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I found this news recently and thought it might be interesting for discussion.

Coldwell Banker Opens Vault to Proprietary Concierge Service Through The Web; Conciergeservice.com Now Offers A Wealth Of Real Estate Data To Anyone

Los Angeles — Coldwell Banker has opened the vault to its proprietary Concierge Service by launching http://www.conciergeservice.com. Prior to this significant web-based initiative, Coldwell Banker’s comprehensive concierge data was only made available to the company’s network of agents, residential brokers and clients.

http://www.conciergeservice.com provides a broad selection of carefully chosen home service companies and a wealth of information to help consumers improve the experience of buying, selling or maintaining a home. Better yet, the service is free and since it is web-based rather than call center centric, is available 24/7. The service also can be found at http://www.californiamoves.com.

“The Coldwell Banker Concierge Service was created by our Southern California Company in 1995 to help our clients and agents find the most qualified and experienced service providers in their local markets,” said Chris Crocker, Regional Vice President for the South-Western U.S of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. “It was the first program of its kind in the nation catering to clients’ home service needs and has been very successful. And, now that we’re giving it away for free, we’re confident that it will be very helpful to anybody involved in the real estate business, from the user to the broker.”

In addition to providing one-stop shopping for capable and tested home service vendors in Southern California, the site include moving services, utility connection assistance, mortgage, escrow, title and insurance services, and helpful tips and articles to assist in the buying, selling or remodeling of a home. The only data required by the user is a zip code, which brings up all relevant services available in that area. Thus, http://www.conciergeservice.com acts like zip code-based search engine, which finds the user information in real time.

Crocker added that the Concierge Service gives home buyers and sellers the confidence of knowing that Coldwell Banker has carefully screened the recommended vendors. The Concierge Service maintains the highest standards of vendor admittance and oversight, and requires that vendors maintain insurance, licensing and bonding where required. All qualified Concierge providers have signed agreements to certify that they will maintain the highest standards of ethics and professionalism.

The web site, developed by Los Angeles-based Ken Roth & Associates, already has garnered attention of industry analysts. Phil Hood, a founder of Transcend Strategy Group and former CEO of Digital 4Sight noted: “The Concierge service is a welcome addition to making home relocation easier. It takes the pain out of a lot of onerous tasks by answering questions quickly and enabling buyers to find needed services quickly. And, the Coldwell Banker name makes it a trusted online environment for important buying decisions during the relocation process.”