Tech Savvy Home Buyers are Looking for Smart Homes

According to a survey conducted by CNET and Coldwell Banker, 81 percent of buyers are more likely to choose a home if it already has smart home technology installed. Agents working with sellers who want to make their home competitive and get the best price should consider smart home technology.

Another recent Coldwell Banker survey found that 35 percent of Americans consider a home with smart technology to be move-in ready and that 71 percent would look for smart home tech if they were buying a home in today’s market.

As a real estate agent, this is information you need to share with your sellers. Coldwell Banker offers a smart home technology package their sellers can purchase to help with the sale of their home. While that’s a great feature, you don’t have to do that to make a difference for your sellers. Instead, educate them about smart home technology, why it’s important, and what is available so they can choose what to have installed in their home.

If they get to use the new features until their home sells, they may find they love the convenience of smart home technology and will look for it in the next home they buy, too.

Smart Thermostats

Google’s Nest Thermostat is one of the most well-known options, but your sellers can talk to the company that services their heating and air conditioning, too. Many brands now offer some kind of smart thermostat option. Regardless of brand, smart thermostats are able to connect to the internet and can be accessed and controlled from a mobile app. These thermostats are programmable from any device, save energy, and some, like the Nest, “learn” a homeowner’s behaviors and patterns and can predict the preferred temperature setting based on the owner’s habits.

Smart Locks

While some smart locks replace the deadbolt completely, others like the August Smart Lock simply cover the existing deadbolt. These locks are controlled through a mobile app and give the homeowner the ability to lock or unlock their home from any location. No more wondering if you locked the door after you left for work or even struggling to unlock the door with an armload of groceries. You can create guest keys, virtual keys for the rest of your family, and control who can enter your home at any time.

Wireless Light Control

We’ve all done it – sitting in bed, relaxing, ready to sleep, and then realized we left a light on. With wireless light control, homeowners can dim the lights or turn them off completely from their phone. Philips Hue even lets you change the color of your lightbulbs. For the seller who doesn’t care about multi-colored light bulbs, there are other options on the market without that functionality and at a lower price.

Smart Security Systems

Many homes already have a security system installed but newer systems and tech savvy companies understand that you need more than the basics. Cameras that can be accessed from your phone and the ability to speak directly to someone from inside your house are just some of the features a good smart security system should offer, not to mention the ability to arm or disarm it from your smartphone. If your sellers don’t want to go that route, there is a DIY option called iSmartAlarm that they can set up and install themselves.

Smart Smoke Detectors

The most well-known smart smoke detector is the Nest Protect which is a smoke and carbon monoxide detector. Light indicators let you know whether the air is clear or if there’s a problem. The Nest offers a pathlight feature so if you’re stumbling from one room to another in the middle of the night, it will give you a little extra light to see by. Best of all, it has a motion-sensor so if your smoke alarm goes off because you burned the bacon, you can wave your hand to turn it off. (That alone may be worth the cost.)

There are plenty of other ways to smarten up a home from smart shades that are controlled by your phone to Amazon Echo which functions as a speaker and a digital assistant similar to Siri. Blankets, vacuums, and more offer smart technology to make life a little easier. For your sellers who want to get the best price for their home and sell it quickly, adding smart home technology is an excellent way to attract buyers.