2015 President's Club

2015 Market Recap from President Robert Burns

2015 Market Recap 

from Coldwell Banker Mid America Group, Realtors® President Robert Burns 

Market Snapshot - December 2015 & Year End

Welcome Judi Brooks!

Please join us in welcoming Judi Brooks as new executive assistant to our President!

Judi was born and raised in Des Moines and graduated from AIB.  She brings a wealth of experience to this position as former assistant to Iowa Governors Vilsack and Culver, as well as several large Central Iowa companies.

In her free time, Judi enjoys working on home renovation projects, traveling, cooking, yardwork and gardening, attending the farmer's market, Iowa State Fair and various music venues throughout the city. She also loves watching movies and shopping. 

Welcome Judi!

Will This Be the Biggest Surprise at This Year’s CES?

You won’t believe who will be at CES this year.

With nearly every tech company on earth set to unveil a new gadget at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), there are sure to be some amazing surprises. But we have insider information on what might be the most surprising occurrence at this year’s CES. Are you ready?

A 109 year-old real estate brand will have a booth at the show. Oh and they’re also a title sponsor.

Shocking, right? What on earth is a real estate brand doing at the biggest electronics event in the Western hemisphere? The answer is simple: leading the way in educating how the smart home revolution will impact our homes. For the past few months,Coldwell Banker has been working with the likes of LG, August Smart Locks, Nest, Tesla, Lutron and CNET to better educate consumers on the impact of the smart home devices on our most treasured asset: our homes.

At this year’s CES, Coldwell Banker is a title co-sponsor of the smart home exhibit and our booth will act as an editorial hub for live-streamed interviews, smart home device demos, and social streaming of everything smart home-related at this year’s show. We’ve already lined up interviews with major tech brands Sony, LG and Phillips as well as some names you may not have heard of but who’s products you will in the near future like Sengled, Halo Smart Labs and Vivint.

We’ll also be releasing a first-of-its-kind 360-degree video tour of the home of New York Knicks legend, Patrick Ewing, using Google Cardboard and which is currently for sale on coldwellbanker.com. As if that wasn’t enough, results from a new CNET/Coldwell Banker survey asking consumers about their perception of smart homes will be released and we will participate and host a few panels on the impact of smart home devices when buying or selling a home.

Starting on January 4th, you can keep tabs on everything smart home and CES related by visiting ces.coldwellbanker.com. You can also join in the conversation by using the #CESCB hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.

How will the future of smart home tech change the way we live and love our homes? We’ll have the answer for you by the end of this year’s CES.

Smart Home for the Holidays Giveaways

Week 1 - August Smart Lock

The August Smart Lock helps you solve the chaos of lending keys out to neighbors, friends and family. The reasonably priced lock is a simple device that’s installed over an existing deadbolt. Once installed, homeowners can lock or unlock doors using a smart phone. The August Smart Lock app can also “hand out” virtual keys with an expiration date to other smart phones. Digging for keys is a thing of the past – the August Smart Lock recognizes your smart phone as you approach your door and automatically unlocks it.

Week 2 - Google Chromecast

Chromecast is a media streaming device that plugs into the HDMI port on your TV. Simply use your mobile device and the TV you already own to cast your favorite TV shows, movies, music, sports, games and more. - Description from google.com/chromecast

Week 3 - Philips Hue Lux

Philips Hue Lux - your "personal wireless lighting system". Philips Hue Lux provides a personal and interactive way to control lighting from a smart mobile device or tablet. It enables use of light in a variety of functionality such as timers, alarms, geo-fencing and soft security elements.

Week 4 - Nest Thermostat

Nest Thermostat -The Nest Learning Thermostat absorbs its owner’s daily routine and adjusts the temperature accordingly. The Nest thermostat can be controlled through a phone, its built-in sensors detect an empty home allowing Nest to set itself to an energy-efficient temperature. It also saves customers about 10 – 12 percent on heating bills and 15 percent on cooling bills per year — a huge win.

ENERGY SAVING PRODUCTS +SAVVY CONSUMERS = SMART HOMES

Rebates are available through your local electric and gas companies when you purchase energy-saving products for your home.

Examples of qualifying products and services are:  Installing Energy Star lighting, HVAC and appliances; adding programmable thermostats and insulation. Some providers offer home energy audits and special financing for energy-saving updates to homes.  

Rebates are available from the following companies, but please check the website of your personal provider for specific requirements and rebate applications.

Alliant Energy:  https://www.alliantenergy.com/

Black Hills Energy:  https://www.blackhillsenergy.com/

City of Ames:  http://www.cityofames.org/

City of Indianola:  http://www.i-m-u.com/home.aspx

City of Waukee:  http://www.waukee.org/

City of Winterset:  http://www.winterset.govoffice.com/

Clarke County Electric Coop:  http://www.cecnet.net/

Consumers Energy:  https://www.consumersenergy.coop/

Farmers Electric Coop:  http://farmersrec.coopwebbuilder.com/

Guthrie County REC:  http://www.guthrie-rec.coop/

Mid-American Energy:  https://midamericanenergy.com/

Midland Power:  http://www.midlandpower.coop/

Pella Cooperative Electric:  http://www.pella-cea.org/