There’s no doubt that homebuilding is a competitive business. It is also one that is dependent on a number of trends. The demand for smart home technology is a trend that continues to alter buyer perceptions and increase demand for new features. As recently as five years ago, few home owners paid much attention to home automation. Fewer still had multiple gizmos and gadgets to control temperature, lighting, entertainment, door locks and other home functions. Today, with the proliferation of home “helpers” like video surveillance and inter-connected wireless devices, life may be easier, safer and more fun, but building those homes is, in some ways, more complicated.
Many production home builders, however, have embraced the trends and become leaders in their field. Here are five of the leaders, with their innovative programs:
Toll Brothers
TBI Home Solutions, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toll Brothers, offering homeowners comprehensive technology solutions that focus on security, control and convenience. Homeowners can customize security systems that include nationwide monitoring with options that extend far beyond sensors and alarms. They may choose to control locks and temperatures, monitor energy use and manage water consumption, receive severe weather alerts, and a host of other smart home options that will individualize each home.
The seamless integration of these home solutions distinguishes the program. Specialty focus areas include: Life safety, control of home systems, video monitoring, wellness solutions, and options for interactive voice control.
Pulte Group
Homebuilding giant Pulte recently announced a dramatic new innovation designed to appeal to Millennials, but it offers a new experience to anyone looking for new housing. Virtual reality allows buyers to “experience” their new homes in three-dimensional reality before a single stud is set on the foundation.
It promises to enchant a new generation of home buyers, but it is also a dynamic selling tool that may eliminate the need for actual models. At the very least, it’s a dramatic example of technology that benefits both the producer (Pulte) and the consumer (the buyer.)
Pulte Group has introduced virtual reality as a tool to pre-sell homes in several different markets; the response has been extremely positive, according to corporate executives.
Meritage Homes
Another homebuilder with more than 300 communities in nine states, Meritage takes a different tack. The M.Connected Home™ Automation Suite is now a standard feature of select homes in certain communities, offering a menu of interconnected components offered by various manufacturers. With this option, home buyers only need add the internet service of their choice to reap the benefits of extensive smart home technology.
Meritage Homes is a firm known for its energy-efficient designs; with the home automation suite, it may also become known as a “with-it” builder that is meeting consumer demands for integrated smart home features.
Lennar Homes
“Alexa: Order the pizza now.” If that command resonates with you, you just might find it easier to execute if you live in a home built by Lennar. As part of a new approach, “Everything’s included” in some new “Wi-Fi CERTIFIED” homes by Lennar. They might not actually have the built-in capacity for pizza ordering, but they are designed to allow “buyers to control their lights, front door locks and thermostats simply by talking to Amazon Alexa,” according to the company’s spokesman.
They are also designed to operate at peak capacity due to state-of-the-art technology, and to be compatible with future technology as it is developed.
Powered by Ruckus Wireless, the Lennar version of smart home ensures “whole-home connectivity, with no dead spots, that works seamlessly with thousands of wireless devices and services.”
Shea Homes
This exemplary company, building in several states including Arizona, offers a wealth of options for home buyers that cater to individual preferences. No matter what’s important to you, from optimum convenience to optimum security, you’re sure to find choices that correspond to your needs and your budget among available home automation options from Shea Homes.
Whether your choice is one or two features, like a keyless entry system and a smart exterior lighting system, or a fully-integrated smart home that allows you to control your home’s operating systems from afar via your smart phone, Shea Homes will accommodate your wishes.
Home automation and smart home technology are no longer visions for the future. The future is now and it can be yours!