Aimee Blanchette from the Star Tribune in Minneapolis (MN) interviewed some players in the market about Smart Homes. The new generation of home buyers expect home builders to incorporate the latest technology into their new homes. Sub-woofers hidden in couches. TV’s that look like art. And security systems that you can monitor from afar. These are some of the things that a growing number of home buyers want, but not all builders offer. These are the same buyers who grew up with computers and CDs and have since moved on to iPods and plasmas.

This is leading to a rapid increase in demand for surround sound, home theaters, security systems and automated lighting, leading some builders to make such technologies standard features in new homes.

Brian Stoll, founder of Midwest Home Media:

“Today’s buyers are so savvy when it comes to technology, that’s why they gravitate to a builder that understands the technologies that are important to a consumer. Builders are starting to market to extremely intelligent buyers who just expect these things.”

Brian Strojny of Admit One Home Theater in Apple Valley.
Brian researched why consumers are willing to pay for elaborate home theaters:

“There are two reasons. People prefer comfort when they watch a two-hour movie vs. the sticky floors at a movie theater. It brings that family together in a really cool room, creating a big hangout space. Even buyers who aren’t willing to spend $50,000 to $75,000 on a theater, the typical amount spent at Admit One, are demanding some aspect of new technology. Costs have come way down from where they were. Plasma TVs, for example, have dropped in price tremendously. Pretty much anyone building a new home can afford some of these items.”

Admit One Home Theater is a upscale design and home automation firm.

What I do not understand is that still, only a small percentage of builders are installing these products. A recent survey by the Consumer Electronics Association found that 38 percent of recent home buyers and 61 percent of those planning to buy indicated that they were in the market for monitored security, but only 29 percent of the builders surveyed were offering that option. This is the same issues that I have been facing al long time. The builders and architects are not ready for more technology in the homes. Although the new buyers are. How can we change this?

Also Pat Cirelli, an agent with ReMax Results
She said her clients are increasingly asking for security systems with remote access, home theaters and surround sound:

“Incorporating technology, or at least the wiring to accommodate it, is a good investment. It gives the house a salability edge. I can’t imagine a builder out there that doesn’t have access to a vendor who can provide these things. There’s such a demand for it.”

This is an issue that I (eaDHome) have been tying to change for the last two years. However I can not seem to find the momentum. Maybe this research can help. Are you a builder, architect and want to comment on this, please do. Or are you looking for a new home and want to incorporate this technology but can not seem to find any respons, please let me know.
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