20 Innovations we'll see in our homes in 2020.

2016 is already upon us, with everyone (including us) speculating what the new year will bring. So let's jump ahead to 2020 to examine the technology and innovations that will be in our homes:

1. Smart windows

Windows will have built in smart sensors and digital panels that allow you to set the levels of light or dark, UV protection, and even scenery just by touching them. The need for window shades and coverings will be obsolete and of course the exterior face of all windows will be equipped to capture and harness solar energy.

2. Computational surfaces

Additionally, mirrors, shower glass, and just about any surface can be made “computational,” accepting our commands by touch screen and customizing our living experience.

3. Solar technologies

Likewise, a good portion of our power needs in the home will come from solar energy by 2020, no matter what the climate. Remember the solar road concept that basically made solar conductors out of paving tracks and materials? It’s a bad idea for roads but a great idea for homes, where roofing materials and even siding will all have solar cells implanted, finally taking us away from non-renewable fuels.

4. Personal 3D printing

Do you need a tool around the house? A part to fix a leaky faucet? Even a custom welcome sign with your address and family name on it? Instead of driving to the store, the average American will be able to just plug in their personal 3D printer at home, download the plans just like we download apps now, make adjustments online, and print these things. Very soon, we’ll be able to print custom clothing, toys, artwork, school supplies, and even medical tech, as the future of 3D printing is exciting and limitless.

5. Holograms

Sure, television screens will get thinner, more clear and interactive (such as with OLED technology already in development), but the NEXT revolution in communications and entertainment will be in 4D holograms, displaying television, video, phone calls, gaming, chats, etc. all in near-life like displays.

6. Closed water systems

Sadly, the UN reports that 75 percent of our world’s freshwater is already polluted. As we become more environmentally conscious and water becomes the most valuable substance on earth, even wastewater from our sinks, showers, toilets, and hoses won’t go to waste. Homes will have complex systems that allow for evaporative water and rain water to be captured, channeled into the system, filtered and used around the house. Likewise, wastewater won’t be expelled but refiltered and recirculated in our gardens, toilets, fountains, and hoses, etc.

7. Fingerprint scan security

“Do you remember back in the day when people actually carried these little metal key things around with them?” That’s what we’ll be saying in 2020, when unlocking your front door will be a matter of placing your finger on a sensor so the system can scan your fingerprints and approve you for entry.

8. Ocular scanning and facial recognition

We’re also likely to see ocular scans and face recognition technology for more advanced security systems, but in 2020, fingerprint security will do just fine for shedding these metal keys.

9. Biofuels

By 2016, the majority of people will be feeding condensed pellets made of waste, organic materials, agricultural byproducts and even garbage into heating and energy systems in our homes, allowing us to get further away from fossil fuels and save money with clean energy.

10. Light Peak technology

Light peak technology is a technology that allows super fast data transfer, eventually allowing us to sync and share terabytes of information in microseconds.

11. Personal computing will only need personal data

Information sharing will allow us to walk around with our own personal “computer” full of files, data, and storage, in a watch, pendant, pen drive or other vehicle, plugging in and accessing any portal in any room, home, business or office, anywhere in the world without relying on personal ownership of devices.

12. Personal food production

Everyone eats, and every home and even apartment has plenty of space to grow food with green roof and green wall growing systems. Spare closets, basements, attics, vertical gardens on the inside or outside of walls, and floating agriculture are all going to allow the average person to grow and consume a significant portion of their food, allowing us to save money, better monitor what goes into our food, and live healthier lives.

13. Shifting walls

Instead of applying a coat of paint when you want to change the color of a room, you’ll be able to program the exact color you want into digital walls and room, instantly turning it the desired color shade, design, or even replicating a scenic landscape.

14. Watch command

Everything in our homes – from entry to security, temperature control, appliances, filtering systems, and lighting, etc. will be controllable and adjustable by touching your watch – whether you are home or not.

15. Gesture Control

Lighting, televisions, appliances, window shading, and many other functions around the house will respond to voice commands and gestures, not with archaic keyboard strokes and mouse clicks.

16. Conversing with the central computer

Likewise, you’ll be able to program every alarm clock, reminder, and appliance with simple voice commands to the home’s central computer, which will unify every electronic and digital function into a single easy to operate system.

17. Light-up flooring and furniture

Just about every surface will have intricate LED lighting systems or digital programming, which means you’ll be able to set your floor panels to light up when you walk on them (making your own disco dance floor) or allow furniture to light up and shift in color like a lava lamp when someone sits on it. Of course, the uses of this technology will have more practical uses like security.

18. Programming based on our heartbeats

Your home’s central computer will be able to read the heart rate and biometrics of the people in the room, adjusting the temperature, lighting, oxygen content, filtering system, and even noise levels to their individual pre-settings. Your home will also be able to detect if someone is sick or unusually angry, anxious, or tired, adjusting the environmental settings accordingly.

19. Storage solutions

With our population set to double by 2050 and the urbanization of living in mega cities, space will be at a premium. Innovative storage solutions that we can’t even dream of will make sure every inch of space in the home – like in the basement, attic, between the walls, etc. is used efficiently – but adaptable and flowing enough for a modern aesthetic.

