Australian homeowners warned expensive smart-home tech fails to boost property sale prices

Key points

• Expensive smart-home upgrades may add little to a property's sale price, according to a Melbourne real estate agent. Whitefox sales associate Cameron Greene said buyers rarely decide based on automated lighting or blinds, and that land size and build quality matter far more.
• Security features such as cameras and lockup garages, along with solar panels and batteries, can attract buyers.
• Telsyte research found 70 per cent of Australians believe AI could manage their smart homes better than they can, while more than three in five would feel uncomfortable with AI making decisions without their knowledge.