Eight Smart Home Must-Haves
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Eight Smart Home Must-Haves

These are the smartest bits of tech for your home.

By Terry Christodoulou
Mon, Mar 15, 2021 5:57amGrey Clock 4 min

Smart domestic features increasingly inform luxury living. And where once this didn’t move past a robotic vacuum or some sensor lights, the ultimate modern home should be stacked with technology that ultimately makes for an elevated daily experience.

Here, eight absolute must-haves.

Savant Pro

Allows for the control of all smart home gadgetry under one system – think lighting, sound, TV, climate control, blinds and more. Video tiling and the TrueControl app allow you to add up to 9 things to a single screen – including from various streaming services – giving you complete control over your entertainment, while. the system also allows you to program ‘scenes’ to be set, which can lock doors, turn off light and engage security cameras from the touch of an Apple watch.

POA; savant.com

Offmat Tulèr Responsive Kitchen

The world’s first responsive kitchen bench, Tulèr weighs, cooks and washes through gesture controls and touch surfaces enabled by a system of state-of-the-art sensors. You’ll feel like a domestic sorcerer as you magically wave at the workspace to open drawers, commence induction cooking, make the kitchen sink appear and disappear and activate built-in countertop scales – which displays weight via a built in light or chosen device.

POA; tipic.it

Embrace Smart Mirror

Believe it or not, ‘splash-proof’ isn’t even the main selling point here, this so-called ‘smart mirror’ making for easy living with in-built voice command, gesture and touch screen capabilities. This allows a user to work with Google assistant, send emails, skype or video chat with friends, control the lights or play music while getting ready. Or, watch shaving tutorials and more through the 23-inch touchscreen display.

Approx. $1390; embracesmartmirror.com

Ecobee Smart Thermostat With Voice Control

Once connected to an air-conditioner, this thermostat learns and adapts to an occupant’s schedule to deliver comfortable temperatures at all times. Make adjustments via voice control, set timers and schedules and also regulate humidity (if connected to a humidifier).

Approx. $346; ecobee.com

LG’s CX OLED TV

Arguably the smartest TV in market, LG’s CX OLED leads the pack with its webOS technology. The user interface is built around launch bar for apps, inputs and features – which like a computer is customisable. You can Miracast images from your smartphone, screen share and use voice commands through LG’s own AI platform, or trust favourites like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. To help keep the image crisp, Dolby Vision IQ automatically adjusts the picture depending on the ambient light in the room.

$4295; lg.com

Vivint Home Security & Bit Defender Box

Vivint has built a reputation as the go-to for smart home security. With a range of customisable packages, Vivint offers smart sensors (for doors and windows), smart locks (to control remotely), doorbell cameras, outdoor cameras and more all controllable via a single app. You can set the outdoor cameras to record someone’s approach and view them via your smartphone. Physical threats aside, hackers are increasingly breaching smart home technologies. Enter the BitBox Defender, which monitors every device connected to a residence’s network and alerts to any threats by smartphone.

POA; Vivint.com / $149; bitdefender.com

Wi-Charge R1 Wireless Charger

More gadgetry means a greater need to charge. Here, Wi-Charge and its R1 ultra-compact chargers create wireless charging from any power or light socket. With accuracy of 9 metres, it projects infrared beams across the room charging a given device without a second thought.

Coming soon; wi-charge.com

U by Moen Smart Faucet

This, tap, as we would say, offers temperature-controlled water accessible through Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. It remembers favourite temperatures and reacts to conversational requests like ‘a little warmer’. Beyond temperature control, the U by Moen can also disperse water in specific quantities, handy for when cooking and you need exactly 150ml. Offered in a wide variety of styles to cover most kitchen designs.

Approx. $620; moen.com



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The crafty workarounds would-be buyers use to get into the market

First time buyers determined to enter the Australian property market are taking creative approaches as interest rates steady

By Bronwyn Allen
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Aspiring first home buyers are increasingly pooling their resources, adopting new strategies and making compromises to get themselves onto the property ladder, according to research from Westpac. About 56 percent of buyers surveyed are planning to buy their first property jointly with their partner compared to 40 percent three years ago. Three in four buyers say they are willing to compromise on location, up nine percent from three years ago, and 47 percent are willing to pay lenders mortgage insurance to buy their first home sooner.

Additionally, one in two first home hopefuls are considering ‘rentvesting’, whereby they purchase an investment property first ahead of a home for themselves. In this scenario, buyers typically continue renting in expensive lifestyle locations where they want to live and buy an investment property in more affordable locations, often on the outskirts of major cities or in regional areas.

The 2024 Westpac Home Ownership Report, released this month, is based on a survey of 2,015 Australians conducted in January. The report revealed increasing intentions to buy among all types of buyers, with 44 percent intending to buy in the next five years, up from 35 percent in July 2023. This may reflect expectations that interest rates have peaked, with the Reserve Bank keeping rates on hold since December.

Among first home buyers specifically, there was a slight decline in purchasing intention over the next five years, with 86 percent delaying buying a home due to cost-of-living pressures. The survey also found that more people are planning to buy an investment property, which is reflected in recent finance data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing a 20 percent increase in the value of investor loans issued over the past year. Additionally, more people are planning to upsize their homes or renovate their existing homes.

Westpac managing director of mortgages Damien MacRae said first home buyers “are becoming more ruthless with their goals”. “They understand it’s a big task, but they are determined to break into the market and are willing to compromise to get there,” Mr MacRae said.

Buyers still prefer houses, but there has been a five percent decline in this preference since 2021 and a seven percent increase for apartments. Preference for a townhouse, or house and land packages, has increased markedly. “Buyers are casting their expectations wider, willing to compromise on location and are forgoing everyday luxuries like food delivery. They are also more inclined to relocate and move to apartment living.”

The latest Westpac-Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment Index released this week shows the ‘time to buy a dwelling’ index rose 4.9 percent to 77.8 out of 100 this month, which is a 15-month high, but still relatively weak overall. Buyer sentiment is notably stronger in Victoria at 84.3, with Westpac senior economist Matthew Hassan pointing to softening home values over the past four months.

In contrast, the NSW index is at 73.3 out of 100, likely reflecting affordability challenges in Australia’s most expensive market. “Nearly 70 percent of consumers expect housing prices to continue rising in the year ahead,” Mr Hassan added.

 

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