Los Angeles Smart Homes
Do you remember the Home of Tomorrow exhibit at Disneyland? That amazing home where the lights flipped on as you walked into the room, where a computer asked you what you would like for dinner, where it cleaned itself? Well, according to a recent article in the LA Times, the Home of Tomorrow just might be the Home of Today.
Smart homes – homes where almost every aspect of the home can be managed via a smart phone or tablet – are becoming more prevalent across the United States — in Los Angeles.
While smart homes have been around for years, it’s only in recent years that the technology has caught up with the hype and, more importantly, they have become affordable for the average consumer.”This used to be something out of The Jetsons or limited to the super-rich. But as smart home technology has improved and costs have come down, it’s becoming more mainstream,” said Jonathan Dorsheimer, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity.
In fact, according to industry experts at NextMarket Insights – a leading innovator in the Smart Home Industry, more than 37 million homes in the United States will feature some level of Smart Home Technology Integration. Google purchasing the smart home company Nest this week for $3.2 billion is just further evidence of the confidence forecast that this industry is only just beginning to grow.
And why not?
Who wouldn’t like to be able to unlock the front door, turn on the living room lights, set the thermostat, and check the contents of the refrigerator right from the phone?
Los Angeles has long been known as the birthplace of the trends that sweep America, and the new smart home trend is no different. Smart homes are no longer rare in Southern California, and soon they will be everywhere. Smart house systems are most commonly found in sleek contemporary Hollywood Hills homes and West Hollywood houses, but I predict this technology will quickly stop being a bonus feature you find in LA luxury homes and become a requirement for every house for sale in LA.
So, how can you stay ahead of the curve and take advantage of something new and exciting before it becomes commonplace? You go ahead and smarten up your home.According to Kirk Page of KPS Alarms Ontario, a partner of Southern California’s KB Homes, a smart home system that includes smart lights, an automatic front door lock, a Wi-Fi controlled security system and a smart thermostat can be installed in an existing home for about $1,600.
For a modest investment – really a miniscule investment when we are discussing high-end Los Angeles real estate – you instantly have a feature that makes your home highly attractive, exciting and easy to market to high-end, luxury home buyers. That means an excellent return on investment, and that’s what we all want when we decide to upgrade our homes.
Some say smart homes are the wave of the future, but in the Los Angeles real estate market, the future is already here.
To read the complete LA Times article, please click here.
Susan Andrews | Estates Director
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Susan Andrews is your ultimate real estate source for Los Angeles, California and surrounding communities.
Photo courtesy of the LA Times.