With the housing market booming nowadays, many people are deciding to buy new construction homes this year. They are much easier to come by and you can design the floor plan however you want with all features you and your family desire.
In fact, due to the numerous advancements in technology, smart homes have basically become the norm these past few years. There is a wide range of built-in smart home devices that are simply amazing and convenient. All of these tools are connected by Wi-Fi, and you can control them via a smart home manager app on your smartphone or tablet from anywhere and anytime.
So, if you are planning to build a smart home, here are some ideas you can consider for your new construction.
Smart HVAC system
If you live in a country where the summers are hot and winters are cold, it is best that you install an HVAC system to keep your home comfortable all year round. But, instead of installing the traditional heating and cooling system, you should opt for a smart one instead.
Installing a smart HVAC system has many benefits, including lower electricity bills, better temperature variability, and improved indoor air quality. In order to get the most out of your smart heating and cooling system, it needs to be installed by local professionals.
For instance, if you live in an urban area such as Stouffville, Ontario, look for the best HVAC Stouffville installation services to install the right system for your new home. Hiring a local HVAC service will also help you save time and money whenever an emergency occurs.
Smart security system
Home security systems have also become increasingly sophisticated in recent years. From smart security cameras and locks to smart doorbells and sensors, homeowners now have a variety of home security devices to choose from to protect their homes.
Besides providing superior protection of your property and personal belongings, there are other great benefits that come with installing a smart home security system in your new home.
One benefit is that they send immediate and real-time alerts whenever a door or window has been left unsecured. With the ability for remote control, you will be able to deal with this issue without having to go home.
Also, a smart home security system is a great deterrent to keep burglars and other intruders away from your property.
Smart lighting
Installing smart lighting is another great way to upgrade your new construction. For instance, smart lighting bulbs can be controlled and customized remotely through voice-controlled or smart home assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. The light bulbs can also communicate with other smart devices in your network, such as your smart kitchen appliances or entertainment systems.
Smart lighting also offers plenty of benefits, including lower energy use, longer life span, increased security, and easy-to-use light customization.
For example, there are smart light bulbs that can be set to change colour or alter a room’s mood with various settings that range from bright and efficient to relaxing and romantic.
Smart blinds
If you are looking for a smart way to spruce up the interior of your home, you should consider installing smart blinds. These blinds will serve the same purpose as the standard ones, but they offer more advantages.
For example, one of the greatest benefits you get from having smart blinds in your home is that you can use them to insulate heat from getting into the house or block it from outside. You can open and close the blinds as you like to maintain the house temperature you desire.
Another great benefit is security because smart blinds have a digital assistant that allows you to control the blinds and lights even when away. This will protect your property since the lights will create an impression that there are people inside the home.
Final thoughts
There is no denying that smart homes have become increasingly popular in the last decade. With the vast advancements we see in technology nowadays, homeowners have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of smart home devices to spruce up their homes. Whether it is a smart security system or smart blinds, you get many benefits from upgrading your home this way.
If you want to build a smart home, refer to our post and install the following smart home devices to protect your property and improve your energy efficiency.
TORONTO – One expert predicts Ottawa‘s changes to mortgage rules will help spur demand among potential homebuyers but says policies aimed at driving new supply are needed to address the “core issues” facing the market.
The federal government’s changes, set to come into force mid-December, include a higher price cap for insured mortgages to allow more people to qualify for a mortgage with less than a 20 per cent down payment.
The government will also expand its 30-year mortgage amortization to include first-time homebuyers buying any type of home, as well as anybody buying a newly built home.
CIBC Capital Markets deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal calls it a “significant” move likely to accelerate the recovery of the housing market, a process already underway as interest rates have begun to fall.
However, he says in a note that policymakers should aim to “prevent that from becoming too much of a good thing” through policies geared toward the supply side.
Tal says the main issue is the lack of supply available to respond to Canada’s rapidly increasing population, particularly in major cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17,2024.
OTTAWA – The Canadian Real Estate Association says the number of homes sold in August fell compared with a year ago as the market remained largely stuck in a holding pattern despite borrowing costs beginning to come down.
The association says the number of homes sold in August fell 2.1 per cent compared with the same month last year.
On a seasonally adjusted month-over-month basis, national home sales edged up 1.3 per cent from July.
CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart says that with forecasts of lower interest rates throughout the rest of this year and into 2025, “it makes sense that prospective buyers might continue to hold off for improved affordability, especially since prices are still well behaved in most of the country.”
The national average sale price for August amounted to $649,100, a 0.1 per cent increase compared with a year earlier.
The number of newly listed properties was up 1.1 per cent month-over-month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
MONTREAL – Two Quebec real estate brokers are facing fines and years-long suspensions for submitting bogus offers on homes to drive up prices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Christine Girouard has been suspended for 14 years and her business partner, Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin, has been suspended for nine years after Quebec’s authority of real estate brokerage found they used fake bids to get buyers to raise their offers.
Girouard is a well-known broker who previously starred on a Quebec reality show that follows top real estate agents in the province.
She is facing a fine of $50,000, while Dauphinais-Fortin has been fined $10,000.
The two brokers were suspended in May 2023 after La Presse published an article about their practices.
One buyer ended up paying $40,000 more than his initial offer in 2022 after Girouard and Dauphinais-Fortin concocted a second bid on the house he wanted to buy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
