Coldwell Banker

A result of one of the most horrible disasters in California’s history a company focused on values of honesty and integrity arose. A company that has been thriving for over one hundred years.

In 1906, San Francisco was recovering from a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent fires that left over a quarter of a million people homeless. Public records were burned in a fire caused by the earthquake and land ownership records were lost permanently. Many real estate brokers used this as an opportunity to make unethical business transactions. Fraud became common.

Colbert Coldwell decided to create a real estate company with two other partners in 1906 to give people an ethical alternative. By 1914, Coldwell and Benjamin Banker became partners, and together created the company you know today. Created in the United States, the first international Coldwell Banker office opened in 1996 in Toronto.

Since their early days of rapid growth and success, Coldwell Banker has hit many milestones. Coldwell Banker Works, the company’s intranet site, was named one of the World’s best according to a Nielsen Norman Group report in 2008.Coldwell Banker Home Tracker was named one of five finalists by the American Business Awards in 2008. The company also started a “100 Homes” initiative to raise 5 million dollars to support 100 Habitat for Humanity homes around the United States by the 100^th anniversary of Coldwell Banker.

The success and innovation of Coldwell Banker has not stopped. It was the first real estate company to launch a website, the first to have streaming video, and the first national company to offer buyer and seller guarantees. It also has the highest traffic real estate channel on YouTube.

Today, Coldwell Banker has more than 3,000 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 43 countries and territories with more than 86,000 affiliated sales professionals.