Top Trends for Smart Homes in 2023 - And The Must Haves!

When extolling the virtues of Sarasota's luxury residential real estate market, whether a single-family estate or a high-rise condo, there's a certain familiarity with the language used to describe the area's most sought-after residences: opulent, breathtaking, unparalleled.

But over the last half-decade, new terminology has entered the chat regarding the pedigree and finish-outs of Gulf Coast luxury homes: smart, intelligent, connected.

While dramatic foyers, travertine terraces, chef's kitchens, and private docks continue to curry favor with discerning home buyers, high-end, high-tech integrations generate a growing chorus of oohs and aahs amongst those same home shoppers.

Yes, they're still looking for a luxury lifestyle, but that luxury house or condo must be hyper-intelligent, too.

Once a curious collection of start-ups and their even more curious home automation gadgets, the smart home market has grown exponentially over the past decade. In 2016, the smart home industry was a $24 billion business. In 2021, it reached $32.7 billion. By 2027, some estimates see it more than doubling to nearly $80 billion.

Fueling the growth is the mass adoption of advancements made over the past decade of in-home smart technology. Believe it or not, intelligent home thermostats from Nest and Honeywell were once considered a decadent splurge amongst wealthy homeowners. Now they're as ubiquitous as 4K TVs across all residential real estate segments.

Of course, luxury homes still lead the way in adopting the latest and greatest tech before it becomes marketable and practical enough for broader market adoption. Significant advances gaining traction in 2023 include:

 

While residential solar panel tech has been around for several years—an aerial tour of any high-end Florida neighborhood will find a few early adopters—climate concerns and skyrocketing energy bills are opening this market up to far more willing participants.

Installed via independent panels that sit on top of a roof or those integrated within a roof system as a solar shingle, the efficiency of these systems continues to improve by the day (Tesla offers both varieties). In addition to powering a property's immediate needs during daylight, homeowners can capture and store any excess energy in at-home batteries such as Tesla's Powerwall.

You can utilize the stored energy at night to lessen your reliance on traditional energy sources and networks or as a backup power source when the entire grid goes down. Best of all, you can monitor via a smartphone app.

 

Smart home appliances, both large and small, are commonplace in most luxury homes and many properties at lower price points. Their convenience was unmistakable for basic meal prep; the most significant drawback was a lack of cross-device communication or interoperability. Effectively, if you own an intelligent Samsung refrigerator, smart GE oven, and smart Bosch dishwasher, chances are you manage each device's intelligence with three separate apps.

This year marks a step forward for smart tech working smarter. Manufacturers are coming together through the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA) to create a unified smart home experience.

No longer locked into a single ecosystem, you can preheat your GE oven based on a recipe sent from your Samsung fridge culled from an inventory of ingredients sitting in your fridge. Then, remotely manage the cycle and water usage in your Bosch dishwasher from the same app to lessen waste and your utility bill.

 

Bathrooms have long been the last holdout of tech-free territory within many homes. That's about to change for early adopter homeowners ready to take control of their water usage while upgrading their personal bathroom routine. Kohler's smart, Amazon Alexa-enabled Verdera mirror led the charge a year ago.

Today, the smart home tech extends to toilets, showers, and faucets (including those in the kitchen). From customizable temperatures for bidets and toilet seats to preset shower routines and "perfect fill" bathtubs to voice-controlled faucets, the bathrooms of 2023 and beyond will take on the appearance of a futuristic spa, where the cool factor is outpaced only by the ability to monitor water usage, detect leaks, and shut off valves remotely, no matter where you are.

 

At its most basic level, an integrated smart home is where all of the home's smart devices connect to the internet and communicate with each other. The intermingling of devices isn't a new concept. But the ability to blend myriad smart devices into a unified smart home is well beyond novelty.

As we connect more devices—from high-end, custom-designed security systems to the more pedestrian app-controlled toaster—the more data is collected and shared between each one, the more sophisticated or intelligent your home becomes. An integrated smart home is one with an exceedingly high IQ.

The tech has come far enough that advanced and novice users can customize or personalize how they live, interact with or monitor their homes. Everything from running a specific morning routine to tailoring lighting schemes based on the time of day, people in a room, or the brightness of your TV to remote monitoring a security system, enhanced facial recognition technology provides complete and total control over your most valuable investment.

An overlooked aspect amid the rush to create a fully integrated smart home is the value the right technologies add to your home. Not just when you're living in the house as the current owner but also when the time comes to sell.

Many must-haves are tech you'll leave behind, which you'll reset and a new owner activates at their discretion (smart thermostats and detectors, locks and video doorbells, certain security cameras, and water monitoring devices). At the very least, you'll also have performed the heavy lifting of wiring for some aspects of the smart home.

But until that time comes, you'll want to focus on the high-end, integrated smart devices that make the most sense for you. Below we touch on the devices necessary for raising your Sarasota home's IQ.

 

The entry point for first-time smart home adopters is smart light bulbs that are easy to set up, and a good test for a homeowner's early tolerance to automating their home. Seasoned owners appreciate the advanced tech that allows these bulbs to set scenes or moods, daily wake-up or bedtime routines, and even advanced scheduling that uses lighting to mimic an owner's movements while away from home. Philips Hue or Philips Wiz and the Wyze Bulb Color are three of the best.

 

Light bulbs might be the entry point, but security is often why homeowners ultimately build a smart home network. Securing your property and peace of mind has never been easier or cheaper. There is a bevy of devices one should consider when starting from scratch, including base systems from monitoring groups like ADT, Vivint, SimpliSafe, and Cove.

 

Smart thermostats pull double duty by regulating your home's temperature in the short term but learning your personal comfort preferences and employing more efficient (yet still comfortable) settings long term. The Ecobee Smart Thermostat and the Google Nest Learning Thermostat meet practically all homeowner needs.

 

As we noted early, current trends see more efficient and better-connected experiences in kitchens and bathrooms—both in how we cook and pamper ourselves and manage energy and water usage. Expect a lot of evolving innovation over the next two years.

Those looking to boost their smart home today should consider Samsung's Family Hub refrigerators, which are a step above every other kitchen you've ever owned. For the bathroom, any of Kohler's smart home products will transform your bathroom into something otherworldly.

Are you seeking a team of trusted professionals to help you buy or sell luxury Southwest Florida real estate? From homes for sale in Longboat Key to luxury estates in Lakewood Ranch, contact The Fox Leiter Team today and allow our experience and expertise to help you navigate your real estate journey.