Ann McAward
Ann McAward of Century 21 Home Services-Scalzo Group in New Milford recently expanded her expertise to include mature consumers with the designation of Century 21 MatureMoves.
As a Century 21 MatureMoves specialist, McAward has obtained the experience necessary to assist homebuyers and sellers who are older than 55 years of age in their next move. Whether they are retiring and looking to move closer to family and friends, or seeking access to recreational facilities, Century 21 MatureMoves specialists have the training necessary to meet changing lifestyle needs.
The MatureMoves training includes the successful completion of a certification program that details what features mature consumers may desire in a home, including single-level floor plans and heightened security measures, and provides tips and tools for how to best service that market.
McAward holds a degree from the Katharine Gibbs School of Business and is a graduate of the Century 21 “Create 21” program. Before joining Century 21 Home Services, McAward was coordinator of children’s services and administrative assistant for the Sherman Library. She has worked as an associate for the Investment Banking, Public Finance and Real Estate Division of Shearson-Lehman/American Express, World Trade Center, N.Y., as bank manager for Roosevelt Saving Bank in New York, assistant credit manger at Flushing Hospital in New York, office manager for Rossomano Pictures & Birbrower Productions, and an assistant at Hudson Valley Preservation in Sherman.
McAward and her husband, Brian, live in Sherman with their sons, Kyle, Gene and Dylan.
Firm Launches LeadRouter
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Connecticut has introduced a faster, more effective way for its sales associates to respond to the growing number of customers who are using the Internet in their homebuying or selling process.
The solution, an innovative lead management system called LeadRouter, is a software-based system that instantly turns Web-based inquiries on all Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage listings or profile pages into an automated voice call that is sent to sales associates’ cell phones – all in a matter of seconds. The system enables Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage sales associates to respond to prospective customers within minutes of receiving an online request.
News of the technology’s introduction comes on the heels of some revealing industry findings. The National Association of Realtors reported that 74 percent of homebuyers are now using the Internet to assist in their search process. Meanwhile, a recent nationwide study commissioned by Realtor.com found that 63 percent of online inquiries from homebuyers and sellers received no response within 24 hours, and nearly half of online inquires received no response at all.
“We’re excited about now being able to respond to our potential clients’ online inquiries on a virtually real-time basis by telephone,” said Peggy Doepper, president and chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. “We believe the LeadRouter technology platform will enable us to better serve these prospective customers and that it will increase our buyers’ and sellers’ satisfaction with the exceptional service already delivered by our Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage sales professionals.”
LeadRouter is only part of the larger technology initiative that has thrust Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage to the forefront of a changing real estate market. In addition to millions invested by its parent company NRT Inc. at leading search engines like Google and Yahoo to drive buyers to www.coldwellbankermoves.com, NRT also signed a multimillion-dollar agreement with Homestore Inc., which owns Realtor.com. The agreement now provides Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage sellers with enhanced listings that include more photos, more detailed property descriptions and more opportunities to appear among the site’s prominent Featured Homes listings.
