to date.”

The “Housetrology” initiative, says the company, represents just one way the Coldwell Banker brand has entered the “Web 2.0″ environment. Founders “Coldwell” and “Banker” already have their own Facebook pages, in addition to their own www.coldwellbanker.com.founders Microsite which complements the brand’s “Portraits” TV advertising campaign. Coldwell Banker recently announced it is one of the first real estate brands to distribute its listings to a GPS device through its relationship with DASH Navigation, Inc.

The “Housetrology” quiz debuts on Facebook this week, but will also launch in mid-summer on www.coldwellbanker.com, where anyone can participate, regardless of whether they have an account on Facebook.

For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coldwell-Banker-Real-Estate-LLC/22902635507 and www.coldwellbanker.com.