Consumers Want High-Tech Homes
A new survey finds that 9 out of 10 Realtors have been involved in tech-enhanced homes over the past two years.
August 15, 2011 | by Rachel Cericola
There are lots of things that people want in a new home. A good school system, a decent view, a garage, and a nice location are just a few items that people consider. Now it seems that you can add high-tech enhancements to that wish list.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) recently spilled results from its Realtor survey, finding that 9 out of 10 agents have been involved in buying, selling or showing a home with technology within the past two years. While it doesn’t seem that odd to find a home or two with technology installed over a 24-month span, two-thirds of those same Realtors definitely seem to think that their clients are excited to find high-tech goodies inside those homes.
Of the 1,793 Realtors surveyed from the National Association of Realtors, 93 percent said that they had worked with homes with some type of monitored security system. About 89 percent had dealt with home theaters and spaces prewired for that type of addition. Just over half had encountered home automation/management systems (54 percent) and energy management systems (51 percent).
“There is a strong relationship between home technologies and the real estate market,” said Rhonda Daniel, the CEA’s manager of market research. “While the market needs to recover before home technologies play a more important role in home sales, the industry can help prepare Realtors to be comfortable in discussing these types of systems with their clients. The ideal goal for the CE industry is to have knowledgeable Realtors who are excited and open to promoting technology as a selling feature of homes.”
Knowledge isn’t just needed, but it’s wanted as well. Half of those surveyed also said they were interested in learning more about installed home technologies. The CEA plans to reveal more survey results on Wednesday, August 18 in a webinar.
That got us wondering… do you look for technology when looking for a new home? Is there anything (security, a home theater, etc.) specific that would catch your eye? Do you consider it to be a possible selling point for your current home? Sound off in the comments below.
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