20. Self-cleaning bathrooms and kitchens

We might not have maid robots in 2020 but the cleaning systems will be pretty self reliant, with intricate sensors and ultrasonic self-cleaning systems installed in the most germ-addled areas of the home like toilets, showers, sinks, garbage cans, water spigots, and on kitchen and cooking counters.

10 Tips to spruce up your front porch so it's the envy of the neighborhood.

For many households the front porch is a place for family and friends to pass the time, a tranquil open-air alternative to stuffy, confining indoor rooms. In essence both an indoor and outdoor living room, the front porch a place to relax, kick back and reflect on the day, play games, talk to neighbors, or simply sip an ice-cold beer and watch the world go by. 

Once upon a time, the front porch represented the ideal of the American Dream like no other architectural feature, only surpassed by the white picket fence. The middle ground between the public and private, a common area shared between the purity of the home and the community outside, the front porch united the neighborhood and community.

These days, the traditional porch is making a comeback, but this time with a modern twist. Less confined by rules and architectural conformity, the porch is now a fun and inviting celebration of community, proving that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Here are 10 tips how you can spruce up your porch to make it the pride of the neighborhood:

1. Lighting

Lighting dictates what mood you want to set on your porch. Many people are using ornate lighting fixtures made for outdoor use. Built-ins help backlight a front porch, giving it that magical glow. Or why not use some globe string or paper lanterns for a touch of charm? Need a little more light to brighten up the space?  Invest in a standing floor lamp or full on hanging outdoor chandelier. There are so many great designs available nowadays you are spoilt for choice. 

Candles are also a great lighting feature. To ensure safety, use hurricane lights - housed in a glass container in many great designs, where you can light a candle and forget about it without worry.

2. Flooring

What do you want to feel under your feet when you walk out for your morning coffee, greet friends for a dinner party or have a moonlit dance? Reclaimed timber floors, polished concrete, low-maintenance synthetic wood, tiles, or area rugs are all suitable options for your porch floor. Just remember that this area is more than likely to be a high traffic and ideally will be waterproof, so take that into consideration when making a decision.

3. Music

How can you possible expect to socialize, entertaining and really relax without some great music playing? Sure, you can buy a stereo or outdoor iPod dock, but these days, homeowners are turning to the classier and higher quality option of hidden, wireless speakers outdoors. Don’t forget that wing chimes, hanging seashells, and decorative bottles can make comforting melodies on your front porch.

4. Materials

Bricks, natural stone, concrete blocks, white-washed clap boards, bamboo, antique wood, copper, glass tiles – there really are no rules when it comes to using interesting and imaginative building materials on your front porch. You can even add faux pillars, a decorative railing, or other building elements to make your porch look more traditional. Experiment with bright colors and even stripes and other patterns to find something that fits your personality.

5. Staying cool in the summer and warm in the winter

Nowadays it’s easy to create exactly the type of temperature you want on your porch. Whether you want to use your front porch during the chilly, rainy winter or need a cool outdoor space to escape the intense summer sun, you now have the choice of fans, misters, portable AC units, shade barriers, and indoor-outdoor heaters that will make your porch so comfortable, you’ll never want to go inside.

6. Themes

Try a theme when designing your porch and see where your imagination takes you. You can recreate an Oceanside beach house with a nautical theme using blue and white striped cushions thrown over a crisp white sofa, Adirondack wooden chairs, and seashells and pots of high grasses to finish the look. Or dedicate your porch to your favorite vacation spots around the world by collecting artwork, trinkets, furniture, fabrics and throws from your travels.

7. Spruce it up for the holidays

When it comes to celebrating holidays, we love to go all out! Halloween is just around the corner so turn your porch into the spookiest space ever, decorated with pumpkins, lights, cobwebs and fake spiders to creep out those little trick-o-treaters. Or cover your front porch in twinkling lights and scenes that would make Santa proud around Christmas time, and of course use plenty of red, white, and blue for the 4^th of July!

8. Think of your porch as an outdoor room

When looking at the interior finishes for your porch, think of it in the same way as you might approach a room in your house. Of course you’ll consider flooring, lighting, color, pattern, scale and texture, but also don’t be afraid to take it a step further with mirrors, framed photos, book shelves, water features, a dining table and chairs, curtains, and other amenities that you might see indoors. There are some really cool creations that use synthetic materials, all-weather fabrics, and furniture designed for indoor/outdoor use these days, so don’t feel limited.

9. Seating

Figuring out what kind of seating you want is one of the biggest decisions in designing your porch. Hammocks and swinging chairs really make a porch fun and relaxing, or you can use an outdoor sofa, benches, comfy deck chairs, or even the good old-fashion rocking chair.

10. Plants and nature

Soften the look of your porch and inject some natural color with plants and flowers. Make sure you choose the right plants for your porch however based on if the amount of sunlight, protection, and water they’ll receive. You can also use hanging plants or easily design an area for creeper vines to grow, and adding a birdfeeder will give it just the right touch of natural beauty.

