How long have appliances typically been included in the sale of a home? It’s a fair question, right? When home sellers move, they take all their furniture, wall-hangings, electronics, etc., but they leave the stove, the fridge, and other big kitchen appliances. Has this always been so? As homes become more “digitalized” and automated, when will things like media centers, home controllers, heck – even the whole-home audio system – be included in the sale?
The home PC and/or laptop has to go. This I can understand – too many precious documents, too much stored media. It would be a pain to transfer and purge. But what if the home’s media center also served as the home control software point? Should this stay and be included in the sale? At what point do automation, control, and security add-ons become integral to the overall functionality of the home? What about the whole-home audio system? In-wall speakers are going to stay, but what good do they do the new homeowners if front-end equipment is gone? “Whole-home audio ready” would read the For Sale description. Will we get to the point when these devices come with the home, or will the onus always be on the new homeowner to digitize and automate?
What if a home has been upgraded to include a budget-friendly lighting control system with plug-in lamp modules, RF-controlled switches and dimmers, and controllers? Should this be packed up and taken, or does the home seller hope the appraisal accounts for this unusual amenity? How about web cams used as security cameras? Stay or go? Automated blinds and shades? The list could go on. I would love to walk into my new home knowing that everything from the front-end home theatre equipment, media center, router, and networked printer to the control devices, adapters, and cameras was right there waiting for me.
I’m curious to hear from new homeowners who have purchased homes with automated, connected, or networked devices included, and how those devices impacted the price of the home.