Boost your property value with these smart home upgrades.
When you make the decision to renovate, the end goal is to increase your home’s value when it’s time to sell. Back in the day, a fresh coat of paint, trimmed shrubbery, and new light fixtures might have done the trick. Those are still a great place to start, but in a competitive market, you might need to add some modern innovations to those renovation staples.
Smart home upgrades to try in 2022
- Update your thermostat
- Improve home security
- Install smart lighting systems
- Connect it all with voice control
Update your thermostat
As a homeowner, you’re probably starting to understand your dad’s obsession with leaving the thermostat alone. Those energy bills tend to get higher no matter how you conserve, but there’s no need to sweat in silence. A smart thermostat won’t just save you time, money, and energy—it also makes your home that much more attractive to potential buyers when it’s time to sell. Most smart thermostats provide helpful features like voice controls and geofencing without breaking the bank. If you’re on the fence about smart technology in your home, thermostats are a great way to ease into it.
Improve home security
Smart technology has completely transformed the way we make our homes safe. Interior and exterior cameras, video doorbells, and smart locks have all become hot commodities for homeowners across the country and home values have continued to rise as a result. Not only that, but installing a smart security system could help you (and future buyers) save on home insurance.
Install smart lighting systems
There are plenty of smart lighting starter kit options for people who are thinking of trying it out. All it takes is simply swapping your old bulbs for the smart LEDs and connecting them to the internet. Installing smart lighting technology is an energy-efficient and cost-effective way to increase your home’s appeal to future buyers.
Connect it all with voice control
Once you’ve got a few elements for your smart home, it’s time to tie it all together. Smart speakers act as a hub for the rest of your tech, allowing you to control them all with your voice. Voice control doesn’t just make day-to-day tasks easier. It also makes your home more accessible for those with vision impairment, mobility issues, or other disabilities.
Are there any other smart home upgrade trends I should consider?
With technology changing so rapidly, it can be hard to prioritize which smart home upgrades will stand the test of time. Ultimately, it comes down to your budget and what you’re comfortable with. Not everyone wants every aspect of their home to be online, and that’s understandable (we saw that streaming show, too). If you’re not sure where to start, ask yourself the following questions:
- Can I afford it?
- Will it appeal to or alienate buyers when it’s time to sell?
- Does it simplify the homeownership experience or make it more complicated? Does it fit the style of my home? The latest gadgets may look a bit out of place in that charming Victorian villa.
Bottom line, if you don’t like it, don’t spend money on it. As important as it is to consider resale value, you’re the one who has to live there now. Enjoy it!
Doorbells and thermostats are two easy smart swaps you can make to boost value and improve the homeownership experience.
