Featuring real estate articles and information to help real estate buyers and sellers. The Nest features writings from Georges Benoliel and other real estate professionals. Georges is the Co-Founder of NestApple and has been working as an active real estate investor for over a decade.
If you’ve ever driven through Westchester County, there will be a couple of things that will stand out to you. One of the most commonly cited things about this county is how frequently homes in the area look old school. In fact, it’s not unusual to see homes that look like they are straight out of a page from a Victorian architecture book. It’s actually a good part of Westchester’s charm. Though the area is famous for having classic-looking homes, you should make no mistake about the modern streak that this area boasts. Homeowners in Westchester adore having smart homes. Smart homes device do not require a lot of investment in many cases. Getting in on the innovative home trend is a cinch. Which devices or systems shall I buy? Which smart home manager?
Before you can get any other items to automate your home, you have to have a smart home hub. Most people already know about two different smart home systems: Amazon Alexa and Siri. You will need to have at least one device that is capable of linking to these types of voice-activated programs. We suggest getting an Amazon Alexa if you have Android devices for your cellphones. Once you have a hub, it’s time to choose (and link up) your devices of choice to the hub…
For the sake of this article, we’re going to stick to devices that are not currently considered part of a smart home hub like an Alexa Show. The most popular smart devices in Westchester are generally ones that help improve the ambiance or add subtle security upgrades to your home. Some of the more popular ones include…
Honestly, it doesn’t cost much money at all. On a technicality, having a smart home hub alone is enough to make your home a smart home. An Amazon Echo Dot can be as little as $29 or even less if you choose to get a used model. With that said, many homes end up getting heavily outfitted with brand-new items. So while the entry price is low, it’s not unusual to hear of smart homes with thousands of dollars worth of gear included.
I wish I could write a universal guide for this, partly because I would use it myself. However, each device will have a different way to link it up to Alexa or Siri, or Google Home. You can usually find out how to do it by checking the online guide or by referring to a YouTube video on the topic.
Here’s one thing that most people don’t want to hear about smart home systems: they don’t necessarily improve a house’s value. Unlike most other home improvement projects, the vast majority of smart manager upgrades are items that you can take with you from home to home. Most of the items in question are small and generally are expected to be taken with you. After all, homebuyers aren’t going to pay thousands of dollars more for a couple of light bulbs!
With that said, there are some exceptions to the rule. Smart locks, innovative refrigerators, and security devices are more likely to fetch a small but noticeable uptick in pricing. Even then, they would have to be brand new and also would have to be smart devices that are desired by the new family. In the case of smart locks, you may also have to reset them with the new homeowners present.