Technology adds value to a home

The days when we were impressed by movie-stars talking on cell phones in their cars are way behind. Nowadays, the same goes for “smart homes” where technology provides solutions making daily life easier and home management more cost-effective.

A “smart home” has an electronic system of infrastructure and applications ensuring remotely the property management, its security -through controlled access systems, fire safety- as well as control and management of home appliances, lighting and surrounding area. At the same time, it provides the diffusion of audio and video signals in preselected - by the owner/user- areas, while it supports telephony and other forms of communication, and gives access to high-speed internet.

With appropriate automation and sensors, the user can monitor and control consumption for meter-related services (electricity, water, gas) and apply proper management to control energy consumption. In addition, a truly “smart home” is the one providing maximum security, either when the owner is inside the property, or when he is absent. These security systems include perimeter security, motion detectors, and also cameras inside and outside the property, while they can notify the user by sending images to a computer or mobile phone. Also, in case of emergency (fire, flood, theft) the system notifies the owner and of course the competent authorities.

The installation

Ideally, the installation of such a system should take place with the masonry, so that the relevant networks can be developed together with the property, since subsequent installations increase the cost, which, in the case of a newly built property, amounts to 2% to 4% of its total value. According to real estate consultants’ estimations, the existence of innovative technological services significantly increases the value of a property. “Often, to decode the future, you have to know the past. When aluminum started being used instead of wood, marble and mosaic, we saw real estate values, in a same area, in residences with only two years gap in construction, vary by up to 30%. The same goes for technological applications as, in certain areas, the supply of such services is now considered a prerequisite”, a large Athens real estate office executive tells us.