Question

The lights in my house right now are entirely automated. Every single light is either on a smart switch or in places that make more sense, a bulb. All works pretty well (other than i might be throwing too much at smartthings, but thats a different topic). So we have a contract on another house, should be closing in about 3 weeks. I had always thought the plan was to leave the smart stuff behind, use it as a selling feature and then use that as an excuse to buy all new tech. During the inspection i went through the house and made notes, and there are over 50 switches (including fan controllers and 3 way sets). Not that its a huge house, it just has a ton of light switches. so the question is, do i rip everything out and move it to the new house to save the money, and not market the current house as a smart home? Or hope it at least gets me a little more on the sale (or a quicker sale, anyway) and bite the bullet, investing roughly 2k in new switches? We already are going to pay for paint, a fence, maybe counter tops, so the up front cost is already pretty high. has anyone been through something similar, even on a different scale? Ill also talk to my agent about it later this week, once we get through the repair requests, but i wanted to see what other smart home people have done, too.  

Answer 1

We sold our house with all the smart devices in place. We got mixed feedback from various realtors. It was unlikely to result in a higher bid, but might be the icing on the cake that would cause someone to buy the house.  

Comments

And if its enough for someone thats on the fence to make an offer, it might be worth it. Even if it doesnt bring a higher sales price, selling faster is still better for the checking account

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For sure. Though I did have concerns that it could be seen as a negative for some people. Several times after showings, we came home to find lights in weird dim levels. I wondered if people might have been holding the dimmers slightly longer than expected causing the light to come on to a low dim level. The feedback that we received from the various walkthroughs never mentioned anything about the smart devices (other than one or two saying it was neat). so who knows what happened with those situations where we came home to dim lights. We sold the house during a relatively warm sales market. sold in 2 days with an offer slightly above list (with list already being slightly high). So apparently it wasn't an issue for us. :D

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And to clarify, it was primarily just the wired stuff that remained with the house. Security cameras, Z-wave switches, wall mounted tablet, etc. Motion sensors, plug in modules, voice assistants, etc came with us.  

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Yeah i want to take all of my sensors, so those would probably have to come off the walls before listing anyway. the more i think about it, the more im leaning towards just moving it all with me and saving some money on the new setup. i have a ton of motion and contact sensors i dont want to have to purchase a second, time, too, especially because we are moving into a bigger house.  

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I regretted leaving a few Lutron switches in my previous house. I doubt the buyers know what they have.  

Answer 2

Personally, I'd take everything with me when I moved and use it in the new house. (If you have old/classic/non-Plus Z-Wave switches, then I might consider buying new regardless, but I'd feel sorry for whoever gets left with those. ) With a DIY system like SmartThings, you'd have to be careful not to make the buyer think you're on the hook for support. I *might* this differently if it were a pro system like RA2, but with the price of those components I'd still be tempted to move with them. :)

Comments

Yeah thats another concern. I would try to make it clear that ill move everything and make sure they know how to get into apps and everything, but im worried that they would still reach out 6 months later when they have an issue with something

Answer 3

I think that is all depends to who is buying and living in the house, older people seems no interest in smart lightings, some buyer that knows the stuff maybe interested but dont expect a price coz they will bargain for sure, , thats just my own opinion

Answer 4

I pulled everything out of my house except doorbell when i sold my house. Trying to sell the automatons as a premium was not worth the headache of setting it up for new owner.  

Answer 5

Rip it out. Leave them a ring and a thermostat.  

Comments

I have a nest Hello and Thermostat. maybe thats what i leave behind. I can move everything else (i just need to confirm theres a neutral in the switch boxes), save some money on automating the new house, and not have to deal with transferring everything to a new person and bringing them up to speed.  

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@imperturbation91375 like. i like this stuff. and i’m not sure where i’d know to begin, with someone else’s stuff. I think the first thing they’d likely do is pay someone to take it out. Unless they loved it.  

Answer 6

I would remove the lot, one persons smart home is another persons pain in the ass, and i cant see it adding any real value

Answer 7

I had a similar type of situation when I moved out of my condo. I left the switches in and told my renters that if they want to hook up a hub, they will all be smart. They have yet to do so. The thought of taking them all out, reinstalling at a new house, going through the unpairing and repairing process gives me a headache just thinking about it.  

Answer 8

I brought my switches with me to save $. you wont get what you spent back on the sale.  

Answer 9

Remove it before listing or specify that it does not stay. Real estate law says that if it is attached it stays, unless specified otherwise. Sounds like to much headache upfront as well as expected possible continued support.  

Comments

Yeah i know it has to stay if its attached when listing if its not specified its coming out. im trying to decide if i leave it when we list, or take it with me and use it in the new house

Answer 10

Most of my smart home stuff is integrated invisibly into the fabric of the building. It’s not coming out!  

