If you’ve been reading our blogs this year, you know that steady but moderate anticipated growth in the housing sector is leaving some sellers scrambling to give their listings an edge over other homes. This means pulling out all of the stops from fresh paint, a well-manicured landscape and lawn, and even adding smart home features to increase overall appeal of a property. Which is exactly what we’ll talk about today: smart home features.

Technology coupled with the omnipresent internet of things has really made our homes smarter, more efficient, and more connected to our daily lives. Here’s the lowdown on implementing smart home features as a seller.

Focus on Efficiency

Many home buyers are virtually trading a payment for a payment when they’re buying a home, and one of the things a buyer will consider is if the cost of a mortgage coupled with utilities will fit within their current or future budget. This is exactly why you can implement some smart home features that focus on energy consumption and lowering utility bills.

Kill the Vampires

We all are aware of the dreaded “vampire appliances”, those that have the little red light that says, “Hey I’m plugged in, and no I’m not really using that much energy,” when in reality, we know those appliances are draining precious kilowatts on our electrical bills.

Using smart plugs, programmable and smart thermostats, and even smart lighting will help lower those energy costs and add value to your home. Also, consider the largest draw on your utility bills and see where you can make some smart adjustments to decrease those for future buyers.

Count the Costs

Of course, you as the seller have to take into consideration what value those smart upgrades have for both your home and your future buyer while also weighing the costs. A $250 smart thermostat that only saves you a few pennies in electricity or gas each month may not pay for itself over time, but does it add $500 or $1,000 of value to your home? These are questions you should evaluate.

Consider Longevity

Smart technology is expensive, but only if it isn’t properly utilized. In all honesty, most smart technology available for our homes is a healthy way to save on utilities or give us peace of mind as long as it lasts. Most large appliances have an average longevity of 8-10 years with most lasting longer, and the same can be said of their smaller, more advantageous smart little brothers.

If a $250 thermostat saves you $20 a month in utilities, lasts 5 years before you (or your buyer) has to replace it, and makes good on its promise to save you the bills then go for it! Additionally, smart home features with WiFi and mobile functionality add even more value and more peace of mind for buyers.

Smart Financing for a Smart Home

As a seller, you may not be too worried about how your buyer comes up with the funds to purchase your home, but perhaps you’re looking to make some major smart overhauls and need a means to do so. In either case, consider calling a loan officers at Tidewater Mortgage Mortgage Services…

With over 20 years in business and countless purchasing and refinancing options, Tidewater has a solution for you. One call can get you pre-approved to purchase a home call us today!