Vacation homes are all the rage these days. People less eager to travel overseas are more willing to put their money into vacation rentals in the nation’s hottest destinations. That means plenty of opportunities for homeowners looking to become tourist landlords. Vacation homeowners are part of a market just begging to be optimized.
One way to optimize vacation home rentals is to make them more efficient and secure with home automation. While your average homeowner dabbles in home automation here and there, vacation homeowners should dive right in. There are a number of home automation technologies that can actually pay for themselves.
Here are just three possibilities, compliments of nationwide home automation and security provider Vivint:
1. Electronic Smart Locks
Historically speaking, one of the biggest hassles vacation homeowners have had to deal with is entry. Imagine a property owner with a beautiful beach-side home on the Outer Banks. Also imagine that this homeowner lives in Ohio. How does he ensure that guests get keys to the house?
Previous to home automation, the property owner’s maintenance company would handle keys. Either a staff member would meet guests when they arrived, or guests would go to the office to pick up keys. Either way, there were always timing issues involved. That is no longer the case thanks to electronic smart locks.
Smart locks are keyless locks. Now, either the property owner or maintenance partner programs locks with a new code in anticipation of the next round of guests arriving. Guests are sent the codes via email or text message. When they arrive, they punch in the code to unlock the door. The code is good throughout their stay, alleviating the need for keys.
2. Motion-Sensitive Lighting
Vacation homeowners tend to pay fairly expensive utility bills. It is a safe bet that leaving lights on in unoccupied rooms is something property owners want to avoid. Why pay for wasted electricity? Enter motion-sensitive lighting.
Truth be told, motion-sensitive lights are not new; they have been around for quite some time. But only recently have home automation providers begun including lighting packages in their systems. Consequently, vacation property owners love having the option.
Motion-sensitive lights turn on whenever someone enters a room. If motion goes undetected for a specific amount of time, the lights shut off. Motion-sensitive lighting is the ideal lighting option for bathrooms, laundry rooms, outdoor patios, pool decks, etc.
3. Smart Thermostats
A smart thermostat is an energy saving device along the same lines as motion-sensitive lighting. Vacation property owners can program their thermostats according to some sort of base configuration suitable to most guests. Meanwhile, guests still have the ability to override programming if need be.
The appeal here is as simple as controlling interior temperatures even when no one is in the house. If all the guests have gone to the beach for the day, there is no need to continue cooling the house at 68°. Let the programming take over and save some money. When guests arrive back at the house, a thermostat tied to door sensors can automatically readjust the temperature.
Investing in smart home technology as a vacation property owner is based in the understanding that guests do not care as much about your property as you do. They do not care about wasting electricity because it’s included in the weekly rental payment. But the more money you pay for utilities, the less profit you make.
If you own a vacation home, seriously consider investing in home automation. It could make your property safer, more efficient, and a better investment.
