Anyone who loves skiing or snowboarding is likely to head to the mountains in the upcoming months to relax and enjoy the winter sports. That means that smart homeowners and investors will take the time to review the amenities in their winter vacation rental property before these vacationing guests arrive.
Winter vacation rental properties can be great investments depending on the location and the type of amenities offered such as smart home technology and modern renovations. To let you know what is currently trending within the winter vacation space, we’ve put together a list of upgrades that will set your listing apart from others in the rental market.
Affordable Smart Home Winter Upgrades
A 2015 survey by Better Homes and Gardens found that 64% of the millennials surveyed were interested in having smart technology in their homes. With winter season right around the corner, there’s never been a better time to upgrade your rental properties for winter guests. Smart home technology has come a long way and today’s products have become more accessible and affordable. Not only can these smart upgrades make your property more convenient and efficient, they’ll also make it much more attractive to potential renters in the future.
Here are a few of the most popular and budget friendly gadgets you can add to change the overall look and feel of your property while allowing it to stand out in even the busiest of vacation rental locations.
- Smart Thermostats
- Smart thermostats help save energy, which means lowering heating costs. They allow users to precisely control the temperature based on usage, weather patterns, and time of day. They are fairly straightforward to install and are compatible with most heating and cooling systems.
- Smart Space Heater
- During winter, it is likely that tenants will want to temporarily increase the heat in certain areas of the smart home. A smart space heater can accommodate those needs in a way that is more energy-efficient and timely than increasing the heat in the whole house.
- Smart Door Locks
- These Wifi and/or Bluetooth-enabled locks can detect when you or your renters arrive home and automatically unlock the door for you. [WE DON’T WANT IT TO SOUND LIKE IT WILL UNLOCK THE DOOR FOR ANYONE STANDING OUTSIDE IT.] You can also program smart door locks to allow access to selected guests such as friends and property managers without having to deal with creating a new set of keys.
- Energy-Efficient Smart Blinds
- Did you know that about 30% of your home’s heating energy in winter is lost through the windows? Having energy-efficient curtains and window treatments will help you save money on the heating bill thanks to the flexibility of being able to program some of the blinds to stay open during peak hours of daylight while others can remain closed to maximize energy efficiency.
- Smart Lighting
- Smart lighting dimmer and sensor systems can allow you and your guests to easily turn lights on and off via a smartphone, and these lights can also be customized to perform certain actions like slowly growing brighter as you wake up or switching off automatically whenever you leave home.
- Smart Humidifier
- The winter season can make the air in a home excessively dry, leading to dry skin or irritated nasal passages. Moreover, dryness could adversely affect overall air quality for your guests too. A smart humidifier is an excellent way to add moisture to your home by working with voice assistant systems like Alexa and Google Home to let you know when to refill the water tank and help you schedule times for the humidifier to turn on.
Investing Your Rental Property’s Future
So how exactly does having all this smart home technology increase the value of your property? If you haven’t heard, smart homes are in-demand in the US housing market. According to a recent study, more than 80% of Americans either own or opt for homes equipped with smart technology over a comparable home that is not.
Not surprisingly, home automation is appealing to millennials entering the housing market. In fact, millennials are driving the real estate industry, and in turn, smart property investors are keeping an eye on trends like where they are moving to and the type of properties they’re looking to live or rent in. That means that if you want millennials to rent out your winter investment property, smart home gadgets like the ones above will improve your chances of attracting them.
Looking further ahead, upgrading your rental property can also make it easier when the time comes to sell it. There is no set formula to determine how long it’ll take for a property to sell. Various factors come into play on how many days an investment property stays on the market for sale such as its location, condition, and listing price. However, 40% of real estate agents in the US housing market believe that upgraded smart homes sell very quickly compared to others, based on a Coldwell Banker Real Estate survey.
Reap the Rewards
Your home represents a significant investment and the harshness of winter weather could cause costly issues and damage if you’re ill-prepared. Your investment shouldn’t be taken lightly, since any property costs serious money, and the goal is to profit from the arrangement. If you are considering upgrades to your winter vacation rental property, doing your homework first to learn about the benefits of smart home upgrades will increase your chances of keeping it filled with happy guests providing you a good return.
