July 17th, 2012

Coldwell Banker Real Estate kicks off new “Best Places to Live” series with ranking for Social Seekers

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Director

PARSIPPANY, N.J. (July 17, 2012) – Today Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC launches its new “Best Places to Live” five-part series in partnership with Onboard Informatics, ranking the top United States places for lifestyle categories: Social Seekers, Suburbanites, Adventurers, Leisure Lovers and Culture Cravers.

To kick off the series, Coldwell Banker first examines the Best Places to Live for “Social Seekers,” which ranks places which are perfect for the hip, trendy and fun at heart – those who would rather go out than stay home any night of the week. The list was compiled based on a range of attributes such as, access to public transportation, high volume of bars and restaurants, happening nightlife and great entertainment.

“As our previous research shows, Americans believe that their home is a reflection of their identity and that clearly goes beyond the property line and into the communities where they live,” said Budge Huskey, president and chief operating officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “Social Seekers are drawn to the nightlife and action, while others we will explore in the series might prefer backyard barbecues and carpooling. By ranking the best places to live by lifestyle interests and personalities, we’re able to get to the heart of what makes individual cities and towns so special.”

The National Top 10 Markets for Social Seekers are:

1. Manhattan, N.Y. – The city that never sleeps is known across the globe for its nightlife and nearly limitless entertainment options. The Big Apple is also home to some of the world’s most famous restaurants, Broadway’s bright lights and accessible public transportation.

2. San Francisco, Calif. – A perfect place to leave one’s heart, San Francisco is famous for its Golden Gate, the infamy of Alcatraz, dedicated sports fans and delicious sourdough.  Its streets are filled with historic trolleys that ascend its storied hills. It is also the birthplace of Coldwell Banker Real Estate, which was established there in 1906.

3. Chicago, Ill. - From the hot dining scene to art museums and gorgeous river views, residents of the Windy City have plenty to keep busy.  Chicago is home to a lively theatre scene, two Major League Baseball teams and top universities.  Residents travel easily between events along the cities elevated subway line, the “L.”

4. Los Angeles, Calif. – Home to Hollywood, Los Angeles is the center of the entertainment industry.  In addition to the Walk of Fame and Kodak Theatre, The City of Angels is also known for its music scene, clubs and restaurants. The Pacific Coast Highway is an easy escape for residents who want to get out of the city and enjoy gorgeous ocean views.

5. Seattle, Wash. - Home of the Space Needle, Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest, and serves as a beacon for the performing arts in the region. In spite of the occasional rainstorm, residents also take advantage of the city’s mild climate to enjoy outdoor entertainment activities, like strolling Pike Place Market or sipping some of the city’s well-known coffee.

6. Brookline, Mass. – Just outside the city of Boston, Brookline maintains a unique identity with a mixture of urban and suburban lifestyles. Residents enjoy pedestrian-oriented shopping with a variety of boutique shops, taverns and cafes in mix of new and historic architecture.

7. Arlington, Va. – Located on the outskirts of Washington, D.C.’s city limits, Arlington residents enjoy quaint cafés, upscale salons and all the activity and entertainment of the nation’s capital, connected by the D.C. Metro.

8. San Diego, Calif. – Situated on the coast in Southern California, the beach is a central part of life in San Diego.  When the sun goes down, residents keep busy sampling delicious food, music and shopping in the historic Gaslamp Quarter.

9. Portland, Ore. – From Old Town to the Pearl District, residents in Portland walk, bike or take the light rail through this scenic city in the Pacific Northwest.  With Mount Hood in the background, they enjoy food carts, cheer on the NBA’s Trail Blazers and visit one of the many microbreweries, while staying close to great parks and outdoor adventures.

10. Mountain View, Calif. – Located in Silicon Valley, Mountain View is home to high technology companies and the Computer History Museum.  Shoreline Park offers and escape to nature for relaxing or water sports and Castro Street is the place to see live music, sample wine and browse specialty shops.

Other notable top cities on the Social Seekers list are well-known college towns, including Boulder, Colo., Ann Arbor, Mich., Ames, Iowa, Austin, Texas,  Burlington, Vt., and Provo, Utah.

In the coming months, Coldwell Banker will release the Best Places to Live lists in the following additional categories:

Suburbanites
Trading nightlife for nights-in, this group is ready to settle down and make their house a home. A feeling of community is very important to them, and they want to be close to schools, recreational centers, parks and shopping. They love backyards, BBQs and basketball hoops, and value quality time with the ones they love.

Adventurers
Whether young in age or young at heart, adventure-seekers are always looking for the next rock to climb and trail to discover. They love new tours, exciting escapades and the great outdoors. Preferring a mecca of things to explore, they value being near international airports for trips that will take them anywhere.

