We did a series of smart home upgrades before listing our Thornhill home in March and got useful feedback from agent showings about what actually resonated with buyers.
What we installed:
- Ecobee SmartThermostat Premium: $419 (we installed ourselves)
- Schlage Encode smart deadbolt (front door): $310 installed
- Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2: $180 installed
- 4 Lutron Caseta smart switches (main floor lights): $560 installed
- 2 Nest Protect smoke/CO detectors (replaced aging units): $280 installed
- Total: $1,749
Buyer feedback (via our agent’s debrief after showings):
- Thermostat: mentioned positively in 8 of 12 showings — “we love Ecobee”
- Smart lock: mentioned positively in 6 of 12 — especially families with kids
- Doorbell camera: expected at this price point — no positive or negative comment
- Lutron switches: buyers didn’t know they were smart until shown — then loved it
- Nest Protect: zero buyer comments (expected, not exciting)
What we sold for: $1,248,000 — $23,000 over asking. Agent attributed the smart home features as a “tiebreaker” rather than a primary driver.
Conclusion: The Ecobee + Lutron + smart lock combination is the most buyer-visible package at lowest cost. Doorbell cameras are now expected. Skip elaborate AV systems — almost no buyers cared.