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Today, Zillow® announced its predictions for the ten hottest housing markets in 2016. Topping the list is Denver, followed by Seattle and Dallas-Fort Worth, all of which are major tech towns – ideal for job growth. Other places that made the list are Utah markets Ogden and Salt Lake City, along with Omaha, Neb. and Boise, Idaho.

To determine which markets would be hot, Zillow looked at home value appreciation, low unemployment rates, and strong income growth. Omaha has the lowest unemployment rate of the ten hottest markets, at just 2.9 percent. Denver saw home values rise 16 percent in 2015, and Zillow is forecasting them to rise another 5 percent in 2016, along with Portland.

A strong and diverse economy is the driving force behind Richmond's high income growth, with government, finance, education, and manufacturing jobs robust in the area and expected to continue  in 2016. Boise, Ogden, Salt Lake City and Sacramento all have high forecasted home value appreciation; homes are expected to appreciate an average of about five percent over the next year.

Zillow's Top 10 Housing Markets for 2016:

1. Denver, Colo.
2. Seattle, Wash.
3. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
4. Richmond, Va.
5. Boise, Idaho
6. Ogden, Utah
7. Salt Lake City, Utah
8. Omaha, Neb.
9. Sacramento, Calif.
10. Portland, Ore.

"Trendy tech centers like San Francisco, Seattle and Denver hogged the spotlight in 2015. But this year, the markets that shine brightest will be those that manage to strike a good balance between strong income growth, low unemployment and solid home value appreciation," said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. "As the job market continues to hum and opportunity becomes more widespread, the best housing markets are no longer limited to the coasts or one-industry tech towns. This year's hottest markets have something for everyone, whether they're looking for somewhere to raise a family or start their career."

Three variables influenced Zillow's hot market predictions: Zillow's Home Value Forecasti, which forecasts the change in the Zillow Home Value Index over the next 12 months, recent income growthii, and current unemployment ratesiii. Those three variables were then scaled and combined to form a 'hotness score,' producing the top ten list.

Metropolitan Area	Forecasted Home Value Appreciation	Income Growth	Unemployment Rate
Denver	5.0%	1.1%	3.1%
Seattle	5.4%	1.1%	4.5%
Dallas-Fort Worth	5.6%	1.1%	4.0%
Richmond	2.2%	1.2%	4.4%
Boise	4.7%	1.0%	3.3%
Ogden	4.9%	1.0%	3.4%
Salt Lake City	4.4%	1.0%	3.1%
Omaha	3.2%	1.1%	2.9%
Sacramento	5.1%	1.1%	5.5%
Portland	5.0%	1.0%	5.0%

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Supports Evidence-Based 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines For Americans

he Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics commends the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for creating 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that are based on a thorough review of the strongest available scientific evidence to improve how and what Americans eat.

"The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines provide crucial science-based information for health professionals to use in helping consumers make healthy choices for themselves and their families. They will provide a solid basis for federal nutrition policy, identify future research needs and equip health professionals and employers with the tools necessary to benefit the public," said registered dietitian nutritionist and Academy President Dr. Evelyn F. Crayton.

"The Dietary Guidelines for Americans represent the U.S. government's cornerstone for nutrition policy and education for the next five years. As such, they affect every Academy member, every registered dietitian nutritionist and every dietetic technician, registered," Crayton said.

"The Academy supported the committee's evidence-based systematic review of the scientific literature, which is vital to assessing the current and emerging state of the science in food and nutrition. We commend HHS and USDA for their commitment to the Nutrition Evidence Library and their ongoing efforts to strengthen the evidence-based approach for assessing the scientific literature for future dietary recommendations," Crayton said.

The Academy supports the key recommendations of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines, which recommend that everyone "consume a healthy eating pattern that accounts for all foods and beverages within an appropriate calorie level." The overall pattern of food eaten is the most important focus of healthy eating and has been related to a decrease in prevalence of chronic disease.

"The Academy and our members look forward to helping all Americans by translating the nutrition science and government recommendations into practical information for consumers and communities alike," Crayton said.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. The Academy is committed to improving the nation's health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy. Visit the Academy at www.eatright.org.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate Survey Finds Nearly Half of Americans Will Have Smart Home Technology by the End of 2016

The year 2020 has long been a benchmark for when the "smart home" will finally be mainstream, but according to the results of a survey released today by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, the original Silicon Valley real estate start-up founded in 1906, that time may come sooner than we thought.

The Coldwell Banker® Smart Home Marketplace Survey, which polled more than 4,000 Americans in advance of CES 2016, found that almost half (45 percent) of all Americans either own smart home technology or plan to invest in it in 2016. The survey also showed that it's not just the tech-savvy who are on board with the smart home. Of people who either have smart home technology or plan to buy it in 2016, more than one in three (36 percent) say they don't consider themselves early adopters of technology.

The Smart Home Marketplace Survey also found that more than half of homeowners (54 percent) would purchase or install smart home products if they were selling their home and knew that doing so would make it sell faster. Of that group, 65 percent would pay$1,500 or more.

"Close to five million existing homes were sold in the United States in 2014, which represents a huge white space for smart home manufacturers," said Sean Blankenship, chief marketing officer for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. "We are aiming to be the conduit between these manufacturers and home buyers and sellers, and conducting this research was one of the first of many steps toward achieving this goal." 

Selling Smarter: Real Estate and The Smart Home Coldwell Banker Real Estate is co-sponsoring the Smart Home Marketplace at CES 2016 in Las Vegas from Jan. 6-9, 2016. This marks the first time that a real estate company is sponsoring the Marketplace, which has nearly doubled in size since 2015.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate is also hosting a CES conference, titled "Selling Smarter: Real Estate and The Smart Home," onWednesday, Jan. 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pacific. The conference will feature representatives from the Coldwell Banker brand as well as Nest, Lutron and August, who will discuss how "smart" is the next big trend in real estate and what that means for smart home technology manufacturers.

Additional Smart Home Marketplace Survey Findings

Entertainment is the entry-way for smart home technology.

• The most popular type of smart home technology that people already own is smart entertainment, such as smart TVs and speaker systems (44 percent of people with smart home technology).
• The next most popular types of smart home technology that people currently have installed in their home include smart security (31 percent) and smart temperature (30 percent).

Most Americans think a home can be considered "smart" if it has smart security, temperature, lighting and safety.

• When asked about what needs to be in a home for it to be considered "smart," the top choices were security (e.g., locks and alarm systems - 63 percent), temperature (e.g., thermostats and fans - 63 percent), lighting (e.g., light bulbs and lighting systems - 58 percent) and safety (e.g., fire / carbon monoxide detectors and nightlights - 56 percent).
• More than three-quarters (76 percent) of Americans think that having just one category of smart technology in your home isn't enough for it to be considered smart.

Smart home technology is no longer just for the young and affluent.

• Older generations are adopting certain types of smart home technology faster than younger ones. For instance, 40 percent of those over 65 who own smart home products currently have smart temperature products, compared to only 25 percent of Millennials (ages 18 to 34).
• The percentages of Americans with a household income of between $50k and $75k and that of those with between $75k and $100k who have smart home technology are nearly identical: 25 percent versus 26 percent.

Buying smart home products is in one word - addicting.

• Seventy (70) percent of people with smart home technology said buying their first smart home product made them more likely to buy another one.

The full survey results can be found here.

Search for smart homes for sale at www.coldwellbanker.com/smarthome.