We’ve all had that phone call—the one that starts with, “I just bought this house, and none of the technology works at all.” It’s the person who just purchased a mansion with a full technology package installed 15 years ago, who was assured everything worked fine, only to find out it is most definitely not fine. Now the buyer is angry, and somehow, this is going to be our fault. So, we decided to find a way to get ahead of this problem: with what we call a Technology Inspection.
Our Initial Experience Offering Technology Inspections Showed Success
We developed a Technology Inspection based on our existing white-glove yearly home check-up that was already part of our service offerings. For a fee based on the size of the home, we would provide a full inspection and generate a report outlining what was broken, what needed attention soon, and what might be worth upgrading. Once complete, the prospective buyer would receive a clear report listing the issues we found and the updates that would likely be needed. We also included a broad budget estimate, HTA-style—not too specific—so the buyer could get a general idea of what it would cost to fix and modernize the system.
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We then presented the idea to a few local real estate offices. We would specifically target buyer’s agents who specialize in selling pre-owned luxury homes. In Florida, when you buy a house, there’s often a roof inspection, a termite inspection, a flood inspection, and a foundation inspection—but no Technology Inspection. We also offered the agents a referral bonus, giving them a little extra incentive. The idea was met with a fair amount of enthusiasm.
We rolled the program out with a couple of agencies that had expressed interest. At first, the response was pretty good, and we completed several inspections and signed a few nice contracts with buyers to implement the recommended home technology improvements. But it was short-lived.
But the Modern Housing Market Proved Too Fast-Paced
The real estate market got hot—really hot. And anything that could slow down a sale, no matter how helpful, became unwelcome. Even though the agents were technically helping their buyers, they stopped bringing us in. If a client specifically asked for something like this, we’d get the call. But otherwise, it wasn’t mentioned.
Apparently, this just didn’t become part of their standard process and was quickly forgotten. We stayed in touch and made sure the agents didn’t forget the service entirely, but as long as houses were flying off the market, they didn’t want to be bothered.
Still, I’m not convinced this idea is dead. When the market cools down and buyers start thinking more carefully about the hidden costs that come after closing, I think we’ll see interest in this service pick up again.
Ron Lennox is vice president of business development of Boca Tech and Automation in Boca Raton, Fla.
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