Search for homes with your iPhone

Coldwell Banker Real Estate is out with a new version of its Web site customized for iPhone users.

The new version shares the same domain as the company's traditional site but automatically recognizes iPhone end users to serve up the iPhone interface. iPhone users just need to go to www.coldwellbanker.com from their iPhone, without having to download or install any special software. The new site offers a very well-laid-out look and feel, along with convenient navigation on the iPhone's screen, especially the property listings search and home value estimator.

You can now search for homes on the iPhone just like you would do on a regular computer, if not more conveniently. Once you find a property, you can also contact the agent directly from the phone. And you can use the site to check the estimated current value of a specific property.

I tried the new site on my iPhone 3G and it worked well, both the home search and the home value calculator. I could also map the address of the property of interest on Google Maps and get directions to and from it that way. The new site, however, doesn't retain the input information, forcing you to retype everything for each property search, which is annoying.

While this new version of the site is convenient and cool, it won't help keep you from feeling depressed about the decrease in value of the real estate market.