The August Smart Lock helps you solve the chaos of
lending keys out to neighbors, friends and family. The reasonably priced lock is a simple
device that’s installed over an existing deadbolt. Once installed, homeowners
can lock or unlock doors using a smart phone.The August Smart Lock
app can also “hand out” virtual keys with an expiration date to other smart
phones. Digging for keys is a thing of the past – the August Smart Lock
recognizes your smart phone as you approach your door and automatically
unlocks it.
Week 2 - Google Chromecast
Chromecast is a media streaming device that plugs into the HDMI port on your TV. Simply use your mobile device and the TV you already own to cast your favorite TV shows, movies, music, sports, games and more. - Description from google.com/chromecast
Week 3 - Philips Hue Lux
Philips Hue Lux - your "personal wireless lighting system". Philips Hue Lux provides a personal and interactive way to control lighting from a smart mobile device or tablet. It enables use of light in a variety of functionality such as timers, alarms, geo-fencing and soft security elements.
Week 4 - Nest Thermostat
Nest Thermostat -The Nest Learning Thermostat absorbs its owner’s daily routine and adjusts the temperature accordingly. The Nest thermostat can be controlled through a phone, its built-in sensors detect an empty home allowing Nest to set itself to an energy-efficient temperature. It also saves customers about 10 – 12 percent on heating bills and 15 percent on cooling bills per year — a huge win.
Rebates are available through your local electric and gas companies when you purchase energy-saving products for your home.
Examples of qualifying products and services are: Installing Energy Star lighting, HVAC and appliances; adding programmable thermostats and insulation. Some providers offer home energy audits and special financing for energy-saving updates to homes.
Rebates are available from the following companies, but please check the website of your personal provider for specific requirements and rebate applications.
These smart home products make great gifts this holiday season.
Believe it or not, the holidays are just around the corner. And this year, smart home products could be the perfect gift for your loved ones.
After all, research shows that Americans who have smart home technology really love it. According to an August survey from Coldwell Banker Real Estate and CNET, 91 percent of people who have smart home products would recommend the technology, and 87 percent of those who have smart home products say it makes their life easier.
If you’re thinking about gifting a smart home product this year, consider spreading holiday cheer with these great presents.
1. August Smart Lock: The August Smart Lock can turn your smartphone into a smart key – and more. You can lock and unlock your door, create virtual keys for guests and keep track of who comes and goes, all from your iOS or Android phone. The price starts at $199.
2. Lutron Caséta Wireless: This connected home solution allows for lights, battery-powered shades and temperature to be controlled from a mobile device. An easy DIY solution that’s affordable, these products are less than $150.
3. The Nest Learning Thermostat: The 3rd gen Nest Learning Thermostat helps you save energy and money! It learns what temperature you like and builds a schedule around yours. Plus, Nest allows you to see how much energy you use every day and every month, so you can adjust your behavior and save money. At $249, it could be a nice holiday gift for a friend or family member.
4. Dupont Corian Charging Surface: With this brand new technology, you can charge your smartphone wirelessly in your home by placing it on a futuristic countertop. Dupont doesn’t set prices directly, but according to CNET, consumers can expect to pay about $200 per charging station.
5. Neato Botvac Connected Robot Vacuum: This product from Neato could be the perfect gift for the neat freak in your life. With it, you can clean your home anytime, anywhere from your smartphone. It’s not cheap, though: the WiFi powered vacuum costs around $500.
6. Parrot Flower Power: Have someone with a green thumb in your life? If so, this “smart pot” could be the perfect holiday gift. Its sensor assesses your plants’ needs, and then its app sends alerts to your smartphone so you can truly take care of your plants. The product costs $60.
Get “smart” this holiday shopping season. Your friends and family members will thank you for it.
Coldwell Banker hosted a CNET-moderated panel on smart home innovation yesterday at the REAL Trends Gathering of Eagles Conference. These are the top five trends that emerged from it.
Yesterday, Courtney Cochrane, global vice president of media sales and magazine publisher at CNET, asked some of the world’s biggest home innovators to define what they think constitutes a smart home. “It’s not the home of the Jetsons,” she said. “But it’s a home where I can invite people over, let a HomeBot vacuum my house, and sit back on the couch and read a book.”
This renowned panel, which included leaders from LG, Lutron, Nest, Sengled andTesla, spent the day together discussing what differentiates a smart home from a connected home, and how brands can achieve true integration.
The group then addressed the future home innovation to 300 of the leading real estate professionals in the United States at the REAL Trends Gathering of Eagles Conferencein Denver, Colo.
