Consumers may or may not agree on what a
smart home is, but many of them would want one.
While the majority of consumers would want a move-in ready home, many also want that home to be smart, based on a new survey.
Almost three quarters (71%) of U.S. consumers would want a move-in ready home and almost half (44%) of those define that as a home with smart home technology already installed.
The survey
of 1,300 U.S. adults, 800 of whom already own a smart product, was conducted by Parks Associates for Coldwell Banker.
Of those would be in the market to buy a house today, many expect
traditional things like heating and cooling to be installed. Here’s the breakdown of what ‘move-in ready’ means to consumers:
- 85% -- Has updated heating and
cooling
- 83% -- Has updated kitchen and bathrooms
- 74% -- Has new appliances
- 45% -- Is new construction
- 44% -- Has smart home technology installed
While having smart technology is last on the list of how consumers define move-in ready, it still is perceived to be important.
If two homes were exactly alike, most (54%) Americans would
opt for the smart home, the study found.
More than a third (36%) said that having smart technology is a major selling point when buying a home.
There were slight differences by
demographics, with millennials having the most interest in smart homes. Here’s the breakdown of those who expressed in an interest in smart homes:
- 61% -- Millennials
- 59%
-- Parents
- 52% -- Gen X
- 50% -- Boomers
The results also shed some light on the potential marketing of smart home products not yet installed.
About a third
(32%) of consumers said they would be intimidated to install smart technology themselves.
The majority (57%) also would consider an older home if it had smart home technology.
The IoT
marketing challenge of the day is that many consumers want smart home technology but they don’t’ really want to be the ones to get it there or make it to work.