FIRST TIME BUYERS AND #SMARTHOME LIVING.

small house bird box

The excitement of owning your first home is hard to compete with. You’re finally on the property ladder, free from renting, landlords and house sharing. As you look round your new purchase thinking about new wallpaper, kitchens and flooring you should also be considering how do I make this home smarter.

Follow our helpful tips below to boost the IQ of your new home.

  • If the property is being renovated or extended you need to install Smart Home wiring. Demand that your electrician runs Cat6 cabling for services like On Demand TV, Wi-Fi and multi-room music and TV.
  • Upgrade your existing heating controls to Smart controls. Internet connected thermostats provide more accurate control, remote control and learn your heating preferences. Check out Nest for smart heating.
  • Improve your Wi-Fi. Leave the days of poor wi-fi reception behind in your new home. The simple and inexpensive installation of long range, secure wireless access points mean that no matter where you are in the property you’ll have a strong signal.
  • LED lighting. To keep your electrical bills down look at replacing old halogen lighting with energy saving LED bulbs. It may be a pricey outlay initially but the long term savings will make it worthwhile. To add some wow factor to rooms like the kitchen, lounge and garden look at installing colour changing LED lighting controllable by your mobile device.
  • Safety first. Smoke detectors are unloved but vital devices in your home. An upgrade to internet connected detectors like Nest Protectwill provide you with smoke and carbon monoxide detection in one device, notifications to your mobile device and tell you exactly where smoke is detected in the property.

These are just some of the simple upgrades to your new home to make it smarter. Customised are home technology specialists based in Norfolk. Connect with Customised to learn more about home technology.

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

More tenants enter the rental market

Tenant demand climbs across England in Q1 as rental market pressure builds for letting agents The latest research by The Letting Partnership has found that tenant demand across England remained strong during the first quarter of 2026, with 27.4% of all rental listings already securing a tenant, meaning that the country’s hottest rental markets are…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

7 Ways Estate Agents Can Adapt to a Changing Property Market

The UK property landscape is evolving rapidly, and estate agents are under increasing pressure to implement innovative strategies. With shifting buyer expectations, new technologies, and alternative sales models entering the market, adapting your approach is essential. So, if you’re looking to see success with your agency, here are just seven key ways you can remain…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

Spring clean drives high maintenance bill for landlord

The latest market insight from property management specialist, Rushbrook & Rathbone, suggests that property maintenance spend is set to surge in April, as the annual ‘spring clean’ by landlords saw the month account for the second highest proportion of total annual maintenance spend in 2025, as well as the largest average spend per work order. Rushbrook…
Read More
Breaking News

65% of homebuyers blame slow process on conveyancers

The latest research from Lyons Bowe reveals that 65% of recent homebuyers say the conveyancing process was the slowest part of their buying process, with a quarter saying the legal back and forth took more than 16 weeks to complete. Lyons Bowe commissioned a survey of 1,000 UK homeowners who made a purchase in the past…
Read More
Breaking News

UK Construction Activity Collapses

Glenigan’s April Construction Index uncovers an industry struggling to cushion the blows from ongoing international conflict and a persistently weak economy. Work starting on-site declined by 17% compared to Q4, remaining 18% below 2025 levels. Residential construction starts dropped by 13% during the Index period and fell by 30% against 2025 figures. Non-residential project-starts dipped…
Read More
Breaking News

Homebuyer demand down in Q1 2026

Buyer demand slips in Q1 2026, with South of England outperformed by North and Midlands The latest Sales Demand Index from eXp UK has revealed that homebuyer demand in England slipped by -1.6% in Q1 2026. The analysis also reveals a clear north-south divide with counties located in the midlands or north of the country recording…
Read More