These Are The Tech Features That Modern Home Buyers Are Looking For

Millenials are stepping up as the new generation of homebuyers. They now comprise around 38 percent of all buyers, and experts say that they will change the face of the housing market as we know it. By and large, environmentally conscious and tech-savvy millennial buyers prefer higher-end homes for their fleshed out features. This is a big part of the reason why the high end of the market is booming almost as much as the low end. This trend is poised to vastly influence the way realtors build and market homes at every price point. And it’s all because of technologies like these.

Intelligent home security systems

Your home can never be too secure. After all, we’re talking about your family’s safety, as well as the safety of your property and belongings. Kicked off by companies like Ring, the trend of smart home security has inspired realtors to upgrade the homes in their inventory. Now, high-end homes come packaged with smart-enabled security systems, either proprietary tech by the real estate company or in coordination with an existing home security company. 

The tech has moved far and away past the doorbell cameras popularized during the previous decade. Modern home security systems bring motion-tracking cameras, smart locks, and enhanced connectivity to mobile devices and the cloud. This enhanced connectivity allows these security systems to improve upon traditional tech like burglar alarms. As soon as the alarm is tripped, both the authorities and the homeowner are alerted, and the homeowner can use their mobile app to react to the intrusion in real time. Some systems also incorporate louder sirens to alert the neighbors.

Self-cleaning fixtures and appliances

Cleaning is perhaps the least enjoyable part of owning a home, seeing as it’s something you have to do regularly. No matter its size, a home can start to seem quite big when you need to clean every inch of it. This gave rise to technologies such as the famous Roomba. But floors are only a single part of the home.

Enter the new wave of self-cleaning appliances and fixtures. This includes things such as self-cleaning toilets, ovens, and windows. Self-cleaning toilets work in a lot of different ways, but most types release cleaning chemicals to sterilize the bowl with every flush. Self-cleaning ovens, on the other hand, blast themselves with extreme heat in order to burn away the residue inside. Self-cleaning windows are by far the most clever. They make use of UV light to activate a subatomic cleaning agent that automatically “soaps”  the window, causing the dirt to wash away come the next rainfall. These technologies are, however, fairly young, and thus have a lot of kinks that need to be worked out. Even such ingenious tech as self-cleaning windows have their disadvantages, and some types may still need to be professionally cleaned so it is up to the homebuyer to reconcile the cost with the potential gain.  

Smart enabled quality of life features

The purpose of technology is to make our lives easier, and this is no more apparent than in how it affects the mundane and trivial things in our daily routines. In the past, we had to perfect the art of tailoring the thermostat to save up on electricity while staying as comfortable as possible. Now, smart thermostats can do that for us, potentially saving us 48 percent on utilities every year. Similar technologies exist for water and other utilities. 

You can now remotely activate certain appliances too. You can start up a microwave while you’re still a few minutes away from home, so you’ll have a hot meal immediately upon arriving. Or you can do your laundry without having to devote your full attention to the washer and dryer. Smart refrigerators now take inventory of what’s inside of them, and can remind you what you need to get from the store. You can also tell it your recipe ideas, and it will add whatever you’re missing to its auto-generated shopping list. 

This development in the housing market can only be good news. The trends set in the upper end of the market have the potential to trickle down to the lower tiers, as the market seeks to appeal to a wider range of buyers. This can vastly improve the quality of life of homeowners from every income bracket, as well as other benefits such as reducing their carbon footprint.