Smart Technology and Home Selling: What You Need to Know

Do you want to impress buyers with the modern nature of your home? Smart technology might be a good choice.

Smart Technology and Home Selling: What You Need to Know Close
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Smart Technology and Home Selling: What You Need to Know

Posted by Gary Ashton on Thursday, January 17th, 2019 at 11:12am.

Installing Tech to Sell HomeEveryone seems to be into home automation these days. Sellers often want to know if their home would be more appealing if it had some smart technology. Here’s how to decide whether or not to add a few tools to your home as a benefit to buyers.

What Is Smart Technology?

In essence, smart technology is the ability to have technology to do a portion of your thinking for you. Smart tools should generally have a couple of functions. The first will be to perform its job as specified. For example, with a smart thermostat, you should be able to set a temperature and expect it to work as instructed. Smart technology can also do more, however. Smart tools should, at least in theory, be able to make some decisions on the homeowner's behalf. A smart thermostat may be able to determine ideal settings for a Gallatin home without guidance, allow users to change settings remotely, and provide up-to-date reports about energy usage.

How Complicated Should the Smart Technology Be?

There is a balance between having a series of handy tools and feeling like you are battling against the rise of the machines, and the right spot is going to be different for each person. Homeowners can have a fully-integrated smart home that uses one central control system for lighting, heat and air conditioning, entertainment and more. Buyers who are looking for this level of automation will probably be delighted to see an existing home that has had the system already set up. However, outfitting a home with smart technology to this degree may require the purchase of a large number of new appliances or other accessories that will allow the controls to manage the various systems of the home. Your budget will be an important determiner. When it comes to smart home technology, Wasserstein is one of best options for smart home bundles, research and accessories.

What Are the Potential Drawbacks of Installing Smart Technology?

Anyone who has ever bought a computer or smartphone knows that they become somewhat dated within about a year. You will often encounter the same problem with smart technology. You install the latest system and by the time you sell, there is a new version. The rapid expansion of smart technology means that there is also a great deal of competition and proprietary systems that may not work with each other. Your real estate agent may be able to make recommendations on the brands, products and systems that most buyers in the area want to see.

3 Popular Smart Home Technology Installations for Your Residence

Smart home technology installations can help your home sell fast, but you must select the most popular systems to have the biggest impact on your prospective buyers’ perceptions. Here are three of the most popular smart home tech systems to install in your home before it goes on the market.

Digital Assistant

A digital home assistant offers the support people need to get through their busy days and nights. From making grocery lists to completing shopping orders, this high-tech system can do it all. The digital assistant can also help with the entertainment needs of the household by playing audiobooks, sports broadcasts and music. The system works using voice controls for easy access by everyone in the household.

Programmable Thermostat

A programmable thermostat automatically keeps the house at a comfortable temperature all throughout the day. The system can adjust the temperature down and up to account for people leaving the house or coming home. Many of the programmable thermostats even attach to an app for easy adjustments while away from home. With the right settings, this type of thermostat can even decrease energy usage and the resulting bills.

Security System

A smart security system oversees the safety of the household using sensors and cameras set up at strategic point around the house. The system often works through an app to allow for the direct monitoring of video and other alerts by household members. A quality smart security system can help prevent theft, vandalism and other potentially costly incidents.

When you install any of these smart home technology installations at home, you can help you home sell fast and for a higher price.

Which Products Should I Choose?

As sellers go through the dizzying array of available options for smart technology for the home, they should keep one thing in mind: Is it useful for a homeowner? There are smart technologies that have broad appeal, like a home entertainment system that makes it easy to transition a show from one room to another, seamlessly. Some smart technologies are new and may be more expensive, such as a smart sprinkler system that uses sensors to determine how much to water the lawn. Others might be intended for a very niche market, such as a smart fridge with a screen to play music or recipes. Try to target any investment to the ones that are most practical and fill a need for buyers. Buyers looking at the Clarksville real estate market may be looking for one technology, while buyers searching for East Nashville listings may be looking for something else entirely – it really just depends.

As with all changes you make to the home before selling, the trick is to choose the upgrades that will provide the greatest bang for your buck. By adding a handful of smart tools that provide real benefits to buyers, you make your home more attractive on the market.

 

Gary Ashton

The Ashton Real Estate Group of RE/MAX Advantage

The #1 RE/MAX team in the World!

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