Voice control is set to be the next smart-home amenity home buyers cannot live without. If the idea of just speaking to your house and asking it to lock doors, turn off lights, or activate the security system makes you think a little bit of “The Jetsons” and then get really excited, you’re going to love 2017. Thanks to various smart-home software options that integrate with tools like the Amazon Echo, famously “always listening,” homeowners are going to have an easy time syncing their devices up so that their words are literally their home’s command.
According to a new survey released from Coldwell Banker Real Estate and Vivint Smart Home, many households are already using voice-controlled smart-home technology. However, those who do not yet have it want it, and if they’re buying a new home they’re probably going to want systems in place to enable them to get it. More than half say that the most important aspects of voice control in a home are the ability to control the sound system and the ability to activate lights and security.
This is important information for real estate investors because it means that when you renovate a property and, quite likely, update or install new appliances, lighting and security or possibly sound systems, you will need to consider installing “smart” options that buyers will easily be able to integrate with their existing mobile technology. Fortunately, part of making smart-home technology “seamless” will likely rely on personal ownership of the linchpin in the relationship between homeowners and their systems (for example, for Vivint, the Amazon Echo serves to link the entities), so simply installing smart networks will likely be sufficient.
Not surprisingly, the survey indicated that younger homebuyers are more likely to already have some sort of voice capability in their existing residences and feel that it is extremely important to retain that when they move. Baby Boomers are the least concerned about voice control, but nearly two-thirds say that they want to get it at some point.
Since an ever-increasing portion of the population across generations owns a smart-phone at this point and the study indicated that smart-phones are driving the smart-home trend, it seems safe to assume that voice-activated houses are the homes of the future.
You can get more of Carole VanSickle Ellis’ coverage of this topic and others online at www.sdiradio.com.
About the Author
Carole VanSickle Ellis is the host of Real Estate Investing Today, a daily nine-minute investing podcast, and the editor of the Bryan Ellis Investing Letter. Contact her at editor@bryanellis.com or visit www.investing.bryanellis.com.
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