Are smart home devices a home building requirement? Few would dispute yes.
Smart doorbells, door locks, thermostats, voice assistants and other devices are quickly becoming standard features for many top-line home builders. In today’s marketplace, it’s often a key brand differentiator.
Consider D.R. Horton, the nation’s largest home builder (based on volume) the last 20 years running. The Arlington, Texas-based home building leader expects to top over 80,000 home closings in fiscal 2022, across 105 markets in 33 states.
Home Is Connected
The company’s decision in January 2019 to go all-in on an integrated smart home system – called Home Is Connected – illustrates how smart home technology has grown far beyond customer interest to customer expectation.
Few know D.R. Horton’s smart home journey better than Brad Conlon, the company’s vice president of national accounts. The 26-year D.R. Horton veteran recalls how a 2018 plane flight by the company’s namesake, Donald R. Horton, put the company’s all-in decision in motion.
“Mr. Horton was sitting next to a young woman on a flight back from a regional office,” Conlon recounts. “The women explained how she was getting ready to buy her first home. Forever the salesperson, Mr. Horton suggested she check out D.R. Horton homes in Dallas-Fort Worth area, where she lived. ‘Let me know what you decide,’ Mr. Horton suggested.”
Pivotal Plane Flight
Weeks later Horton received a call. Yes, the women purchased a D.R. Horton home … but nearly didn’t. She informed the founder and chairman the smart home technology from a competing home builder almost won her over. “When the call ended, Mr. Horton came down to my office to see the smart home display we had set up,” Conlon says. From there, events moved swiftly to finalize the Home Is Connected system companywide.
Conlon and his team had spent months researching smart home device options, careful to avoid the technology stumbles some builders experienced. “We tested more in this area than anything else,” Conlon reports. A lot of that of fact-finding was hands-on, testing the technology in the homes of Horton employees.
Smart Door Locks
A good example: smart door locks. A smart home essential, keyless entry is now at work in over 11 million households. Conlon’s team carefully considered several leading brands, but everything kept bringing them back to the Kwikset SmartCode888 door lock for at least three reasons:
- Reaction Time. “Kwikset performed so well. Hit the unlock button on your smart device and lock reaction time is nearly instantaneous,” Conlon says.
- Versatility. Kwikset plays well with other smart devices through the Home Is Connected central hub, offering homeowners integrated, all-in-one app convenience and simplicity.
- Security. The door lock resists lock picking, bumping, force attacks for more owner peace of mind.
And one more: “Perhaps the best Kwikset innovation is its overall value,” Conlon observes and many independent voices agree.
“Kwikset smart home technology signals to customers they’re entering a home that’s easy to control, automate and expand functionality for an even better quality of life.”
Learn more about how Kwikset smart door locks can help build your brand with affordability, performance and quality.
