How to sell a home with Control4

[Elvis]

Looks like our last home isn't. We are prepping the home for sale. I'm looking for ideas how to use the Control4/automation to help sell the house. I'm not looking for how to sell the Control4. We are in Kerrville, Texas. A retirement city of 22,000 in the Texas hill country an hour northwest of San Antonio. We have a 50/50 chance that the prospective buyer will like and be interested in the "smart home" marketing hype. I'm just not sure how to play it up, since we won't be here to demo it unless a potential buyer requests it.

I plan to use a couple of my motions sensors to turn on the lights. I also plan on dedicating an iPad to running the C4 app and placing it near the realtors sales materials.

We only have two televisions: Family Room and Master Bedroom. I considered running a slideshow or movie in each. We often play a fairly quiet piano playlist and we thought about turning that on to showcase the whole home audio. Any additional or better ideas?

I'm also considering conveying the televisions. By the time I need them in a new home, they'll be out of date. Of course, I'm conveying the in-wall/in-ceiling speakers. Realtor also suggested I leave my Definitive Tech speakers that are stand-alone. The center is on a floating/invisible shelf and the fronts are wired through the wall, so it is a pretty clean install. I just thought it might be worth replacing them with in-wall speakers to void having the rather large towers and center speaker. Not sure here.

Realtor suggested selling the A/V rack as an optional, bill of sale item. I'll probably do that as the lights are all controlled via Vera drivers. I can just leave the Vera behind and the house is still automated without C4. I'm taking my networking hardware as it is new and you can't see any of it from the front of the rack.

We don't have any touchpads, and I'm not sure how many Echo devices I will leave. The iPad will really be our first touch device other than our phones. So I've never exploited this and not even sure what all we could do with it. We eventually will have a touch screen Sony all-in-one PC setup on the kitchen desk (central and tied to family room). If have time, I considered making it a kiosk and other than showing off features of the home it could also demo the home automation. But then again, it has to work or it becomes a real detractor. 

Thanks for any advice and ideas.

 

[mstafford388]

I've set up "demo" mode for realtors in several homes.  Turns all the lights on, plays pleasant music throughout, shows off any cool features (fire by the pool, mirror tv, theater, pulls cameras up on a tv, etc).   This has usually been more about making the home look good to show, as well as making it so the realtor can just hit a button and not actually have to understand the system.  It certainly does spark peoples interest in the automation stuff when they see everything happen on a single button press though.  

[Unsocialtoaster]

Same as Mstafford above, if you can setup a single button for the agent to press when they arrive and press it again when they leave it makes things a lot easier without a learning curve for them.

[Gary Leeds UK]

It limits the people who wish to buy - Check the age range 

Younger couples can do HA on a small budget - Older couplers think its a just a gimmick. 

Its a issue if you are unable to up sell the product - Your "Realtor" is doing that job Why ? 

Are they a Tech Geek - No

Are they a HA installers - No

Are they a Sale Person working for Dealership - Maybe

Are they trying to get 2% of sale of your house on floor space for the area  - oh Ya  

Its like selling a Car with all the extra`s on - Great when you buy - Worth bugger all when you sell  

[RAV]

Create a specific sales flyer for them to take with explaining how's and why's.

First walk they don't care about stuff, just the house. Later they can review and then it's an extra sauce for your house.

[Elvis]

17 hours ago, Gary Leeds UK said:

It limits the people who wish to buy - Check the age range 

Younger couples can do HA on a small budget - Older couplers think its a just a gimmick. 

Its a issue if you are unable to up sell the product - Your "Realtor" is doing that job Why ? 

Are they a Tech Geek - No

Are they a HA installers - No

Are they a Sale Person working for Dealership - Maybe

Are they trying to get 2% of sale of your house on floor space for the area  - oh Ya  

Its like selling a Car with all the extra`s on - Great when you buy - Worth bugger all when you sell  

I think you misunderstood my original post. My intent was to get ideas on how to USE Control4 to help sell the HOME, not to help sell Control4. They can buy the Control4 system separately if they want, but that's doubtful. Lots of this is I don't even understand what you mean, Gary. I'm in Texas, not the UK. Translate it to redneck and maybe I'll understand.

On 2/19/2019 at 8:33 AM, Unsocialtoaster said:

Same as Mstafford above, if you can setup a single button for the agent to press when they arrive and press it again when they leave it makes things a lot easier without a learning curve for them.

I will get with my dealer or @chopedogg88 (Ari is super-responsive, local dealer, meh) and see if he can help. "A single button" I assume means on an iPad or a physic button?

Appreciate all the tips.

[Unsocialtoaster]

On a keypad would obviously be easier for them, but if needs must then a custom button on an iPad would work too. Name the Custom button menu "Demo Mode" then have a button underneath for On and another for Off

[Elvis]

57 minutes ago, Unsocialtoaster said:

On a keypad would obviously be easier for them, but if needs must then a custom button on an iPad would work too. Name the Custom button menu "Demo Mode" then have a button underneath for On and another for Off

Thank you. I created some custom buttons but I'm not sure the iPad is reliable enough. I have a light switch in the entrance hall that doesn't appear to do anything so I might use it to "Start" and "Stop" 

Thanks.

[South Africa C4 user]

2 hours ago, Elvis said:

Thank you. I created some custom buttons but I'm not sure the iPad is reliable enough. I have a light switch in the entrance hall that doesn't appear to do anything so I might use it to "Start" and "Stop" 

Thanks.

