MADISON, N.J., May 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, the original Silicon Valley real estate start-up founded in 1906, in collaboration with CNET, the world’s largest and most trusted online source of consumer technology news and reviews, announced today a joint definition of the term "smart home." The definition is the first of its kind in the real estate industry and will help sales associates, as well as home buyers and sellers, accurately identify smart homes. The definition will provide a clear and unified designation to keep up with rapidly evolving technology in the home. Property listings that meet the definition will be identified with a smart home icon on coldwellbanker.com.

The full smart home definition is below:

Smart Home: A home that is equipped with network-connected products (i.e., "smart products," connected via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or similar protocols) for controlling, automating and optimizing functions such as temperature, lighting, security, safety or entertainment, either remotely by a phone, tablet, computer or a separate system within the home itself.

In order to be categorized as a smart home, the property must have a smart security feature that either controls access or monitors the property or a smart temperature feature, in addition to a reliable Internet connection. It must also include at least two additional features from this list:

• Appliances (smart refrigerators and smart washer / dryers)
• Entertainment (smart TVs and TV streaming services)
• Heating / Cooling (smart HVAC system, smart fans or vents)
• Lighting (smart light bulbs and lighting systems)
• Outdoors (smart plant sensors and watering systems)
• Safety (smart fire / carbon monoxide detectors and nightlights)
• Security (smart locks, smart alarm systems or cameras)
• Temperature (smart thermostats)

Must Have

Must Have At Least Three
*One of the categories must be security or temperature

"With close to five million homes bought and sold in the U.S. each year, it is imperative that there are standardized guidelines for identifying smart homes on the market," said Sean Blankenship, chief marketing officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. "The new smart home definition will allow our network of independent sales associates to educate their home buyers and sellers regarding what defines a smart home and how the technology is making our lives more comfortable and convenient. We worked with CNET and tapped into the findings of their smart home testing facility in order to create a definition that is easy to understand and representative of the best smart home technology."

As demand for smart homes steadily increases, a consistent and clear definition is crucial. The technology experts from CNET and the real estate professionals from Coldwell Banker Real Estate worked together to create a definition that captures the complexities of the rapidly evolving technology landscape and provides clarity for a mass audience. This definition is part of the Coldwell Banker Real Estate initiative to embrace smart home technology through an agent education program, a dedicated online search tool to help home buyers find smart homes, research with CNET and sponsorship of the Smart Home Marketplace at CES.

"Eighty-seven (87) percent of Americans acknowledge the value of smart home technology, but only one in four has this technology in their homes," said Lindsey Turrentine, editor-in-chief of CNET.com. "The term ‘smart home’ can be intimidating and overwhelming. We want to make it easy for everyone to better understand what a smart home is, in order to simplify the process in helping them choose the right devices for their homes. Smart home technology today is fragmented, much like the PC industry 15 years ago. An official smart home definition for consumers and real estate agents will provide clarity and credibility to the term."

To learn more and to find smart homes near you, visit coldwellbanker.com/smart-home.

About Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC
Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker^® organization has been a premier provider of full-service residential and commercial real estate brokerage services. Coldwell Banker Real Estate is the oldest national real estate brand and franchisor in the United States, and today has a global network of approximately 3,000 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 47 countries and territories with almost 85,000 affiliated sales professionals. The Coldwell Banker brand is known for creating innovative consumer services as recently seen by taking a leadership role in the smart home space, being the first national real estate brand with an iPad app, the first to augment its website www.coldwellbanker.com for smart phones, the first to create an iPhone application with international listings, the first to develop an iPad application (CBx) to easily bring big data into home listing presentations, and the first to fully harness the power of video in real estate listings, news and information through its Coldwell Banker On Location^SM YouTube channel. Coldwell Banker is a leader in niche markets such as resort, new homes and luxury properties through its Coldwell Banker Previews International^® marketing program delivering exceptional experiences for all consumers served.

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SOURCE Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC