How to add value for your property through home automation?

Can you imagine that there was a time we thought we were pretty far from living in the futuristic houses that we were seeing in the movies? But thanks to home automation, we are living in them today. There are dozens of smart home devices and new ones keep popping out in the market every now and then. These devices not only bring along a myriad of benefits, but they are also becoming a crucial part of real estate necessities, because home automation boosts the value of the property.

Before we find out how smart home increases the value of your property, how about you first understand what a smart home really is? So, taking the tech jargon off the picture, a smart home is home that is equipped with smart devices that are remotely controlled. The residence is designed in a way that increases efficiency, maximizes convenience, and also improves the quality of life for the homeowner.

Having said that, not only does a smart home saves you money, time and energy, but it also increases the resale value of your home. When you consider all the features of a smart home – smart thermostats, smart sound system, keyless locks, video monitoring and smart security systems, and so on – if they sound good to you, imagine how appealing they will be to a potential buyer. You see, one of the main advantages of having a smart home system is its centralized integration, which gives you a primary control point for the entire system.

The high-tech centralized system in a home puts it a step ahead of other homes in your neighborhood. If you are looking to include a smart home on a market listing, just discuss with your realtors how the home compares to the other homes in your neighborhood. Also, highlighting the home as an integrated smart home is the best way to ensure that your property stands out in the competition. With all the features of a fully integrated smart home, when the potential buyer finally tours the property, it will definitely leave an impression in his/her mind. The home will sell faster and the integration factor will make a huge difference in terms of the resale price.   

As mentioned earlier, home automation saves on costs. It lowers the consumption levels and also increases energy efficiency, which is a factor that’s pretty crucial for home buyers. This is what buyers are looking for in a property that they plan to invest in. Devices such as smart sprinklers as well as smart thermostats can help you save up to 30% and 15% respectively, on your bills. Just imagine how much the homeowner can save with a residence that’s equipped with all these devices. So, needless to say, these products will definitely boost the chances of a successful sale.

Another thing is that, home buyers prefer to buy ready homes, and don’t want to invest their time or money fixing up the place. And smart home devices play a big role in this evolution. The majority of the homebuyers – almost 80% - prefer residences that are already equipped with smart technology. It is estimated that smart homes have an immediate increase of 5% in value when compared to a normal home without technology. If you happen to be an Airbnb host, try adding a few simple smart home gadgets as listed below and you'd see how amazed your guests would be!
            

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Amazon’s Alexa – this product is developed by Amazon for its Echo and Echo Dot line that responds to voice control by returning on products, weather, news, music, sports and more. This device runs on Amazon web services found in the cloud, which enables it to learn about the preferences of the individual or the family, where it then expands its functionality over time. Alexa interprets natural language to process and act upon requests. What’s more, Alexa allows Echo devices to work as smart home hubs, able to control other devices such as thermostats, smart lights, and electronics. These products are found in plenty on Amazon.com.

Google Assistant – this is a virtual voice assistant from Google. It was launched as an extension of Google Now. They offer voice searching, voice commands, and voice-activated device control, which lets you complete a number of tasks, including controlling music, running timers and reminders, controlling your smart home, open apps on your phone, real-time spoken translations among many others. These devices rely on AI technology to understand whatever the user is saying, and can act or make suggestions on that language input.  

Wink Hub 2 – this device is perfectly designed for the mainstream consumer. It has a sleek design, sporting industry-leading protocol support, enhanced connectivity, and also has other security features, giving its users the best experience. The device is developed by Wink. It supports several smart home protocols such as Bluetooth LE, Z-Wave, ZigBee, Lutron Clear Connect, and Kidde. It is important to note that the Wink Hub 2 supports more smart home protocols than all the other hubs. It has an auto-discovery aspect that makes the setup process easier, and also more intuitive and lightning quick.

​Samsung SmartThings Hub – this device from SmartThings connects wirelessly with a majority of other smart home devices. It controls and monitors and controls all the connected devices through a SmartThings app on Android or iPhone. Also, it automates these devices in such a way that when the doors are opened or closed, they turn on and off. To function, it requires the SmartThings app, which you have to install on your android or iPhone. And if there is any unexpected activity in your home, you are able to receive an alert.