Coldwell Banker Launches Resource for First-Time Home Buyers

Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC has taken the next step to help people turn their dreams of homeownership into reality by launching a new portal on its website specifically for first-time home buyers. The First-Time Home Buyers Resource Center includes videos, articles and tools to answer questions and guide new home buyers through the real estate search process.

According to the National Association of REALTORS^®, first-time home buyers accounted for half of all the real estate market home sales in 2010. A recent survey by Coldwell Banker Real Estate found that 93 percent of first-time home buyers said using online tools to find detailed information about homes was important to them.

“Your first home purchase can be both an exciting and an overwhelming experience,” said Hal Maxwell, president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New Jersey and Rockland County, NY. “That’s why Coldwell Banker created this incredibly valuable resource. It helps simplify the steps toward home ownership for first-time buyers and makes the whole process more enjoyable.”

Maxwell added, “Many first-time homebuyers recognize that if they have the financial ability, now is a smart time to buy a home. This resource center can provide the confidence they need to enter the real estate market and valuable insight so they can work best with their agent.”

The new web portal, which will be updated regularly with timely content to help first-time home buyers, provides informative features from coldwellbanker.com, including multiple ways to search and recommendations for like properties. It also includes:

• Video tips and advice about selecting a home, moving, renovating, and decorating
• Informative articles on such topics as how to select a real estate agent, identifying wish list items vs. must-have items for a first home and determining how much is affordable
• Mortgage calculator
• Affordability radar – This feature breaks down a home’s listing price into what the monthly payment might be at current mortgage rates

The new First-Time Home Buyers Resource Center is a continuation of the Coldwell Banker Real Estate innovative online resources. 

Coldwellbanker.com already features BlueScape, a unique way to search for homes by emotion and feelings. Clients select from a series of images that they like or dislike and the site returns a group of homes that might meet their needs. 

The website also has a lifestyle search, which allows people to use a simple, sliding scale to rate elements of a home and community that matter most to them. In addition, Coldwell Banker Real Estate partnered with YouTube to develop Coldwell Banker On Location. This site allows consumers to gain market perspective, community highlights and home video listings from Coldwell Banker sales professionals. More than 2.5 million channel views have been recorded since its launch in May 2009.