The web site www.coldwellbanker.com has been recognised by Forbes Magazine for its easy navigation and industry for the fourth consecutive year.
‘We are delighted to be a part of this award winning web site,’ Mike Lightbourn, president of Coldwell Banker Lightbourn Realty, said today.
Lightbourn Realty’s web site, www.coldwellbankerbahamas.com, appears on the Coldwell Banker master site.
Lightbourn said his company presently has a number of sales under contract as a result of web site generated leads.
During its early days, most of these leads sprang from non-Bahamians.
‘Today, an increasing number of Bahamians are visiting our web site. They find it easy to steer through. Local web site generated business will only grow as Bahamians become more Internet savvy,’ Lightborn said.
The 95-year-old Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation is one of the largest real estate companies in the world, with more than 3,200 independently owned and operated offices – such as Lightbourn Realty – and more than 90,000 sales associates.
As far back as 1995, the Coldwell Banker organisation realised that the Internet would become the real estate shopping centre of the world and would be crucial to the home buying process.
Coldwell Banker was the first national real estate company to offer a comprehensive national web site, investing significantly to make it a valuable consumer resource and lead generator for sales associates.
The company’s investment has paid off.
www.coldwellbanker.com records about 62 million visits a year, or 7,000 visits an hour.
That traffic generated 115,000 electronic leads directly to Coldwell Banker affiliate offices last year.
The Bahamas is one of 21 areas outside of the United States that has a special spot on www.coldwellbanker.com. Lightbourn Realty may also be accessed directly by clicking on www.coldwellbankerbahamas.com.
Lightbourn said there’s no telling how many prospects first visit the site and then later contact his company.
‘We do know that prospects have visited our site regularly for extended periods and then, when they were ready to proceed, became clients.’
Lightbourn said the website helps a prospect narrow down their search and gives an agent valuable clues as to what a buyer is looking for.
A Bahamian company, benelda.com, headed by Lisa Wells, designed Lightbourn Realty’s site.
The parent Coldwell Banker’s efforts have not gone unnoticed.
Recently, it added the CIO Web Business 50 Award, an ACE Award, Forbes Magazine’s ‘Best of the Web’ Diamond Award, a Mercomm Silver Galaxy Award and a Silver Jasper Award to its impressive lists of honours.
