Home Tracker, a new online service by Coldwell Banker, allows homeowners who register at the company’s Web site to calculate home value based on actual and planned improvements and to archive scanned home records and digital photos.
The password-protected Home Tracker site also allows users to set up alerts to notify them about changes in home values and recent home sales in the neighborhood.
These new tools are featured as a part of Coldwell Banker’s Personal Retriever Toolkit, a suite of online tools that allow consumers to find and save homes of interest, view new listings via e-mail or widget, find sales associates and find and save other real estate-related resources.
An “improvement calculator” available through Home Tracker estimates how much impact home improvement projects, such as kitchen or bathroom remodels, will have on the overall value of the home. Some Web sites that focus on home valuations, such as Cyberhomes, RealEstateABC and Zillow, also allow users to refine home values based on improvements.
A maintenance log allows users to store information about home improvements and maintenance, such as repair dates and information about vendors and contractors. Also, the user can request an e-mail reminder or notification via RSS feed to schedule the next maintenance.
A “notes and documents” section at the Home Tracker allows consumers to store scanned receipts from the purchase of major appliances and electronics, for example, among other home-related documents and records, and a photo album at the site allows users to archive photos for insurance purposes, and photos detailing home renovations.
Coldwell Banker also offers a Home Value Estimator tool that estimates a value range for properties based on recent sales in the area, and also offers neighborhood statistics — both of these services do not require registration.
