It’s exciting to think about what a home will look like in the future, whether it’s more automation, greater connectivity, or something yet to be invented. From controlling your thermostat with your phone to keyless entries, new homebuyers find smart home features desirable and valuable. It’s not a surprise that accessible and inexpensive technology is catching on quicker than more expensive and complicated options. In this U.S. News & World Report article, Teresa Mears predicts the four smart home features buyers can expect to see in future new homes.
Smart refrigerators and other appliances. Few people are buying refrigerators that include an app to tell them when they’re out of milk. “I don’t think we’re quite there yet on the value proposition,” Galante says. But Hertzberg says he is starting to see some smart kitchen appliances in high-end homes. “Those things will go from wow factor to expected in the future,” he says. Controlling the stove and oven remotely is likely to catch on first.
Smart ventiliation systems. Look for heating and air conditioning systems that will not only adjust the temperature, but will also detect and compensate for humidity and air purity.
Smart building materials. Shingles will be able to notify you of leaks, drywall will detect moisture and wood framing will report termite infestations. “That’s the stuff that’s coming seven to 10 years down the line,” Galante says.
Smart irrigation. Precipitation sensors and moisture sensors for soil exist but aren’t wildly used. A new Houzz survey of landscaping trends found that 24 percent of homeowners doing an outdoor remodeling project were installing motion-sensitive lighting, but only 8 percent of respondents were adding precipitation-sensitive irrigation systems, which shuts off the sprinkler system when it rains, and only 2 percent were adding smartphone connected plant sensors.
Read the full article: 6 Smart Home Features That Have Caught On – and a Few That Will Soon | U.S. News & World Report
