5 Ways Tech Makes Looking After an Overseas Second Home Easy

Smart technology is designed to make your home life easier, but what about your second home? Having a place of your own abroad is a dream come true for many, although owning two properties can bring twice as many problems. But since the dawn of time mankind has been inventing ways to make things easier and thanks to Smart Tech, owning a second home just got a lot more convenient.

Here are five nifty pieces of technology that can help you to keep both of your properties safe (they work just as well in the one you spend most of your time in, after all).

Smart Locks

There are a number of reasons why you might need to let someone enter your home while you are away. Something could break and need repairing or maintenance, you might want it cleaned, or you may have friends going abroad and want to offer your second home as a place for them to stay. All of these suffer from one common problem – how do they get in? There may have been a time where you had to be there to let them in or supply them with a key, but not anymore.

Smart locks are nifty pieces of technology that allow you to be in control of your home without even being there. The door is unlocked using a smart phone and you can assign an unlimited number of digital keys to anyone who may need them. This means you could grant the maintenance people or your letting agent access to your second home from the other side of the world.

Here’s the really handy bit – you can control how long the key is valid for down to the hour, so you don’t have to worry about someone entering your home other than when you have specified, or using their virtual key to gain entry again at a later time or date. This method also allows you to track exactly who’s been in your home and when.

Robot Cleaner

Even with the fancy security controls outlined above, you might not feel comfortable letting someone come into your home to clean it. Luckily, you don’t need to. Robot cleaners are here and although still in their teething stages, are able to clean your home without you even needing to be present. These clever bots can navigate around your home automatically, sucking up dust, dirt and debris without you needing to give them a second thought.

Depending upon the model, you could be looking to shell out quite a bit, but it beats having to give your second home a sweep the moment you walk through the door.

Smart Lighting Controls

Fumbling around in the dark with your bags isn’t the nicest way to arrive for your relaxing holiday. Imagine if the lights were already on to illuminate your activities on the drive and make your second home seem more welcoming? With an internet connection and some clever blubs, this is entirely possible.

There’s a better use for smart lighting, though. Everyone worries about their home when they go away, but what about a property you won’t be visiting for several weeks, or even months? It’s a good idea to have a few security measures to deter unwanted visitors and with programmable lights you can do just that. You could set a timer so that your lights come on at certain times of the night, giving the impression that someone is home.

If you had smart blinds, these could be programmed to shut at night as well, again helping to make the property seem lived in.

Smart Thermostat

Arriving to find your home at the perfect temperature is a little luxury that goes a long way. Whether stepping out of the rain into a warm and welcoming hallway, or getting in from the blazing sun to find a beautifully chilled lounge, a little change in temperature makes everything more comfortable. With a smart thermostat you can control your heating or air conditioning, meaning you can set it to be the perfect temperature in advance of your arrival. If you have a home in a cold country you could even set the heating to come on regularly in order to keep damp at bay.

WiFi Enabled CCTV

Whether you’ve let someone in remotely using your smart lock and want to keep tabs on them, or simply feel the urge to check that everything is OK after a particularly bad patch of weather, WiFi enabled CCTV is the perfect way to do it. Stream live video from your second home straight to a device of your choice: PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. This allows you to double-check that everything is as it should be or that the person you allowed into your home has left when they should. No one’s going to try anything when your front door recorded when they entered, or if you’ve got their movements on camera, so this system makes it much easier to manage your property without having to be there.

It’s Only Going to Get Easier

The smart technology available for your home today is just the tip of the iceberg. An app-controlled iceberg which can text you every time a penguin hops on board. Our homes are only going to get cleverer and this gives you a great opportunity to flit between countries as and when you please.

For now you can enjoy a smarter, more secure home, while waiting for the day when your fridge will be able to order your usual food shop for delivery so that you have fully stocked cupboards upon arrival. It won’t be long…

Category Property

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