How many smart devices do you use daily? From “Alexa, please set my alarm” to the sneak peek of the person at your door, you’re relying on the technology more and more. Are you keeping up with the latest advances? Here’s a look at smart home features every homebuyer should look for in a new home.

What is a smart home?

Maybe you keep hearing about smart homes, but aren’t entirely clear on what the term means. A smart home is one with a network of interconnected technology that allows the residents to access the functions remotely. These devices “talk” to each other and respond to your voice commands or through a function on a smartphone app. A smart home has a centralized hub that processes your commands to the desired technology, functioning like the brain of your smart home tech ecosystem.

The individual pieces can communicate with one another. So, if a motion sensor is activated, the security system knows to trigger the alarm, while also turning on your smart lights and ensuring the smart locks are secured.

As you expand your smart home tech, you need to make sure that your network can support the data demands. New homes are often better equipped to deliver that strength and capacity, if they are wired correctly. Retrofitting an older home is a consideration when you’re looking at resale homes.

The best smart home devices for 2025 boost the protection and convenience you can enjoy throughout your home, so why not take advantage of their many uses?

Smart home safety features

Having a voice-activated coffee maker is fun, but smart home security is a must. Apply the technology to protect your family and your home. 

A smart home security system includes:

• Security camera: Mount the smart home security cameras wherever you want a view of what’s happening, indoors and outside. Install them by your front and rear doors and above your garage.
• Video doorbell: The most popular of all smart home security devices, the video doorbell features a motion sensor, so it alerts you when someone is at your door and captures them on video.
• Sensors: A sensor is the key to a successful smart home security system. Smart home sensors are programmed to detect certain actions, like movement, smoke, carbon monoxide, breaking glass, an opening door or window, flooding, and temperature change, to name a few. Home security sensors are recommended for any access points in your home, like doors and windows.
• Smart lock: Control entry with a smart deadbolt lock. Tap in a code on the keypad or on your phone, for keyless entry. Set up codes for specific individuals and change them as needed. You can even remotely unlock the door, if necessary.

Your smart home safety system should also include smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. With these in place, you can stop wondering if your smoke alarm is going to go off—and at the right time. A smart smoke and carbon monoxide alarm is easy to install and can provide life-saving protection. And, in the event you’re not at home when a fire starts, you get an alert on your phone, making the difference between damage and total loss. If you add in a monitoring service, your smoke alarm alert is sent even more quickly to the fire department to dispatch a crew. When you realize that 59% of home fire fatalities occurred in homes that didn’t have working fire alarms, you can appreciate the importance of a better system!

Smart home comfort and convenience

Smart home automation simplifies so many tasks that you never even saw as a task. Using a voice command, you can remotely dim your lights, preheat your oven, adjust your thermostat, change your Instant Pot setting, check to see what’s in your refrigerator, turn the TV on or off, and change your playlist. The list will keep growing as manufacturers integrate smart technology into their products. 

In order to make the most of all this smart home tech, you should plan to have a smart home network panel, also known as a structured wiring panel. This device is the hub for all of your smart devices and systems. With the smart home network panel, you have a single, centralized place to manage your network. Protect your home’s network from unauthorized use, easily add new devices, ensure your smart home tech components are communicating with each other—and do it all remotely from your phone!

The strength and reliability of the connection is impacted by the type of ethernet cable used. New Home Inc. only uses CAT6, because it delivers faster data processing, which is critical when you have multiple devices and users accessing your network at the same time. CAT6 delivers about twice the bandwidth of CAT5, which is commonly used in homes built in recent years. CAT6 cable also eliminates dead zones. For all of these reasons, CAT6 is one of the smart home features every homebuyer should look for in a new home.

Smart home energy efficiency

Smart home tech allows you more control over your home’s features and operation. Of course, that includes energy efficiency. The smart home thermostat and lighting controls enable you to make the most of energy-saving features. Not sure if you turned off the lights when you left home? Go on your app and take care of it. Adjust your thermostat without getting out of bed—or from anywhere. Using a smart thermostat instead of a conventional one can save 10% to 15%, while some manufacturers say their devices will save you up to 30% on your energy costs.

For managing energy efficiency, a smart thermostat is a simple investment, and should be one of the smart home features every homebuyer should look for in a new home.

While not part of your smart home landscape, indoor air quality is an important factor when you’re looking at energy efficient homes. Today’s homes are designed to minimize air leaks, so the air inside your home is recirculating. Create a healthy home within the eco-friendliness by filtering the air. A whole home air filtration system is a must-have when you’re buying a home that is built to prevent drafts.