It’s only a matter of time before the smart home – or the connected home – becomes a mainstay in the real estate market. And with 60 percent of real estate agents agreeingtheir buyers are asking for homes with smart home technology, that moment will be here sooner than you may think.
As smart home technology becomes more mainstream, we put together the top five trends to watch for smart homes in real estate.
Smart homes will be the new normal. Homeowners will have batteries in their garage for their electric cars. Buyers will demand smart lighting, temperature and appliances. Smart technology is becoming more affordable and accessible, so it’s only a matter of time before it proliferates the market.
Smart phones are your smart home remote control. “Do you have a smart phone?” Cochrane asked the audience. “Well then you have a remote control for your smart home.” She is right – and it’s a demand we’re already starting to see from our home buyers. According to our survey last month, 62 percent of real estate professionals say that buyers want to control their home from their smart phone.
Brands will continue to integrate. “Products are going to begin to talk to each other,” said Ben Bixby, General Manager of Energy Products, Nest. The past year has been a major time of growth for the smart home market. New players are entering the space every day, and the industry is working to make all the pieces fit together.
The smart home will become the connected home. You have smart products, like the French door refrigerator with smart cooling from LG, or the Caséta Wireless by Lutron. And then you have the connected home, which you can control from your smart phone. “The key is having appliances that make your life simpler,” said John Taylor, the Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications for LG.
You can watch video footage of the panel on the Periscope iPhone app before it expires at 6:45 p.m. ET today by following Coldwell Banker.
At Coldwell Banker Gen Blue, CNET Editor-in-Chief, Lindsey Turrentine, described how smart home tech is changing real estate. Here are highlights from her presentation.
Last month, Coldwell Banker conducted a joint survey with CNET to tap into the minds of modern tech consumers. One of the surprising results, according to CNET Editor-in-Chief, Lindsey Turrentine, was more than one in four Americans already own a smart home product. People are embracing smart home technology and they might not know it – from thermostats to connected lighting to TVs controlled through a cell phone, smart home products are everywhere.
CNET has the largest tech audience in the world and is passionate about helping them understand how technology is shaping our lives today. The Jetson’s used to be the family of the future, but that future has caught up to us. Having your home communicate to you is now attainable and although smart technology sounds complicated, most of it can be controlled with the push of a button using a smart phone and a Wi-Fi router, two things most people already own.
To further educate consumers, CNET bought a home in Louisville, KY, to serve as a “living laboratory” to test smart home products in an everyday environment.
Turrentine believes smart home technology should be simple. “At the most basic level, smart home technology is really all about making life a little bit more convenient…more beautiful…and more secure,” she said.
Below are some products that Turrentine highlighted that can make any home smart!
The August Smart Lock helps you solve the chaos of lending keys out to neighbors, friends and family. The $250 lock is a simple device that’s installed over an existing deadbolt. Once installed, homeowners can lock or unlock doors using a smart phone.The August Smart Lock app can also “hand out” virtual keys with an expiration date to other smart phones. Digging for keys is a thing of the past – the August Smart Lock recognizes your smart phone as you approach your door and automatically unlocks it.
Believe it or not, some of the most read articles on CNET are light bulb reviews. Everyone needs light bulbs, and adding smart light bulbs to your home is one of the easiest ways to make your home modern. Lutron provides some of the best in class in this category. The Lutron Caséta a Wireless Starter Kit works with your existing bulbs, so lights can be remotely controlled using a smart phone. The coolest feature is that the Lutron Caséta Wireless works with Siri. The total kit costs $230.
The Corian Charging Surface is a phone owners dream. DuPont created a kitchen countertop that charges phones, tablets and some laptops. If you own the right Android phone or a simple attachment for iPhones, all you have to do is set your phone on the counter and it will charge! For $200, you can add the charging station to a countertop, which is especially easy if you’re already installing a new countertop.
Smart home products add the extra touches that improve the quality of housing listings. Think of what a difference it would be to sell a house fitted with automatic locks that you control from your phone. What would it be like to buy a house with these features already in place? Turrentine said, “These are the type of products that your buyers and sellers are using today and will continue to look for as they search for that perfect new home or think about how to increase the value of their existing home.” Adding smart home technology doesn’t have to be expensive or take hours to configure, you can do it right now using DIY systems.
As smart home products and services continue to change real estate, you can be confident Coldwell Banker will provide you with the resources necessary to stay educated and up-to-date on the latest trends and products!
Hosting Turkey Day will be a treat once you master these entertaining hacks.