10 Tips to stage your high-end listing.

Selling a high-end or luxury home is about so much more than a transaction, it’s a transference of lifestyle values, the marketing of an image of prosperity and taste as much as a roof and walls, and the presentation of your home should be treated accordingly.  Staging your home attracts buyers, creates bidding wars, differentiates your home from others for sale, and ultimately will put dollars in your pocket.  A recent study by the Real Estate Staging Association tracked 174 homes for sale in 2011.  Those that were staged sold in an average of 42 days, while those who were left unfurnished lingered on the market for 154 days!  We recommend enlisting the services of a staging specialist or designer, which we can help you find.  You may have to spend a little money to make money but if done correctly, the results always work in your favor. 

1. Clutter free.

The cardinal rule of staging your home to sell is to clear the space of as many of your personal effects and items as possible, leaving the area open and flowing when viewed.  Buyers who walk through will love this because they can instantly envision themselves living there and their own personal affects in the house.  Remove absolutely everything that isn’t essential to decorating the property or a highly personal nature (they don’t need to see framed photos of your family but they do need to see some artwork on the walls.) 

2. Paint in neutral colors.

One of the biggest mistakes sellers make is keeping bright or noticeable paint colors on the walls.  The aim is to keep everything as neutral as possible so no matter what the buyer’s tastes, they’ll feel at home.  Dark, brooding, colors or accent walls are a no-no, too.  Stick to an off white or light tan color and white moldings and you can’t go wrong.  Once you declutter and paint with neutral colors you’ll be amazed how much bigger and airy your home feels.

3. Don’t forget to stage outside.

Remember that people will drive onto your property, up the driveway, and walk to your front door first, so that’s when the first impression should start.  De-clutter the outside of your home, hire a professional landscaper to make everything look tip top, and consider a tasteful signature piece like outdoor sitting area, fountain, or other decoration.

 

4. Original artwork.

If you really want to convey the image that your high-end listing is unique and valuable, consider hanging original art as you stage.  Everyone’s seen prints by famous artists so decorating with those comes off as a little cheap and unsophisticated.  Instead, track down some original artwork that will add a dynamic visual detail and lead the buyer to take notice.  Your professional stager will probably have some great original artwork or you can contact nearby galleries and ask for a loan to help promote their work (the buyer might even want to buy it if they like it!)

5. Designs that tell stories.

When you walk into your favorite gourmet restaurant, you go to enjoy an experience, not just good food.  Same thing when you go to the nicest golf course or to a luxury hotel.  It’s the same thing with your listing; you want the buyer to have an experience as they walk through and the way you do that is by telling stories.  Incorporate local and historical items that have some history, antiques like old books, and other rare or interesting finds that are easy on the eyes but will spark conversation and contribute to the buyer’s perceived experience that your home is something special.

6. Mix it up. 

We’ve talked about your listing being neutral and free of clutter, but that doesn’t mean we want it institutional or lacking personality.  Now that we have the “canvas” ready, we’re going to bring in stimulating and diverse elements that will really pop and catch the buyer’s eye.  A well-orchestrated symphony of fabrics, curtains, finishes, area rugs, textures, pillows, candles, and flowers will turn your home into something special.   This is a good time to reassess your fixtures and lighting, too because it’s usually easy and not pricey to modernize, simplify, those elements.

7. Get it out of there.

To be clear, when we told you to declutter we didn’t mean to move everything from your house to your garage.  Buyers look for cues of quality as they’re walking through a listing – the little details that convey who you are or what the quality of the property.  One of the best ways to show how you live is to have the garage 100% clean and spotless.  I’m serious – boxes, bikes, skis, bins – it all needs to go and you should clean it exceedingly well.  People expect a dark, dusty, packed garage, so when they walk in and see it’s been as well treated as the rest of the property, that will make a statement.  This goes for all of your closets, too.  The best thing you can do is rent a storage unit and keep everything in there in boxes but DON’T fill up closets to the brim or pack your garage with the clutter.

8. Don’t match!

Good stagers and interior designers understand the elegance of utilizing cohesion without uniformity.  Rarely in a luxury home or high-end listing will you see furniture set that all matches.  Instead, you want elements - from the couch to the tables to the lamps – that complement each other but each have their own contribution to the je ne sais quoi, as the French say.

9. Culture sells.

One of the best ways to convey a feeling of class and quality in your home is to exhibit a few cultural or artistic items.  No one cares about your huge big screen TV, but having a baby grand piano, stand up bass, rare books, or telescope in your home shows an affinity for culture that is consistent with buyer’s perception of luxury. 

10.  Paint and plant.

If in doubt, or pressed for time or on a limited staging budget, the best thing you can do outside of decluttering is to focus on painting your interior walls a neutral color, your front door, (and shutters if you have them,) and plant colorful flowers, small trees, and soothing potted plants. 

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I'f you'd like a complimentary analysis of your home's market value or some tips on staging before you list, feel free to contact the Alfano Group Real Estate.