Leisure Lovers
For some people, nothing beats a little R&R. They give high marks to places and spaces requiring little or no maintenance, and love lazy-days where they can live the life of leisure. They don’t need to live in a bustling city where there are lots to see and do, rather they enjoy quiet time, relaxation and maybe a game of golf here and there.

Culture Cravers
From festivals to music venues, this group immerses themselves in culture.  They value art, museums and architecture, and look for a “melting pot” of opportunities.  They will be the first in at the coffee-shop poetry reading, and the last to leave the jazz concert downtown. They want to be educated and energized, and they live every day with passion.

In addition to this series, Coldwell Banker also offers a Lifestyle Search feature on ColdwellBanker.com, which allows people to find homes by rating the importance of lifestyle characteristics.

Click here to view the Top 5 Best Places to Live for Social Seekers by state, according to an analysis from Coldwell Banker Real Estate and Onboard Informatics.

Methodology – Social Seekers Ranking

Coldwell Banker partnered with Onboard Informatics, a leading provider of trusted real estate information and technology solutions, to identify the best places for Social Seekers (i.e. the hip, trendy and fun at heart – those who would rather go out than stay home any night of the week). The areas analyzed are all U.S. Census designated places, incorporated places and county subdivisions, which include minor civil divisions and census county divisions (all as defined by the United States Census Bureau). Each location was assigned a score based on 15-20 attributes selected by Coldwell Banker and Onboard Informatics.  Some of the attributes for the Social Seekers ranking include access to public transportation, variety of restaurants, coffee shops and nightlife options. Additional attributes focus on the behaviors of the residents of the town, such as the amount of money spent on entertainment. Only one city/town per core based statistical area (CBSA) was selected for the National Top 10 Markets list.

About Coldwell Banker^®

Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker^® organization has been a premier provider of full-service residential and commercial real estate. Coldwell Banker is the oldest national real estate brand in the United States and today has a network of approximately 83,000 sales agents working in approximately 3,100 offices in 50 countries and territories. The Coldwell Banker brand is known for creating innovative consumer services as recently seen by being the first national real estate brand to create an iPad application 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.  The Coldwell Banker system is a leader in specialty markets such as resort, new homes and luxury properties through its Coldwell Banker Previews International^® marketing program. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act.  Each office is independently owned and operated.

Tags: Best Places, Best Places stories, Best Places to Live, Best Places to Live for Social Seekers, Coldwell Banker.

September 15th, 2011

Onboard Powers Bloomberg/BusinessWeek’s Best Places to Raise Your Kids 2011

By Stacey Ret, Director of Marketing

Communities that are small, affordable and family-friendly with good public schools, make the list for Best Places to Raise a Family

If you have children, you want the best house in the best neighborhood that your family can afford, and it’s not always about the number of baths in the home – although 2+ bathrooms can certainly help bring peace to your household during teeth-brushing time! You evaluate the schools, the safety of the town, the recreation available to all of you – heck, some of you may even want to know where the closest Trader Joe’s is (or is that just me?).  Luckily, BusinessWeek has evaluated over 5,400 communities nationwide utilizing Onboard’s comprehensive community data and demographics to bring us a list of the best places to raise a family.

This year, they shifted their focus from  large urbanized cities to smaller towns with populations of 50,000 or less.Considerations included: town’s median income relative to their particular state’s median income, school performance, number of schools, crime statistics, cost of living, as well as job growth, air quality, ethnic diversity and access to recreational amenities – all of the qualities you would want in a community for your family.

The cities are listed in alphabetical order, by state, and in the CT/NJ/NY tri-state area (where we are located), the following cities top the list:

Best place to raise kids in Connecticut: Kensington

Nearby city: Hartford
Population: 8,479
Median family income: $90,189
Runner-up: Portland

Best place to raise kids in New Jersey: Ridgefield Park

Nearby city: New York
Population: 10,675
Median family income: $84,544
Runner-up: Bergenfield

Best place to raise kids in New York: West Seneca

Nearby city: Buffalo
Population: 43,575
Median family income: $69,188
Runner-up: Lancaster

To read the full list, click here: http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20101214/the-best-places-to-raise-your-kids-2011/slides/33

Tags: Best Places, Clients, community information, data, lifestyle search, neighborhood data, real estate data.

August 11th, 2011

America’s 25 Most Fun, Affordable Cities. Did your city make the list?

