How Smart Is Your Home?
Brand New Construction homes built in 2022 offer amazing smart home technology. Technology has improved building materials to reduce energy use and maintain your comfort inside your home. Today brand new homes are available with both energy-saving and smart home technology. Some of the new smart home technology that builders offer needs to be built into a home during construction, but some can be installed after-market.
With so many millennials now considering homeownership, the top features they look for are smart technology and energy efficiency. With all of the products out there, Smart Technology is more affordable than ever. It is cost-prohibitive to install systems that close windows and doors from your phone; however, here are some great do-it-yourself options.
In the future, when you want to sell your home, your home will stand out from other resale homes by adding a couple of features. Consider adding one or all of the below features to update your existing home or to replace these items.
Add These Exterior Smart Home Features
Lights: A Smart Security Lighting System can be 
motion-activated with lights that can detect activity up to 70 feet away. It can be set up to turn on other exterior lights when activated or just the ones in the area. Choose from battery-operated, solar, or electric lights. The good news is that they are designed to withstand tough weather and temperature extremes.
Cameras: Interior and exterior security cameras will record and monitor your home’s interior and yards. You can choose to receive images on a monitor or access them on your smartphone. Set up alerts to ring you when there is activity. There are a variety of cameras that you may want to look into for your home. We recommend that your cameras have a light source.
Doorbells: A wireless smart doorbell notifies your smart assistant device or your smartphone when movement is detected. It also operates as your doorbell and will allow you to see visitors with a built-in high-definition infrared camera at the door and talk to them through a speaker and microphone.
You’ll Want Home Entry Features
Door Locks: Smart door locks come in a wide range of price points. Price will depend on the style and quality of the device you want, as well as what the lock will do. The basics are that they allow access with entry codes assigned or ones for a one-use entry. You can have them notify you on your smartphone when access is granted or keep a log of times and code used. Locks will also lock the door with a touch of the button or from your phone.
Smart Garage Door Openers: A smart garage door opener connects to your Wi-Fi network. This allows for control and monitoring of the garage door directly from an app or smartphone. They easily program to vehicles and come with remote clickers. Smart garage door openers are available with and without exterior keyboards.
Adding Interior Smart Home Technology
Assistants: The smart home assistant lets you control a range of connected devices in your home from your smartphone. Control everything with your voice, from lights to alarms, and some assistant devices have screens. The idea is that as long as
both your home and your phone are connected to the internet, you have control.
Smoke Detectors: Modern smoke detectors can monitor smoke, fire, and carbon dioxide in any room. This system plugs into existing smoke detector wiring. Besides monitoring air quality in your home, in case of an emergency, besides beeping, an alert is sent to the homeowner’s smartphone.
Thermostats: Temperature control systems include a thermostat connected to existing wiring and wireless room sensors. Room sensors can be placed in 2 -8 rooms. These sensors detect which room people are assembled in and use that room’s temperature to adjust the home’s temperature. Not only are the thermostats programmable, but they can also be controlled on your phone and smart home assistant device.
Living in a Smart House
Besides wanting to replace broken features in your home with smart home technology, you might want to add some enjoyable features just for you. But be careful – you will probably want more once you start. On the above list are some smart home technology features usually left in the home when sellers move. Investigate – there is a great assortment!
From smart plugs for voice-activated lights to turning on your spa 
heater as you drive home, what you want is probably offered. Live in a smart home where your music travels from room to room with you. How about food being ready when you get home. This is the decade of smart technology. Make your home the smartest house on the block!
Warning: If you install smart home technology into your existing home, you’d better plan on buying the entire smart home technology package through a new home builder in the future. Having something done for you with the push of a button gets to be addictive! We say, “Just have fun and enjoy it all!”
That being said, we are Baby Boomers, not Millennials. Therefore we hired a technology consultant to help us set up all of our smart home technology. He programmed our phones to the garage door opener, the door locks, the thermostat, the doorbell and security lights/camera, and even the TVs. If you live in the Las Vegas valley, you’ll want to talk with John P. at ASAPNV.com – he is the king of tech in Las Vegas.
This blog was written by Kurt Grosse with Realty One Group in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kurt is a 25 + year Las Vegas Realtor and a former Nevada Building Engineer (PE, CE). His goal is to protect his clients with his building skills and knowledge because technology changes every year. Call or text Kurt with any questions or for a housing consultation appointment today – 702-750-7599.
