Technology - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Whole-House Electrical Surge Protection is Coming

Today’s homes are filled with sensitive, sophisticated electrical appliances that may take commands from phone apps and voice-activated devices. But they can’t yet ward off increasingly unpredictable weather.Bad storms bring powerful lightning and hurricane-force winds that cause an increase in power surges that shut off lights, stop refrigerators, and in worst cases, overheat and fry appliances. Replacing equipment can become costly.Plugging

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Smartphones are Guiding Buyers to Homes

Mobile devices are what buyers turn to for finding properties and connecting with real estate agents. This has put increasing importance on real estate pros to make sure their websites are mobile friendly and that they’re connecting in a way that clients most desire.The typical home buyer used a mobile device to search for properties online, looking at websites with photos, home listings, and information about the homebuying proc

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More Existing Homes will have Smart Home Tech

More homes are being outfitted with smart-home technology—devices that enable remote control and monitoring of household systems. A new analysis from Harvard University’s Remodeling Futures Program shows high demand for such devices and predicts the trend to only get bigger over the coming years, despite some recent security concerns and device breaches.But more than half of consumers say they find the internet of things “creepy,” an

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How Relocating a House can Increase its Value

You can move mansions.Some homeowners are taking their houses with them when they relocate. More than 8,000 structures are moved each year, Tammie DeVooght Blaney, executive director of the International Association of Structural Movers, told The Wall Street Journal. Most of the structures are moved due to environmental hazards and historic preservation, and some are high-end single-family homes—at 4,000 square feet or more.Most homes can

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Faux Lawns offer No-Fuss Grass Alternative

More homeowners are leaning towards maintenance-free faux turfs for their yards, according to landscapers.Architect Christopher Brandon of Brandon Architects in Costa Mesa, Calif., told The Wall Street Journal that about 75% of the projects he does for modern-style homes now ask for artificial grass. Since faux turf does not require water and the green stays vibrant all year long, there is virtually zero maintenance. Bran

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Bathroom Design gets more High-Tech

Technology is entering more bathroom design, and it’s one of the top design trends of the year, according to the 2019 Bathroom Design Trends Study from the National Kitchen & Bath Association. The survey results are based on responses from 583 NKBA members, consisting of designers, remodelers, architects, and product manufacturers.Some of the technology solutions seeing the most growth in popularity are temperature control and thermostat sm

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Category 5 Storm No Match for House of Plastic Bottles

JD Composites, a Canadian homebuilder, has constructed a three-bedroom home in Nova Scotia that is made of 612,000 recycled plastic soda bottles. But the attention has mostly centered on how the home can withstand extreme winds—even a category 5 hurricane.The builder, which melted thousands of plastic bottles and injected them with gas to form the walls of the home, tested the plastic panels for hurricane resistance and found they could withsta

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Social Media, Community Websites Vital to Buyer Boomers

Home buyers over 55 are relying on technology to find their home, just like their younger counterparts, and they say internet searches and social media greatly influence their homebuying decisions, according to a new survey conducted by Immersion Active, a marketing solutions agency, of home buyers 55 and older. More baby boomers are turning to social media and community websites in their house hunts.Eighty-nine percent of the 55-plus consumers s

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Facebook Ads are being Probed for Housing Discrimination

Facebook has been facing federal agencies that claim it has allowed real estate companies to discriminate against users when displaying ads, but now New York is launching its own investigation into these accusations.New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he’s ordered the New York Department of Financial Services to investigate whether Facebook permitted state-regulated advertisers serving housing ads on its site to discriminate against prospective res

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Google’s most Popular Home Design Searches

What are people searching for on the internet when it comes to home design? Google released a new report that breaks down the most popular searches by several design categories for the home. Coastal-inspired living rooms, ranch style homes, and blue hues appear among some of the most curious trends in Google searches. Google’s Home and Garden Trends report compiled the biggest search trends over the past year. Here’s what the report found:Mos

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