By Stacey Ret, Director of Marketing

Onboard had the privilege to work with two stellar companies, both of whom are clients, Better Homes & Garden Real Estate and Bloomberg Businessweek, to bring the article, “Ocean City, Md.: America’s Most Affordable Fun City,” to life.  With millions of data points to pull from, Onboard worked closely with BHGRE to analyze over 6,000 zip codes nationwide, where the median home price was within 20% of the state’s median. From there, the amount of bars and restaurants were quantified, and those with the greatest number helped drum up a list of the country’s most affordable and fun cities.

Not everyone can afford to wine and dine in large cities such as New York or Chicago. Here are some other great destinations where you can have a night out on the town, at an affordable price!

Read the article for the full list

Tags: Best Places, Better Homes and Gardens, community information, data, lifestyle search, Onboard Informatics, Real Estate.

May 9th, 2011

The Active Enterprise Network creates “10 Lifestyle Searches in 10 Weeks” challenge, partnering with Onboard Informatics, the pioneer of Lifestyle Search

By Stacey Ret, Director of Marketing

May 9, 2011 – New York, NY. In an effort to drive lifestyle search to the forefront of the real estate industry, The Active Enterprise Network, will be participating in the Enterprise Network Challenge: 10 Lifestyle Searches in 10 Weeks in which their technology partner, Active Website, launches the lifestyle search engine on a different member’s site each week.

Stemming from their extended partnership with Onboard Informatics, Enterprise Network members now have access to the necessary data needed for lifestyle search, an innovative search tool that gives customers a personalized search experience on real estate websites. Through this new lifestyle search engine, customers will be able to search for homes based on parameters most important to them. Whether that’s family-friendly areas or homes close to highly rated schools, nightlife or shopping, the system will match each user’s requirements with a targeted list of ideal communities in the area.

Using a sliding scale, customers have the option to rank how important each criteria is to their particular needs and lifestyle. The system then finds neighborhoods that best fit their criteria and showcases available homes in the area. Once they’ve found their ideal community, customers can narrow their search based on number of beds and baths, square footage, price range and more.

Remaining on the cutting edge of innovation, many members have already chosen to implement lifestyle search on their site. The first member to adopt this feature is Residential Properties, LTD. Based in Providence, RI, Residential Properties has been serving the Rhode Island Real Estate market for over 30 years and was a great first candidate for the launch of this product. Through the latest search technology, Residential Properties is able to further enrich the user experience and gain a competitive advantage in the industry.

“There is a lot of competition on the web, so finding new ways to differentiate yourself from the competition is crucial to the success of your business. Through lifestyle search, not only are members providing a service that the competition doesn’t offer, but they’re able to engage the customer and increase the likelihood that they will buy or sell a home from them in the future. Typically, when an agent meets with a client they’re asking important questions such as “How important are schools for you?” or “Would you rather live in an urban setting or in the suburbs?” and so on. However, these same questions are not often addressed online. Lifestyle search bridges this gap and offers a unique approach for a more positive experience for our users,” states Ido Zucker, Managing Partner at Active Website.

The search parameters within the lifestyle search engine are based on over a decade of Onboard’s experiencedeveloping Best Places to Live solutions for top publishers such as CNN/Money, U.S. News & World Report and BusinessWeek. To ensure accuracy of the search results, the search engine combines millions of data points ranging from population demographics to housing trends to local points of interest and more.

Due to the complex functionality required to power lifestyle search accurately and efficiently, it is reserved for elite companies only. Through Active Website’s technology, coupled with data provided by Onboard, members are able to engage customers more than ever before.

“It is Onboard’s goal to provide compelling content and powerful tools that allow homebuyers to search for homes based on what is important in their lives -beyond the physical needs of the home. Lifestyle search not only accomplishes that, but also engages the visitor and keeps them coming back to the site, providing the differentiation that The Active Enterprise Network is seeking,” states Marc Siden, CEO, Onboard Informatics. “We are pleased to work with a network that understands the importance of providing consumers with tools and information they want.”

To see the enhanced features offered through the lifestyle search engine, visit Residential Properties at www.residentialproperties.com. Be sure to visit Active Website’s blog over the next several weeks as they track the progress of these releases as well.

About The Active Enterprise Network

The Active Enterprise Network member base is by invitation only. Comprised solely of private real estate firms, The Enterprise Network does not accept national brands and only works with one company per marketplace. This exclusivity allows for open collaboration and sharing of information within The Network, free from any conflict of interest. The goal for members under The Enterprise Network umbrella is to address the technology demands that are emerging in today’s changing real estate market. Together, Enterprise Network members can make the best decisions concerning implementation of systems and solutions, ultimately leveraging everyone to higher levels of business.

