Buying and selling a home is an exciting (and stressful) experience for anyone.
The highs of finding a new home can be exhilarating, but the steps involved with selling and moving can be more than a little overwhelming.
Smart home products also add a layer of complexity to the equation. What do you do with all your great devices you own? Should you keep them or transfer them to the new homeowners? Are there any implications with your decision?
For Notion users, the answer is simple: Notion devices can easily be moved and re-installed in a new home, so you never have to worry about leaving them behind.
But what about devices that are permanently installed or more difficult to transfer – like your Nest or smart garage opener?
Not only is the product functionality at stake with ownership changes but the personal information and security are at stake as well.
Here’s a quick guide for what to do with your smart home devices when moving to a new home:
Keep Smart Home Devices Installed for Staging
If your home is still on the market and getting viewings, it could be worthwhile to keep your smart devices installed.
Why? Because smart technology has a tangible “wow factor” that can attract potential buyers and help set your home apart from the crowd.
Whether it’s automated lights that change color on command or a super-efficient thermostat that tracks your energy usage from your phone, smart devices can have a big impact on your home’s staging.
In fact, according to a report from Coldwell Banker, 46% of brokers and agents said they have recently worked with sellers who had smart home technology, or intended to install some, to increase the curb appeal of their home.
Decide What You Want to Keep and What You Want to Leave Behind
A great number of modern smart home devices are wireless and can easily be taken with you and set up in your new home. This includes smart speakers, smart plugs, kitchen appliances, and much, much more.
A great example of this is Notion. Beyond being super simple to reinstall in a new home, Notion actually offers a free Moving Kit with 5 replacement adhesives for your Notion Sensors.
All you have to do is remove the old adhesive backings from your sensors and replace it with new ones provided and they’re good as new!
Check out our moving guide for more tips on how to take your Notion system wherever you go.
But even devices that are wired in place, like lighting systems or keyless locks, can be removed and transported safely with a little handy work.
Of course, deciding what to keep and what to leave isn’t always a simple decision. There are a number of factors to take into consideration, like cost, difficulty of deinstallation, transferability, data security, and more.
As a first step, we recommend taking inventory of all the smart devices in your home (as well as smart devices outside of your home, like smart floodlights).
Next, organize your list based on the following factors:
- Cost: How expensive is the smart device? If you’ve invested a considerable amount into the device, it could make sense to bring it with you to your new home.
- Effort: Taking some smart devices with you, like automated garden irrigation systems, smart switches, and motorized window blinds, may be more effort than it’s worth. You need to consider the time and effort that will go into uninstalling and reinstalling your smart devices.
- Transferability: Some devices, like smart lights, are quite easy to transfer to new owners, while others can be a little more difficult and complicated. In some cases, you may need to invite the buyer over and walk them through the set-up. If it’s more hassle than it’s worth, you should consider taking the device with you.
- Security: You also need to consider the data security implications of transferring ownership. Some devices, like smart thermostats, door locks, cameras, and alarm systems, can contain sensitive data that needs to be erased before being handed off.
Once you’ve organized your list based on the above factors, you should have a pretty clear idea of what you’re bringing with you and what you’re leaving behind.
Below, we look at a few tips on how to properly (and safely) transfer ownership of the devices you aren’t taking with you:
Account or System Deletion
Deleting the account is vital to keeping your personal information safe. Most products allow for direct account deletion, which, in turn, deletes the device from an account and frees it up to be reconfigured by another party.
Some products, though, only allow you to delete the device itself from your account. The result is that the user still has an account but no device associated with it. This method too frees the device to be associated with another party.
Most smart home products will simply have a feature allowing the user to delete the system or the account entirely. This option can often be found in the "settings" section of the app.
Device Reset
For an added layer of security with ownership transfer, it’s recommended to run a “factory reset” on each device as well. This can usually be done in the app but some products have physical processes as well.
Here are a few of those processes for some of the more common products:
- Nest Thermostat : What Happens If I Move?
- WEMO Light Switch: How to Reset or Restore My WEMO to Factory Default
- Chamberlain MyQ Garage Door : How to Delete a Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener from a MyQ Account
- August Doorlock: House Ownership
- Rachio Smart Irrigation Controller : How Do I Delete a Controller from My Rachio Account?
Thanks for reading! Deciding what to do with your smart home devices when moving to a new home is never an easy task. We hope that this guide helps streamline the process and make your move a little simpler.