New Home Inc. is committed to building energy efficient and healthy homes. We include a whole home air filtration system in every home, reducing pollutants and allergens. And our homes earn the ecoSelect certification, a program developed by Southern Energy Management that requires third-party inspection to ensure every home meets their strict requirements.

Home deliveries made smarter

Since the pandemic, the number of home deliveries has skyrocketed. Once people realized the convenience, retailers and restaurants stepped up to offer e-commerce solutions. But what happens when your package is delivered while you’re away from home? Is it protected from heat, rain, or snow? Will it still be there when you get home?

New Home Inc. developed the Smart Home Delivery Center as one of our new home ideas. This unique feature is an enclosed space between the exterior and interior front doors, with a smart lock on the exterior door. You provide a code for a delivery person so they can access only the Smart Home Delivery Center. After leaving the package, the door automatically locks. You can change the code immediately after. 

The Smart Door Delivery Center earned New Home Inc. the 2025 award for “Best Innovative Home Feature for a Production Home” from the Home Builders Association of Wake County. And it’s another example of how our cutting-edge homes “perform” for homeowners. Although it’s a unique design from New Home Inc., shouldn’t the Smart Door Delivery Center be one of the smart home features every homebuyer should look for in a new home?

New home or resale: Which is the better value?

Choosing a new construction home over a resale offers many advantages, in addition to the smart home automation. A brand new home comes with a warranty that protects you from the surprise of unexpected repair bills. One call for a warranty claim is all you need—as opposed to getting estimates from pros and trying to determine your best option. The risks of buying a resale home can cost you in time, money, and safety!

A new home reflects the latest advances in construction methods and materials, like energy efficiency, which translates into lower energy costs. It also features brand new, energy-efficient appliances, windows, and systems.

When you’re trying to decide on a new home, add up all the costs involved, not just the purchase price. In the long run, the better value is often new construction instead of a resale home.

What to look for in a future-proof home

At New Home Inc., we’ve invested in designing and building Future-Proof homes that meet your needs for years to come. Our forward-thinking approach inspires more thoughtfully developed floor plans, for both single-family homes and townhomes. 

We believe that certain features shouldn’t be an upgrade. So, we include new home ideas that other builders consider “optional”. Like the Smart Door Delivery Center and CAT6 cable, we offer these innovative features in every home:

• The included smart home automation package provides for easy management of your network, as well as a smart security system (video doorbell and camera), smart lighting, smart door lock, and smart thermostat. 
• We expanded the kitchen island and extended the edge to allow comfortable seating on 3 sides, not just 1 or 2, plus extra workspace.
• Flexibility is already designed into the floor plan. There’s an option for a pocket office near the kitchen, if you want it. Whether you use it for an office or something else, the space is there for you to create what you want and need.
• The “messy kitchen” is a service pantry adjacent to the kitchen and separated by a pocket door. Use it to better organize and reduce clutter. The messy kitchen is ideal for serving, storing, clean-up, and even a snack and beverage station. 
• Do you want a shower, a bath, or both in your owner’s suite? New Home Inc. offers 3 configurations to plan the bathroom to your liking, with special features like adding a shower seat or creating a “super shower”.
• Do you have an electric vehicle or plan to buy one? New Home Inc. roughs in an electric vehicle charging station. The behind-the-wall work is already done when you move in, making it easy to activate your charging station.
• Do you want to pamper your pets in your new home? Our 2-story plans include the option to install a private pet space under the stairs. Like the pocket office, we’ve already configured the option into our floor plans.

You can see the many options to personalize your new home by viewing our Floorplans, selecting a design, and then clicking on “Personalize This Floorplan”. Also take a virtual tour and video tour, available for each home design.

If a new home is in your future, be sure you’re looking toward a future-proof. one Think about your lifestyle and the possible changes coming in the years ahead. Will you be expanding your household, maybe welcoming another adult family member? If you have a tech-driven household, will your new home accommodate the network you’ll need to avoid slow processing and dead zones? 

When your search has you looking for new homes for sale near Raleigh, NC, include New Home Inc. We build future-proof homes in a wide variety of Raleigh suburbs, including Angier, Clayton, Fuquay-Varina, Lillington, Smithfield, and Willow Spring. 

New Home Inc.’s communities of award-winning, new homes for sale near Raleigh, NC, include the smart home features every homebuyer should look for in a new home. We design and build to provide the comfort, safety, convenience, and value that you should expect in a new construction home. Our cutting edge homes, including townhomes, are designed with up-to-the-minute new home ideas. And we work with every homebuyer to make sure you move into the home that is the right match—the location, community, lot, and your home’s style and details.

Contact the new home experts at New Home Inc. to find a smarter home!