About Onboard Informatics

Since 2001, Onboard Informatics has provided comprehensive local, regional and national real estate data solutions, powerful Web tools and Web services to some of the most innovative companies in the real estate, publishing, and technology.  Onboard delivers seamless integration of property listings, community, school, neighborhood, geographic and demographic information to support clients in achieving business objectives on Web and mobile platforms.  Privately held since its founding, Onboard is located in the heart of the world’s financial center in the Wall Street area of New York City.  For more information about Onboard Informatics visit www.onboardinformatics.com.

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Tags: Best Places, Clients, lifestyle search, neighborhood data, news, real estate data, real estate market, school information.

March 30th, 2011

Realtor.org Releases Best Places Field Guide

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Director

Realtor.org just released a field guide of “best places” lists from various outlets. Whether it’s best places to live, find a job, raise a family, or build a career – various publishers take a stab at compiling their picks for best places each year. Onboard Informatics is the unsung hero, if you will, of many of these stories (9 of 41 on the Realtor.org list, to be specific).

I must give a caveat that not all Best Places stories are created equal. Of course, my “best place” is going to look a lot different than a golf-loving, family-focused mom of 3 from the Midwest; the level of subjectivity here has prompted several of our clients to create Best Places search tools (using the same data as our Lifestyle Search Engine) and niche lifestyle stories.

What do you mean my town didn't make the list?

But when it comes to America’s Safest Cities or Top-Earning Towns, having bulletproof data and a methodology to match are the only ingredients that are going to churn out a story worth anyone’s while. Additionally, having good screening criteria is just as vital as the data itself (it will ensure that the places selected truly represent the focus of the story). The consequence of not putting this care into editorial? Well, we’ve certainly seen instances where skewed numbers and liberties taken with the criteria have led to certainly less-than-perfect outcomes.

As always, we thank and congratulate all our publishing clients who turn to us year after year for help in producting the most accurate and engaging Best Places work.

Tags: Best Places, Best Places methodology, Best Places to Live.

January 26th, 2011

BestPlaces.NYDailyNews.com in Action

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Director

The New York Daily News relaunched their real estate website this week, powered throughout by Onboard Informatics content. This site is an end-to-end implementation of our services that work in concert to help NYDN bring their city and its dwellings to life. We figured we’d give you a little behind-the-scenes tour on how these pieces fit together and what it means for our client.

Building a site that will build a following

NYDN approached Onboard Informatics in the hopes of creating a new and unique website to highlight the Best Places to Live in the metropolitan New York City area. In the process of creating a destination real estate website, NYDN needed to employ techniques to drive search engine rankings, enable highly targeted on-site search, and deliver compelling navigation capabilities.

One of the most crucial pieces of the development of this project was the delivery of rich content to create a user experience enabling consumers to immerse themselves deep in communities and neighborhoods of the city without going further than their browser. The result is Best Places to Live in NY, an intersection of hyperlocal editorial content, accurate neighborhood data and property listings for buyers. Here are some of the key pieces of the site:

One of the reasons our clients come to us is for a complete solution that is non-disruptive with parts that are capable of creating a synchronized user experience. So how exactly are these parts intertwined?

• The Best Places Lifestyle Profiler is NYDN’s implementation of Lifestyle Search Engine
• Results of neighborhood recommendations feed to neighborhood profiles that are based on real boundaries that truly reflect the vibe and culture of the city’s hundreds of neighborhoods
• Neighborhood profiles are supported with Community and School data (also part of the “Explore NYC Neighborhoods” section)
• Best Places guides are interspersed throughout, including custom top neighborhood lists for niche lifestyles based on our Best Places methodology
• Listings Search Engine drives property search with advanced search criteria (filter by distance to parks/transportation/schools, find a house with pets allowed or a roof garden, etc.)

We invite you to check out the site, find your ideal hood, drool over some ridiculous real estate, and see the city come to life in the process.

Tags: Best Places, Best Places in NY, Best Places to Live, New York Daily News, real estate websites.

January 25th, 2011

Here’s how you can be Cold Year-round

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Director

I have a feeling that if I walked downstairs and did a straw poll of New Yorkers who’ve spent the last few months traipsing through their grid in the bitter wind and permanent slush, no more than a crazy few would answer “yes” to whether or not they’d like to spend their retirement in a cold climate. But as we are sometimes reminded, there is a world that exists outside of New York, some of which would rather spend their golden days by the fire or on the slopes.

U.S. News & World Report just released 10 Winter Wonderlands for Retirement, powered by Onboard Informatics data and the Best Places to Retire tool we recently collaborated on. For this set of retirees, U.S. News looked for places that are likely to be covered in snow for most of the winter. From there, they screened for places with prime access to hospitals and medical care, affordable housing, and a reasonable cost of living.

