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

Estate Agent Talk

Conservatories fall out of fashion

Conservatories fall out of fashion as fewer than one in 10 homes boast the former must-have feature   The latest market analysis from eXp UK has revealed that conservatories appear to have fallen out of favour with England’s homeowners, with fewer than one in 10 properties currently listed for sale offering the once-popular home improvement.…
Read More
Breaking News

95% of estate agents say homebuying reforms could speed up property transactions

The latest survey by GetAgent.co.uk has found overwhelming support from estate agents for the Government’s proposed homebuying reforms, with the vast majority believing the changes will create a faster, more stable and more efficient property market. The proposed reforms are designed to modernise the homebuying process by introducing greater upfront information, earlier legal certainty and measures…
Read More
Breaking News

Private rent and house prices, UK: July 2026

1. Main points Average UK monthly private rent increased by 3.3%, to £1,388, in the 12 months to June 2026 (provisional estimate); this annual growth rate remained unchanged from the 12 months to May 2026. Average rents increased to £1,446 (3.4%) in England, £843 (4.9%) in Wales, and £1,012 (1.3%) in Scotland, in the 12 months…
Read More
what is happening to house prices
Breaking News

Tenant demand continues to strengthen in Q2

The latest research by The Letting Partnership has found that tenant demand across England continued to strengthen during the second quarter of 2026, with 29.7% of all rental listings already securing a tenant. Demand has increased by 2.3% over the quarter and now sits 0.3% higher than the same time last year, demonstrating the continued…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 22/7/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.     More kite flying on capping rents creates new uncertainty for investors Official data undermines rent cap folly as Burnham yo-yoing creates damaging market uncertainty More kite flying on capping rents has created new uncertainty for investors at the worst possible time. Analysis of…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Conveyancing keeps providing stability in uncertain market

New research from Lyons Bowe solicitors has found that conveyancing costs have remained remarkably steady as a proportion of house prices across the UK, providing essential reliability for homebuyers during another year of market and economic uncertainty. Lyons Bowe’s analysis found that the average cost of purchasing a freehold property increased from £1,383 in April 2025…
Read More