July 2014 | By Graham Wood
Don't focus on all the bells and whistles. Market the features of a smart home that appeal to a wide audience.
Soon it will be possible to send a text to your refrigerator asking if you’re running low on milk. The fridge will text you back based on what the appliance’s built-in camera reveals. Already, you can pull up the weather forecast on your stovetop and light your fireplace with a simple voice command.
These are just a few of the technological advances that can be found now (or likely will soon show up) in smart homes, which enable Internet-connected home appliances and systems to be more complementary with 21st-century lifestyles. But here’s the challenge for real estate pros: How do you know which of this gadgetry is most appealing to buyers? Do you highlight the texting refrigerator over the tweeting washing machine (which lets you know when a load is done)? Does the stovetop-turned-meteorologist offer a strong marketing hook or seem too gimmicky?
You just can’t know which smart-home features will entice a buyer most. “It’s a personal choice for what you need it to do and what you’re willing to spend,” says Mike Prince, an agent with Equity Results Real Estate in American Fork, Utah.
That’s why, some real estate pros say, it’s best to strip your marketing down to the basics of what a smart home has to offer. Don’t try to talk up all of its features, but rather zero in on the functions that are most likely to appeal to the widest audience.
The most popular advancements aren’t even the newest inventions. They involve security, heating and cooling, and lighting—areas that virtually all buyers will pay attention to.
Read the entire article at: http://realtormag.realtor.org/sales-and-marketing/feature/article/2014/07/market-smart-home-smartly
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