Here are the top pics for winter retirement bliss:

• Aurora, Colo.
• Burlington, Vt.
• Juneau, Alaska
• Manchester, N.H.
• Marquette, Mich.
• Minneapolis, Minn.
• Portland, Maine
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• South Bend, Ind.
• Syracuse, N.Y.

Tags: Best Places, best places for retirees, U.S. News.

September 8th, 2010

Top Retirement Towns for History Buffs

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Director

The 3600-acre Valley Forge National Historical Park helped Philadelphia earn a place on the top towns for history lovers.

Lifelong learning is a priority for many retirees. That’s why U.S. News & World Report just released 10 Historic Places to Retire, based on content from Onboard Informatics. For some, war reenactments and visits to the hallowed sites of American history trump beach fronts and golf courses. The centuries-old towns on this top 10 list are filled with museums, libraries, national historic monuments, and plenty of amenities.

Charleston, S.C.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Quincy, Mass.
San Francisco, Calif.
Santa Fe, N.M.
Savannah, Ga.
St. Augustine, Fla.
New Orleans, La.
Washington, D.C.
Williamsburg, Va.

Click here to view the full article and slideshow.

Tags: Best Places, Best Places to Retire, places for history buffs to retire, top towns for history buffs, U.S. News.

July 15th, 2010

CNN/Money’s Best Places to Live 2010

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Director

The results are in for yet another annual collaboration between Onboard Informatics and CNN/Money to cast light on terrific cities with growing job rates, great schools, safe neighborhoods, and plenty of activities for residents. This year’s Best Places to Live feature looks at top small cities (as opposed to 2009′s list of small towns with strong economies).

With over 100 miles of trails and an unemployment rate of just 5.1%, Eden Prairie in Minnesota fit the bill for this year's top small town.

Our data team worked closely with CNN to provide housing, financial, quality of life and other data for the filters they selected to produce the most concise and accurate information possible.

To start, all U.S. cities with populations of 50,000-300,000 were considered. Places with a median family income of over 200% or less than 85% of the state median were excluded, as were towns with a white population of over 95%. From there, the top 100 towns were decided after screening out retirement communities, towns with significant job loss, poor education systems and high crime scores.

We then worked with CNN/Money on the ranking of the top towns based on housing affordability, school quality, arts and leisure, safety, health care, diversity, and other points in our extensive set of quality of life content sets.

CNN/Money also released lists for top earning towns, most affordable homes, quickest commute times, best weather (hottest and coldest cities), and youngest cities. Users can also search for nearby cities to see which nearby towns made the grade. Dive deeper into the heart of the community right on the article, where Gowalla business reviews and comments from Facebook are integrated.

Congratulations to this year’s list of top cities!

Tags: America's best small cities, Best Places, Best Places to Live 2010, CNNMoney.

March 5th, 2010

BusinessWeek Names 2010′s Best Affordable Suburbs

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Director

BusinessWeek and Onboard Informatics teamed up once again to collaborate on BW’s Best Affordable Suburbs in America 2010 story. BusinessWeek evaluated information provided by our content team to determine the best affordable suburb in each state as well as an overall winner with high marks across the board.

The economy in Fishers, Indiana has remained strong, earning them the top spot in this year's Best Affordable Suburbs in America.

All the suburbs on the list are towns within 25 miles of the most populated city in the state, with populations of 5,000 to 60,000, median family incomes of $51,000 to $120,000, and lower-than-average crime rates. We weighted a variety of factors including livability (short commutes, low pollution, green space), education (well-educated residents, high test scores), crime (low personal and property crime), economy (high job growth, low unemployment rate, high family income), and affordability (median household income, cost of expenditures). Affordability was most heavily weighted in the calculations.

As for exclusions, BusinessWeek decided to penalize places with bad weather, a lack of racial diversity, high divorce rates, and few children.

Our content team worked closely with BusinessWeek to create this data-driven story based on their criteria and the filters they selected to produce the most concise and accurate information possible.

Fishers, Indiana was determined to be a fantastic choice for families with its diverse housing market, safety, great schools, and unemployment rates that were almost 4% below Indiana’s average.

It’s no surprise that the extremely accessible Glasgow was named the most affordable suburb in my home state of Delaware. (Not that there were all that many towns to choose from, considering Delaware’s entire population barely edges out that of Lower Manhattan…)

See which town tops your state’s list here.

Tags: affordable towns, Best Affordable Suburbs in America, Best Places, BusinessWeek, most affordable suburbs.