What Every Real Estate Pro MUST Know about Smart Home

Here are four things you need to know to be the “smartest” agent in your market in today’s fast-moving, high-tech world.

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The following is a guest post by Roger Pettingell from Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate

Real estate is constantly changing.  And if you want to stay competitive in this profession, you need to stay on top of current trends.  Everyday consumers are becoming more interested because smart home technology can save time, increase safety and be fun!

Buyers are looking for smart home features when choosing places to live.  It is becoming so popular buyers can specifically choose “Smart Home” as a search category in some markets.

And sellers can set their homes apart by installing smart home features to turn it into a certified smart home! (check out the Smart Home Staging Kit which turns any home into a certified smart home)

Staying on top of smart home trends is a must as a real estate pro.  Here are some tips for today’s “smart” agent:

1. Smart today may be stupid tomorrow.  It started with Thomas Edison turning on the first light bulb and has evolved to full control of our lighting, security, heating and every other in-home system from our cell phone.  Whatever the latest trend in Smart Home technology, you can be certain that it will continue to evolve, improve and/or go away. There will always be another company creating a smarter, cooler or less expensive product.  Being a smart home expert means learning about the technology and continuing to study future improvements.

2. Get Certified.  Coldwell Banker offers a Smart Home certification.  It’s more than just a piece of paper, and it’s important to set you apart from those who claim to specialists.  Certification creates standards as to what constitutes a Smart Home, and it sets you apart from your competitors.
3. Keep it Simple.  Televisions shouldn’t need four remotes to make them work!  You should be able to turn on your outside lights without reading a manual. Smart homes need to be user-friendly and liveable.  Home buyers can be intimidated by overly complicated systems which only a 12-year old can operate.
4. Integration.  Consumers have found themselves owning products like Nest thermostats, Amazon Echos, Lutron lighting systems and more.  Each one has its own app (and learning curve).  I don’t know about you, but if I called my wife by the wrong name, I’d be in trouble!  If you say “Hey Siri” to your Alexa, you are certain to get the silent treatment.  Don’t even think about calling her Google!  When you pick a smart home format, you are in a long-term relationship, and you can only do that successfully with an integrated system.

If you’re already affiliated with Coldwell Banker and want to learn more about our Smart Home initiative, visit CB Exchange and search “Smart Home.”

If you would like to know what Coldwell Banker agents have access to, head to coldwellbanker.com/join and explore the possibilities of moving your business to Coldwell Banker.

Sam Shalom

Sam is the Content and Multimedia Specialist for Coldwell Banker Real Estate. He is Jersey born and bred, and currently resides in Weehawken, NJ. He is an avid reader, loves Games of Thrones and is a New York Yankees die-hard.

You can follow him on Twitter @World_Shalom