Before Buying or Selling a Smart Home, Consider This

It seems like everyone these days has some kind of newfangled piece of technology in their homes.   This could be anything from a doorbell camera, a thermostat that you can control from your smartphone, or some kind of digital voice assistant that tells you the weather and reads you your recipes.  Year over year we are seeing more homes making the switch to smart technology all across the country.

Just like a smartphone can do much more than make phone calls, smart home technology can make it easy to automate a lot of manual tasks around the house, which saves you time and energy.  But like all good things, there can be drawbacks, too.  Here are some things to consider before purchasing a smart home or upgrading your current home with smart technology.

Compatibility: It is important to ensure that the smart home devices and systems are compatible with each other and can be easily integrated with popular smart home platforms like Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

Security: Smart homes are vulnerable to hacking and cyber-attacks, so it is important to ensure that the home’s network and devices are properly secured. Buyers should inquire about the security features of the home’s smart devices, and sellers should make sure to properly wipe any personal information from the devices before selling.

Maintenance: Smart home devices require regular maintenance and updates to function properly. Buyers should inquire about the maintenance history of the devices in the home, and sellers should provide documentation of any maintenance or updates that have been done.

Value: Smart home devices and systems can be expensive, so it is important to consider the value that they add to the home. Buyers should consider whether the cost of the smart home devices is justified by the added convenience and functionality they provide, while sellers should consider whether the devices will increase the value of the home and make it more appealing to potential buyers.

Make sure you weigh the pros and cons of what comes along with owning a smart home.  As technology continues to mature and advance, the sky is the limit on how far we will see this smart home craze go.  With the current speed of technological advancement, it could be sooner rather than later that we see smart homes becoming the norm on the market.