When it comes to selling a smart home, a properly trained agents can reduce the seller’s liability. Smart Home Specialist You’ve made a decision to install smart devices in your home. You’ve carefully planned out what ecosystem you wish to invest in, where each device will go in the home, how they will all be connected and controlled in your home. Once you have it all setup and working well, you get the notice that you’ve been promoted and will need to sell your home and move to a different area. Now, what do you do with these smart home devices? Should they remain? Should they go? Are you able to keep your surveillance devices in place while buyers are in your home? The emergence of connected devices, smart home and the internet of things has created a new level of consideration for homeowners and their agents when selling their home. Unfortunately, not all agents are well versed in the legal, technological and contractual questions that come into play when selling a connected home. Several years ago Coldwell Banker began training agents and certifying them as Smart Home specialists. That process started with a definition of what a smart home actually is. The Smart Home Criteria The criteria established by Coldwell Banker and CNET is as follows: “Smart home: A home that is equipped with network-connected products (aka “smart products,” connected via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or similar protocols) for controlling, automating and optimizing functions such as temperature, lighting, security, safety or entertainment, either remotely by a phone, tablet, computer or a separate system within the home itself.” This criteria was also later utilized in other specialty courses that agents can take to be certified as a smart home specialist, making it the only known standard in the country. A properly trained agent can reduce the seller’s liability by understanding and using the smart home standard and existence of devices as they present the home to potential buyers. The agent can counsel you, as the homeowner, as to what devices need to remain to meet the criteria and which you could take with you to your next home. An agent who has invested time in understanding smart homes can help you understand what the law or the contract would consider real property (things attached to the home) or personal property (things generally not needed for the home to function) and how to navigate these issues in the local contracts. Each state and local area may have their own contract that uniquely addresses smart home and connected devices and a trained agent will let you know how the transition is handled regionally. Rodrigo Martinez | Síguenos en Facebook Instagram YouTube COLDWELL BANKER MÉXICO
