Thinking of hitting the housing market? You might be concerned about shifts in the market due to the pandemic, but while selling these days involves some forethought, there are ways to give yourself an advantage. Case in point: highly sought-after features like smart home technology.

By adding smart home features to your property, you give your place an edge in a competitive market so you can sell more quickly with the possibility of making more on the sale. Smart home technology may sound fancy, but many of the best features people want are affordable and easy to install.

Smart Climate Control

Installing a smart thermostat is a great way to improve your home’s heating and cooling efficiency. Smart climate control systems help homeowners save money on their power bills by automatically adjusting the temperature based on the family’s needs and preferences. In fact, manufacturers estimate that smart thermostats can save a household 10 to 12 percent on heating and 15 percent on cooling, which totals around $131-$145 in savings a year. In addition to making heating and cooling more efficient, many models also feature remote access that allows homeowners to make corrections to the temperature when they are traveling or simply out of the house.

Smart Security System

Security systems are a huge draw for families looking to invest in a home. Among the benefits of investing in a smart security system is its proactive nature. While older security systems simply react to movement or intrusions after they’ve already happened, a smart system provides real time updates with the help of an app you can check with your smartphone or tablet. They are also programmable to a family’s needs. For instance, they can be programmed to send alerts to parents when kids get home late at night.

Smart Lighting

Most homeowners already know that switching to LED light bulbs saves energy while cutting down on waste due to their long lifespans, and as HowStuffWorks notes, you might even go 20 years without changing one.

But the benefits of the latest smart lighting systems go way beyond those desirable efficiencies. Smart lighting can be connected to your security system to go on and off as needed to make it appear as if there is activity in the home, which is great for deterring burglars. It also gives homeowners more choices when it comes to lighting. You’re able to turn the lights down at night when you’re wanting to relax, and up in the morning when you need to get going. These settings can even be programmed and timed so the light dims without command.

Finally, many smart lighting systems have the added benefit of color lights, which isn’t so much necessary, but very fun and useful for creating atmosphere.

Smart Refrigerator

When we talk about energy conservation, the conversation generally revolves around reducing power bills by making electric and gas appliances more efficient. However, there is so much more we could be doing.

As FoodPrint points out, food waste in the United States is out of control. Forty percent of the food we buy is wasted every year, costing the average American household $2,200 annually. Every time we throw away food, it wastes a staggering amount of freshwater, land, and energy. Furthermore, all the food we fail to eat ends up in landfills, where the decomposition of organic matter accounts for 16 percent of the country’s methane emissions. Finally, the amount of food we throw away could feed the one in seven Americans who go to bed hungry each night.

Smart refrigerators help households reduce food waste. These high tech appliances keep an inventory of what food they contain, and send alerts to homeowners letting them know what they need and what they can do with the items on hand. Furthermore, smart refrigerators are more energy efficient than their older counterparts, saving the household energy and money.

From climate control to refrigerators, smart features all focus on reducing wasted electricity and the bills that come with it. However, the benefits go beyond that. Adding smart features to your home before putting it on the market can give your property the edge it needs to sell more quickly and for more money.

Whether you’re selling or buying, connect with Brown Realty and Property Management for a seamless and stress-free experience!

Photo by iAlicante Mediterranean Homes on Unsplash