5 Affordable Smart Devices To Increase the Value of Your Home

By Sascha Brodsky

When you’re selling your home, you want to make it look as good as you can. Another smart idea? Go smart. Buyers are looking for tech in a future home, and these small touches can help show them your home is up to date and well maintained. This can pay off for you.

These five smart tech devices can make your house or apartment stand out in a heated real estate market. These gizmos do everything from automatically controlling the temperature to monitoring for safety and security.

1. Smart doorbells. This could be the first tech potential buyers see. A great way to add security and convenience, they give a view of who’s at the door without having to get off the sofa or even when no one is home. Higher-end models provide the ability to allow designated visitors into the house to, say, deliver packages or do repairs. Google’s Nest Hello video doorbell offers a subscription service that will automatically send alerts when packages are delivered or picked up. Ring’s Video Doorbell Pro has infrared night vision and HD-quality video with two-way talk. Smart doorbells range in price from less than $50 to a few hundred dollars. Installing a smart doorbell requires some electrical know-how, so if you aren’t comfortable with wires and fuses, it’s best to hire a professional.

2. Smart thermostats. The latest smart thermostats can save money and increase peace of mind using sensors and software to turn the heat or air conditioning up or down automatically. The best smart thermostats can even learn preferred temperatures. Google’s Nest Learning Thermostat, for example, discovers favorite temperatures and builds a compatible schedule. There’s also the Ecobee SmartThermostat that has built-in voice control and works with devices from Google, Amazon and Apple. An excellent smart thermostat ranges from about $100 to $250, depending on the number of features. Hire a professional to put in a smart thermostat unless you are an experienced do-it-yourselfer.

3. Smart locks. These locks offer the convenience of getting into the house with a fingerprint, code or even by tapping a smartphone screen. Dozens of models are available. The Lockly Secure Plus gets consistently high ratings and offers many ways to open the lock, ranging from Bluetooth to a fingerprint sensor. Like many of the more advanced smart locks, the Lockly can set up access privileges to an individual for a short time. You could use it while your home is on the market to allow a broker in for a home showing. Also, consider Google’s Nest x Yale Lock that connects to the Nest app to permit unlocking a door from a smartphone. Prices for a smart lock range from about $100 to $250. Get a pro to install a smart lock for you.

4. Smart smoke detectors. These essential gadgets can automatically detect smoke and other dangerous conditions and alert emergency services. Google’s Nest Protect can send alerts to a smartphone when it senses smoke. The Onelink Safe & Sound can send a voice alert of the location and type of danger. Most smart smoke detectors also can detect the presence of carbon monoxide. They range in price from less than $50 to about $150. The better smoke detectors have an app that allows control remotely. Most of these smart detectors are easy to install yourself.

5. Smart outdoor lighting. The latest smart lights provide automation and remote control features. The Arlo Security Light is easy to install and works in concert with Arlo’s home security cameras. Some lights have a feature to customize light colors to provide ambiance. The Philips Calla Outdoor bollard lets a user choose from 16 million colors by controlling it from an app on a smartphone. Installing most outdoor lighting types involves handling electrical wires, so this job is best left to a professional. Other lights, like the Arlo, can be done yourself. Smart outdoor lights range in cost from about $50 to $300.

Tying it together

When you’re bringing these new devices into your home, look for those that both you and the future owners of your home can control with a hub that often doubles as a smart speaker. There’s the Google Nest Hub Max, for example, that lets you control anything from a smart thermostat to security cameras. For Apple fans, the HomeKit app controls a wide range of accessories and works with Siri and Apple devices like the HomePod. Amazon’s range of Smart Home assistants let you control smart devices by speaking to the company’s voice assistant, Alexa. You’ll make a small investment in a hub, and you can take it with you to use in your next home.

Whichever smart devices you choose, keep in mind that another bonus you can leave behind is your connection to a strong broadband service to keep them running. The benefits of having a tech-savvy home outweigh the costs and will make your home look even better to buyers.

Product features and prices may have changed and are subject to change.