Being home for the holidays is all about relaxing, making memories and sharing great meals together. However, if you are the one hosting the holiday at your house then being home for the holidays can mean lots of prepping , budget breaking shopping lists and what feels like a race against time to get it all done. Here are some of our favorite holiday entertaining hacks that you will be thankful you read before Turkey Day.
Make it a Team Event
Just because you are gracious enough to host Thanksgiving at your home doesn’t mean you need to take on the entire menu yourself. Delegate drinks, apps, sides and desserts to family and friends to cut down on work and on the cost of all the food and drinks. Your guests will be happy to help and proud to show off their culinary skills.
via MTVOTHER.TUMBLR.Com
Save Space by Serving Dinner Buffet Style
A crowded table can leave your guests feeling claustrophobic. Aside from setting up a kid’s table, an easy way to free up space (for a few extra bottles of vino perhaps) is by serving dinner buffet style. Side note: Vegetarians and those with special dietary needs will thank you for this. We love this beautiful buffet display HGTV.
Go Double for Less Trouble
If you’re hosting a large party, The Washington Posts says go for two smaller birds instead of one. Two small turkeys will take about the same time to roast as one large turkey and you can have two different flavors. You can even roast two in one pan with this recipe from Rachael Ray.
No Ice? No Problem!
If you don’t have an ice machine you just need to plan ahead. SheKnows advises making ice in ice cubes and them emptying the cubes into large, freezer safe containers starting a few days before the event. By the time your party starts you will be all stocked up!
Follow this Alcohol Cheat Sheet to Avoid Buying Too Much (or *gasp* not enough)
The cost of alcohol, on top of all the other food you are buying, can really add up. Hostess with the Mostess Martha Stewart has come up with the following suggestions:
Wine: One bottle per two people per hour
Beer: Two per person per hour
Spirits: One bottle per five people per hour
Mixers: Three bottles per each bottle of alcohol
Ice: At least one pound per person per hour
Stop Crying During Onion Prep
Chances are at least one of your recipes will call for chopped, minced or diced onions. Dry those eyes and try some of these tear free tricks from Lifehacker.com.
1) Freeze the Onion: Put the onion in the freezer 15 minutes before cutting it.
2) Cut Under a Vent: Use your stove or microwave vent to redirect the odor away from your nose, mouth and eyes.
“This seems completely counter-intuitive – slow cooking to save time? But using your crock pot for Thanksgiving frees up valuable space in your oven and allows you to space out your cooking more efficiently.” – Sunny Day Family Here are some amazing crockpot Thanksgiving recipes from Food Network.
Make Up for Lost Time By Cooking Your Bird in a Bag
Make Personal Sized Portions of Stuffing in a Cupcake Pan
Pass the stuffing could very well be the most popular phrase at the table on Thanksgiving. With this Stuffin Muffin trick passing the stuffing is easy and no one needs to fight for the crispy pieces. Check out this recipe from Serious Eats.
Put Your Dishwasher to Work
Is there a more thankless job on Thanksgiving than scrubbing potatoes? I think not. Heavenly Homemakers hacks this task by suggesting that you wash your potatoes in the dishwasher (sans soap of course!) Get the instructions here. Side Note: You can also steam your veggies in the dishwasher. Pop Sugar suggests “wrapping them in aluminum foil and throwing them in the dishwasher for a full cycle (including a complete dry cycle).”
Cook Your in Your Cooler (Yes, really!)
Have a massive amount of corn on the cob to cook? Instead of breaking out all of your pots consider cooking them in a cooler. This hack from YouTube user Donald Bolingis pure genius. Pour boiling hot water, butter, salt and the corn into a clean cooler, close the lid and let it sit for 30 minutes. Voila, cooked corn!
Boil Potatoes Whole to Avoid Peeling
Nicked fingers and a ton of time is something any Thanksgiving hostess can relate to when it comes to potato prep. If you boil them whole then shock them in iced water the skin will slide right off! See the whole video from Chowhound.
Up Your Pie Crust Game in an Instant
Put that fork you were able to use on your crust down and say hello to your new best baking friend, Libbie Summers. In this video she shares 20 creative and easy “pie crimping” hacks using everything from a corkscrew to a pearl necklace that will make you look like a master chef.
BYOT (Bring Your Own Tupperware)
Hosting guests AND generously giving away leftovers…you are just too much! If your family is anything like mine then once you send someone home with Tupperware there is a 99% chance you won’t be seeing it again. If you aren’t quite ready to part with yours then you can tell your guests in advance to bring their own. If all else fails, freezer Ziploc bags work quite well.
