Smart-home technology playing bigger role in real estate
The real estate world tends to think of technology in terms of websites and apps. But it's a big housing world out there, and tech finds its way into our real estate lives in myriad ways. Some recent sightings:
Always fumbling to find your house keys? Sure, there are apps out there that will unlock the door via your cellphone. But maybe you're always fumbling to find your phone, too. So a fledgling company is trying to raise cash on Kickstarter to fund the development of an attachment to your door that will open a deadbolt lock when it recognizes your secret knock. The product is called Sesame, and its developer is a firm called Candy House, which aims, eventually, to sell Sesame for $99. (It also promises to work as a simple phone app, but that's a lot less fun than a secret knock, don't you think?)
Pinmaniacs, take note: The Trulia real estate listings site has added a feature called Boards to its site and to its apps. Think of Boards as a real estate-oriented Pinterest: If you see a listing on Trulia that piques your interest, you can tap on a heart icon within the listing, and the designated house will be stored for reference on your Board. And when you add to your Board, the people you've designated — your real-estate agent, friend, grandma, whomever — will receive an email notification and can check it out. Your collaborators also will be able to add homes to your Board that they think you'll like. Or not like: If you're trying to send your agent a message about which kinds of houses you're definitely not keen on, you could create a Board for that too.
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/sc-cons-0319-umberger-20150316-column.html
Always fumbling to find your house keys? Sure, there are apps out there that will unlock the door via your cellphone. But maybe you're always fumbling to find your phone, too. So a fledgling company is trying to raise cash on Kickstarter to fund the development of an attachment to your door that will open a deadbolt lock when it recognizes your secret knock. The product is called Sesame, and its developer is a firm called Candy House, which aims, eventually, to sell Sesame for $99. (It also promises to work as a simple phone app, but that's a lot less fun than a secret knock, don't you think?)
Pinmaniacs, take note: The Trulia real estate listings site has added a feature called Boards to its site and to its apps. Think of Boards as a real estate-oriented Pinterest: If you see a listing on Trulia that piques your interest, you can tap on a heart icon within the listing, and the designated house will be stored for reference on your Board. And when you add to your Board, the people you've designated — your real-estate agent, friend, grandma, whomever — will receive an email notification and can check it out. Your collaborators also will be able to add homes to your Board that they think you'll like. Or not like: If you're trying to send your agent a message about which kinds of houses you're definitely not keen on, you could create a Board for that too.
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/sc-cons-0319-umberger-20150316-column.html