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Buying or selling a smart home? Read this first
Even with a sluggish housing market, there are buyers and sellers. Are you one of them?
As more and more people welcome smart technology or IoT (Internet of Things) devices such as lighting, appliances, and security systems into their homes, it’s most likely the house you’re selling or buying is considered a smart home. Tap or click to discover what you should buy first when making your home smart.
Since IoT is still relatively new, many people have little experience in buying or selling a smart home. If this is your situation, you probably have questions like what steps you need to take if you’re buying a home and inheriting a stranger’s smart tech? What if you are listing your own home and plan to leave smart devices? We’ve got answers. Here’s some information you’re going to want to read before you sign on the dotted line.
Here’s a smart home, there’s a smart home
It’s estimated by the end of this year; there could be around 50 billion connected devices, many incorporated into homes. Chances are you either currently own a smart home, or will buy one in the future. Tap or click to reveal how big tech wants to make all your smart devices work together.
Whether you’re trying to sell a smart home or buy one, there are some things you need to know first. Let’s start with sellers.
If you are selling
If you’ve invested a chunk of money into upgrading your house to a smart home, you want to make sure you see a return on your investment while keeping any personal data associated with your smart gadgets out of the hands of the new owner.
- List all the smart devices. A thermostat may be obvious, but what about the fridge or the sprinkler system?
- Decide what is staying and what you intend to take with you.
- Remove admin access and all personal info for every connected device you’re leaving or discarding.
- If possible, reset all the devices to factory settings.
- Replace any device that you intend to take with a comparable non-smart device.
- Inform potential buyers what stays and what goes with you.
If you’re buying
What if you’re not selling a smart home, but looking to buy one? If you are hoping to find a house loaded with gadgets, there are a few steps you need to perform before you take ownership.
- Determine which gadgets you want to keep.
- Review the warranties. Some do not transfer owners.
- Reset all the devices and check the privacy and security settings.
- Create your secure accounts with 2FA and unique passwords.
- Take all the usual steps to secure your IoT devices.
RELATED: How to patch your tech now and protect at risk gadgets like printers, routers, and more
Because the home’s devices initially were linked to the previous owner, you must protect yourself, family, and property by making sure all resets are performed on every device and done correctly. The last thing you want is your home’s devices getting hacked.
While ensuring the privacy and security of both seller and buyer adds a few extra steps in an already complicated process, they are necessary and here to stay, thanks to technology. We’re living in a smart world, it’s time to start enjoying the benefits.
Tags: buying, devices, gadgets, internet, Internet of Things, IoT, privacy, security, selling, settings, smart home, technology
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