And use an LED for feedback

[JSTRONG]

Just sold a home

I have a 2 button keypad at Front door and Garage entry door and just reprogrammed the "Welcome" and "Goodbye" scene. Also set up a custom button on all touch panels labeled "Realtor"- Welcome and Goodbye

Welcome, turned on all TV's and displayed the TV navigator

Sent a Smooth jazz playlist to the entire house (correct background volume levels)

Adjusted every light in the house to mostly 100%

Turn on the fireplace

Turned off the screen savers on all touch panels and TV's

 

[wappinghigh]

21 hours ago, Elvis said:

"I think you misunderstood my original post. My intent was to get ideas on how to USE Control4 to help sell the HOME, not to help sell Control4. They can buy the Control4 system separately if they want",

A/ No kidding it wouldn't be a value add on a home...!!!.. that's because it's entirely worthless without their use of pro and KB's because "C4Central" keeps insisting to make it that way!!!!!

."...but that's doubtful (they would separately want it)".

A/ You said it!!! Who'd want it? (without pro and KB's)!!!! That's because the company (with this attitude) keeps on basically crushing any secondary market!!! 

"Lots of this is I don't even understand what you mean, Gary. I'm in Texas, not the UK. Translate it to redneck and maybe I'll understand".

A/ I LOVE Texas!

I will get with my dealer or @chopedogg88 ("Ari is super-responsive, local dealer, meh")

A/ Yeh he is AWESOME!

"and see if he can help...." 

A/ He'll need to get you Pro...

"Appreciate all the tips".

A/ No problem glad I could be of assistance! 

W

 

[msgreenf]

Stop hijacking threads

Sent from my BBF100-2 using Tapatalk

[Elvis]

19 hours ago, Cartnj said:

Just sold a home

I have a 2 button keypad at Front door and Garage entry door and just reprogrammed the "Welcome" and "Goodbye" scene. Also set up a custom button on all touch panels labeled "Realtor"- Welcome and Goodbye

Welcome, turned on all TV's and displayed the TV navigator

Sent a Smooth jazz playlist to the entire house (correct background volume levels)

Adjusted every light in the house to mostly 100%

Turn on the fireplace

Turned off the screen savers on all touch panels and TV's

 

Excellent. My realtor is having a professional sign made to put over the entry hall switch. Realtors will use this to "start" and "stop" showing the home. Just added the music, volume settings, and setting up the TVs to the navigation screen. Thanks for the tips.

[JSTRONG]

And I like to turn off all screen savers on all tv’s and all touch panels. Just to show the cool interface. Also i set up everything return to home in  3 minutes 

[dcovach]

If your lighting devices can dim, another lighting affect that seems to impress is a quick ramp to 100% immediately followed by a slow ramp down to 70-80%.  You still want your rooms bright so customize the 2nd action lower light level for bright/dark rooms.

[SY3]

You could also play an specific announcement when they tour your home like " Welcome to your new home" and then play some light music.  Then when they turn off the entry light or some other light that is near the exit, play another announcement - "Thank you for your visit"

[Elvis]

Just wanted to circle back to this and close out the thread.

I created some custom buttons and put an iPad in kiosk mode running the C4 app. "Start Showing" turns on all the lights, starts a playlist, puts a TV on the nav screen and one on now playing, sets the volumes in each zone, and sends me an email that it started. It also arms a motion sensor. They can also choose to "Stop Music" and "Showing complete." "Showing Complete" turns off everything with a delay turning off the entrance lights, disarms the motion sensor and sends me an email. If they don't use the "Showing complete" the motion sensor will do it for them after a lengthy delay of no-motion.

Thanks for all the inputs.

[JSTRONG]

Excellent. Best of luck. 

[JSTRONG]

Although cool I personally wouldn’t include  that since the command might not work or the music might change instead of a light scene 

[Elvis]

On 3/22/2019 at 11:51 AM, Cartnj said:

Although cool I personally wouldn’t include  that since the command might not work or the music might change instead of a light scene 

Yeah, I don't trust her. If she fired up loud music the show would be over as they'd never figure out how to turn it off.

[Matt Lowe]

On 3/22/2019 at 7:48 AM, Elvis said:

Just wanted to circle back to this and close out the thread.

I created some custom buttons and put an iPad in kiosk mode running the C4 app. "Start Showing" turns on all the lights, starts a playlist, puts a TV on the nav screen and one on now playing, sets the volumes in each zone, and sends me an email that it started. It also arms a motion sensor. They can also choose to "Stop Music" and "Showing complete." "Showing Complete" turns off everything with a delay turning off the entrance lights, disarms the motion sensor and sends me an email. If they don't use the "Showing complete" the motion sensor will do it for them after a lengthy delay of no-motion.

Thanks for all the inputs.

For a more elegant solution you might look at one of the many experience buttons or @alanchow Advanced custom buttons to give you feed back or even timers so the realtor can set a time for how long they might be in the house.

[Elvis]

11 minutes ago, Matt Lowe said:

For a more elegant solution you might look at one of the many experience buttons or @alanchow Advanced custom buttons to give you feed back or even timers so the realtor can set a time for how long they might be in the house.

I'll look into this once I get my Vera lights switches back in C4. Not sure what's going on with them right now, but I can't program off of them.

[ejn1]

whenever i sell mine, i will remove the lighting and put $1.50 decora switches and all AV remotes in before i even list for sale.... once a buyer sees your C4 stuff they will use it as a negotiation sweetner to buy the home but ultimately give you nothing for it.   I will leave the one older controller a touchscreen and security cams and that's probably it.   I'll remove all my networking gear also and put a linksys $50 wireless router     Imo, most buyers will not pay for home automation and prosumer networking but will not want you to remove it.

[Elvis]

Luckily, I don't want my switches. They are old z-wave. My realtor was familiar and advised that the AV rack would be a bill of sale item and negotiated separately. They get the Vera controller to control the lights, so it is still automated without the AV rack.