Answer 11

Based on selling two house that I thought we well automated. Several things happen: 1. new owners will call you a lot. 2. They will remove most of it and toss it. 3. If the couple are really into home automation, expect to hear about their divorce in a year. :-)

Answer 12

I would list it as coming out. Then when you have a buyer, negotiate if they want to keep it. If I found a house with smart stuff I would def pay something for it. Your price to leave it will depend on how interested they are and how much support you think they will need.  

Answer 13

Leave it in and invest in Lutron Ra2

Comments

@variola0 Smith I have somewhere around 50 switches to replace in the new house so it's going to have to be budget friendly. 60 bucks a pop is probably not going to cut it unless I take another 3 years to rebuild it.  

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@imperturbation91375 I would never put in cheap consumer based wifi switches. If you have 60 loads I would start with common areas (kitchen, family room, master bedroom) with hybrid keypads and dimmers. And slowly add more rooms over time to your lighting control system. Or if you really don't have the budget for Ra2 then check out Casseta. They just don't have keypads (you can use Pico remotes) and your limited to number of devices and a few other features.  

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I'm not going wifi regardless. I have thought about caseta because it seemed to be the best bang for the buck but thats when I thought I'd have no more than 30 switches to replace. Inivell's new switches are probably where I'm leaning right now but I have time to figure it out. I'd rather not piece it together over time if I can. Even though it's a kind of big house, every room but the dining room and the unfinished part of the basement is likely to get used every day, so I want to get where I am now in terms of automation right away if possible.  

Answer 14

We've helped several clients sell their professionally installed smart home systems with their homes. For right clients, it can be a boon, some dont want it. However, You're likely to get dinged or lose money with a DIY system in a home. We sell high-end pro systems ($100k+ systems, pro lighting from Lutron/Crestron, etc) sometimes those dont get what we wish, but they last decades and do add value. A DIY system is almost already obsolete, not centralized and difficult to maintain and control(was DIY installed, no warranty, no one to call, pros dont mess with DIY). Your giving it away as it really adds cost, as they have to remove, maintain and/or deal with it. And remember, anything fastened to or a "fixture" to the house MUST be sold with the house, if it is shown to prospective buyers that way. This is a legal thing. So a tv mounted to a wall, light switches, appliances, in ceiling speakers, etc are part of the house and part of the sale. If you want to take those with you, you have to remove them before showing. You cannot tell people its not part of the house, once it is shown with it, either. They can sue you and win, worst case. Seen this happen.  

Answer 15

Not worth the effort.  

Comments

@sweatband22 not worth the effort to take them out?  

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@imperturbation91375 in my humble opinion.  

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@sweatband22 it would be for me I think. Itll help me automate the new house if around 1/3 of the switches are already paid for and I worry about the headache of moving everything over to a new owner and them expecting me to support it no matter how clear it is in the contract that I wont be their support.  

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@imperturbation91375 I was just thinking about the time and trouble of replacing that many switches. Especially if older gear. When I sold my last house it was an upgrade opportunity. Best to you in your pursuit.  

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@sweatband22 if I didnt have 50ish switches at the new house I probably would sell or leave the old stuff and start brand new. But even at 30 bucks a pop for basic single pole zwave plus switches that's 1500 bucks, but I'll have 5 or 6 fan controllers and a handful of 3 way switches. If I can reuse some of what I have and save the cash its worth the time to pull the old ones out to me

Answer 16

IF you can do it yourself Take them with you, you won’t get your money back,  

Answer 17

We sold our house 2 years ago. My realtor told us to take everything with and disclose that we were taking it. Because the house already has to have switches, it's not an added value for them to be smart. Most potential buyers will see it as something else to go wrong because it will actually scare some potential buyers away. Do the desirable things to your house and take your switches and tech. You'll be happy that you did. If anything, sell some of the old on ebay. You'll get more money for it there than you will in added value installed in what is soon to be your old home. Our house sold in one day. It's the market that sells it, not the smarts.  

Answer 18

Take it. That’s a few grand worth of switches. It won’t add any actual value to your home.  

Answer 19

Offer them to the buyer with a full electricians report as a separate sale. If not interested whip-em out. You don't want liability if any of them fail or cause injury.  

Answer 20

Mike, I'm currently in that same situation as of today. I'm not sure if this varies by state, but in CT you there's an exclusion/inclusion sheet as part of the contract package that the buyers need to sign. My realtor suggested I leave the thermostats and offer the smart switches and outlets as negotiable (without hub). Here's a snip of that, signatures cut for privacy purposes:

Answer 21

If smarthome is feature and things really work, the price difference should be way more than 2k. I would take the opportunity to sell something interesting and build something even better from the scratch

Answer 22

In Vegas you can specify what you will be taking with you or can be negotiated. New homes are putting smart home features in their homes as a benefit but I agree that it really depends on the buyer and their interest. Disclose anything done to the home or happened to the home that may be a liability to you. I just think about if they have no interest, how much work that would be to take it all out.  

Answer 23

When I sold my last home, the buyer called asking questions about the sump pump and pond filter. get my drift?