When you started looking for a new home last month, you probably made a list of features you want the place to have: for instance, a certain number of bedrooms and bathrooms, a formal dining area, close proximity to great schools and shopping, and a relatively easy commute to work.
While these are all definitely great things to want and look for in your new home, there’s another one that you may want to add to your wish list: smart home automation.
As for why living in a smart home is, well, a smart idea, consider the following points:
1. Convenience
One of the biggest benefits of a smart home is convenience. Having technology in your home like smart lighting, smart plugs, smart door locks and more—and then setting them up to work around your routines—will mean that you will never have to wonder if you have left lights on or the back door unlocked. Your lights in the living room can be programmed to turn off at midnight and then back on at 7 a.m. and you can set up your smart door locks to automatically lock and secure themselves. And if you set up some smart plugs in your kitchen, you can program your coffee maker to start at a certain time of the morning—or you can switch it on in the morning from your app as you are getting out of bed. When it comes to having your cup of joe, it’s hard to get any more convenient than that.
2. Keep an Eye on Your Family and Pets
Let’s say your eighth-grade daughter walks home from school every day and spends a few hours alone before you get home from work. As a parent, you understandably want to know she’s OK when she’s by herself. With a smart video monitoring system in your home, you can keep tabs on her until you get off work. If your son is home sick for the day you can check on him and you can even watch your dog to make sure she is not chewing up the sofa. If she does start acting up, you can even use the smart home system to tell your pooch to stop it through the speaker. While you don’t want to spy on your family members, knowing that everyone is safe and doing well will provide you with peace of mind.
3. Save Some Hard-Earned Money
Buying a home can be an expensive experience, with the down payment, closing costs and various projects you want to tackle right away. Fortunately, a smart home can help you to save money. Smart thermostats and smart lights will allow you to use energy more efficiently. For instance, instead of heating an empty home during the winter when everyone is at work and school, you could use your smart device to automatically lower the heat during the weekdays and then turn it back up shortly before you arrive back home. This one step will help you to use less power, which will cause your bills to drop.
Investing in a Smart Home Makes Sense
Of course, if you find an abode that you absolutely adore and it has everything you want except smart home features, you can definitely add them in yourself. But if it comes down to two houses that you love and one has smart home automation while the other has old-fashioned locks and no security camera, you may want to make the offer on the smart home—it really is a great decision.
