Smarten up homes with your smartphone
Younger homebuyers use smart-home technology to connect home with a touch
Dim the lights, check the locks, receive alerts from security cameras, have the air conditioner power up before you arrive home and program the blinds to automatically lower at bedtime.
These are just some of the things a smart home can do.
What was once considered futuristic, complex and exclusive to the whims of the wealthy has become easy, affordable and accessible to the average consumer with home devices programmable through your smartphone, which can be controlled remotely.
According to Matt McGovren, marketing director for the Wink app, the popularity of smartphones and apps has inspired innovative ways to connect and customize one’s living space.
“I want to change my bank statement, I want to book a flight — I can do that right now,” he says. “That kind of changed the mentality to, ‘Why don’t I know what’s going on at home? My family’s there and it’s the largest investment I’ve ever made, why am I not connected?’ ”
Last year Wink (currently available for Android and iOS) partnered with Home Depot to offer more than 70 home and lifestyle products in Canada — from security cameras and light switches to blinds and thermostats — that can all be managed by downloading the free app. Some of the appliances work by syncing to the app directly, whereas others connect through a home-based Wink hub.
While McGovren admits some consumers still find the concept of hightech homes intimidating, he says a smart home is identifiable by three simple things.
“One, that you can reach out to your home, touch it, and make it do things from anywhere — you can unlock the door, change the thermostat, look at the camera, those kind of things,” he explains. “The second thing is your home can reach out to you. It can give you info when you’re not there or when you are there: Is it the right temperature? Is the door unlocked, Did somebody get home? The third thing is your home starts to do things on its own where you can say, for instance, ‘If the door is open, turn the light on.’ ”
According to a new survey by Coldwell Banker Real Estate out of the U.S., 64 per cent of sales associates surveyed believe that buyers today are more interested in homes with smart-home features than they were two to five years ago, with Gen Xers revealed as the largest group interested in buying smart home technology.
Kyle Kerr, a sales representative for Coldwell Banker Slegg Realty in Victoria, B.C., believes smart-home technology is entering the mainstream, particularly in Canada’s bustling urban centres.
“Smart technology is becoming part of our daily consciousness,” says Kerr.
“This is translating into home connectivity, but the degree depends on the local market and population base.
“In areas where there is more demand for cutting edge features, such as Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, smart technology is more likely to make a difference there, particularly in younger buyers, in touch with new options.”
In Toronto, a move by condo developer Canderel Residential and Samsung Electronics will see the development of a condominium in which 25 of its units will be pumped up with smart-home technology, expected to be complete in 2017.
Condo owners will be able to control the lights, temperature, access their front-door locks and the surveillance system using an app on a smartphone or tablet.
The so-called smart home is something Kerr believes the real estate market will be seeing more of in the future.
According to Kerr, “More and more homes will be outfitted with smart technology, improving both functionality and lifestyle. For it to become the norm, builders will need to make the realization that there is benefit to adding these features. Condo projects are particularly moving in that direction, especially in the higher-end market. Buyers there already have an expectation of at least some smart technology, at a minimum lighting and heating, and possibly entertainment features as well.”
He notes that some developments offer an entire suite of smart services, with mini iPads controlling the functions.
The mainstream appeal of smarthome technology is the practical uses, along with the appeal of customization, explains McGovren. “Everyone has a different use for this,” he says.