120 Years of Real Estate: What Has Changed…and What Hasn’t

Real Estate Explained

Think about what buying a home looked like in 1906.

There was no Zillow. No scrolling through listing photos from the couch. No electronic signatures, virtual tours or text messages from your REALTOR® telling you, “They accepted your offer!”

In fact, much of what we now consider a normal part of buying or selling a home would have been unimaginable.

But people still needed homes.

They still moved for jobs. They got married, had children, built businesses, lost loved ones, started over and looked for places where they could build their lives.

And that may be the most interesting thing about looking back at 120 years of real estate.

Almost everything about the way we buy and sell homes has changed.

The reasons we call a place home really haven’t.

Coldwell Banker Started During a Time of Rebuilding

The Coldwell Banker story began in San Francisco in 1906, following the devastating earthquake and fires that changed the city forever.

Colbert Coldwell saw a community facing an enormous rebuilding effort and founded what would eventually become Coldwell Banker on principles of honesty, integrity and service.

It was a very different real estate industry from the one we know today.

And yet, 120 years later, those ideas still matter.

Because no matter how sophisticated the technology becomes, real estate ultimately involves something deeply personal: where people are going to live their lives.

120 Years of Real Estate Has Changed a LOT

Imagine telling a homebuyer in 1906 that someday they would carry a device in their pocket that could show them almost every home for sale in their area.

They could look through dozens of photos without leaving their couch.

They could tour a home virtually.

They could sign a contract from their phone while sitting at their child’s ballgame.

And their REALTOR® could send an offer across town, or across the country, in seconds.

The technology alone would probably sound like science fiction.

But technology isn’t the only thing that has changed.

Homes have changed.

Neighborhoods have changed.

Financing has changed.

Contracts have changed.

Marketing has changed.

The way buyers search has changed.

The amount of information consumers have available to them has changed dramatically.

In fact, the role of a REALTOR® has evolved as buyers and sellers have gained access to more information than ever before.

And even within the same market, some homes sell quickly while others sit…a topic we’ve explained before.

Additionally, sellers are constantly trying to decide which changes buyers actually care about and whether they should renovate before listing.”

The Market Has Changed More Than Once, Too

If you’ve spent any time around real estate lately, you’ve probably heard someone talk about how much “the market has changed.”

And they’re right.

But here’s the thing:

The market has always changed.

Over 120 years, real estate has experienced periods of rapid growth, recessions, housing shortages, building booms, high interest rates, low interest rates, buyer’s markets, seller’s markets and just about everything in between.

Whatever market we’re experiencing today isn’t permanent.

Neither was the one before it.

And the next one won’t be either.

That’s one reason experience and good guidance still matter. The tools may change, but people still need someone who can help them understand what those changes mean for their situation.

What Hasn’t Changed in 120 Years?

This is our favorite part.

Because behind all those market statistics, contracts, mortgage rates and home values are actual people.

And people still move for remarkably human reasons.

A couple needs more room because they’re expecting a baby.

Someone accepts a new job and moves to a city they’ve never called home before.

Parents realize the house that once felt too small suddenly feels awfully big after the kids leave.

Someone gets married.

Someone gets divorced.

Someone loses a spouse.

Someone wants to live closer to their grandchildren.

Someone buys their very first home and stands in an empty living room imagining where the furniture will go.

Someone sells the house where they raised their children and hands the keys to another family who will begin making memories there.

Those stories would have been recognizable in 1906.

They’re recognizable in 2026.

That’s the part of real estate that hasn’t changed.

Why We’re Still Proud to Be Coldwell Banker

There are plenty of places we could hang our real estate licenses.

We choose to proudly serve under the Coldwell Banker name.

Part of that is because there’s something meaningful about being connected to a company that has weathered 120 years of real estate—through changing markets, changing technology and generations of homeowners—while continuing to focus on helping people find their way home.

Today, Coldwell Banker has grown far beyond its beginnings in San Francisco, with affiliated agents around the world.

But for us, that big history becomes very local.

It’s the family buying a home in Auburn.

It’s the seller moving out of the house they’ve owned for 30 years in Opelika.

It’s the first-time buyer who isn’t quite sure where to begin.

It’s the family relocating to East Alabama who needs someone to teach them not only about houses, but about neighborhoods, schools, traffic, traditions and what it’s actually like to live here.

Those are the tiny pieces of a 120-year story that we get to be part of.

And that’s pretty special.

1906 Looked Very Different From 2026. Home Didn’t.

A house in 1906 probably didn’t have an open-concept kitchen, smart thermostat or Wi-Fi.

Nobody was checking their doorbell camera from vacation.

And we’re pretty confident nobody was arguing about whether gray flooring had finally gone out of style.

But home?

Home was where babies were brought home.

Where children grew up.

Where people gathered around the table.

Where birthdays were celebrated.

Where families grieved.

Where ordinary Tuesday nights happened.

Where people dreamed about what came next.

And 120 years later, it still is.

That’s why this anniversary feels worth celebrating to us.

Not simply because a real estate company has been around for 120 years.

But because behind those 120 years of real estate are 120 years of people finding home.

We’re proud to be one small part of that history.

And we’re even more excited about the stories that haven’t been written yet.

Happy 120th Birthday, Coldwell Banker.

Here’s to what’s next.

Kent McCown Group proudly serves buyers and sellers throughout Auburn, Opelika and East Alabama with Coldwell Banker Kennon & Parker Alliance. Whether you’re buying your first home, selling one filled with decades of memories or simply wondering what your next move might look like, we’re here to help you find your way home.