SMART HOME UPGRADES
THAT ADD REAL VALUE.
Real estate agents love to say "smart home" — appraisers are less impressed. Here is what actually shows up on the appraisal, and what is just a nice-to-have.
Upgrades that register
1. 200A or 400A panel upgrade. Capacity upgrades are line items on inspection reports, insurance forms, and appraisals. If you are still on 100A in a 3,000 sq ft Florida home, this is the single upgrade with the biggest resale payoff.
2. Level 2 EV charger with dedicated circuit. Installed, permitted, properly sized — not a NEMA 14-50 on a shared circuit. Buyers under 50 actively search for it.
3. Standby generator + automatic transfer switch. Especially in storm-prone Florida. Transfer to the buyer with the home.
4. Whole-home surge protection and grounding upgrade. Not glamorous, but documented on four-point inspections and often requested by insurers.
Upgrades that mostly don't
Smart switches and smart plugs. These go with the homeowner. They do not change the appraisal.
Decorative smart lighting and RGB accent systems. Personal taste. Often removed before sale.
Smart thermostats. Pleasant, but standard. A $200 Nest does not move the needle on a $400,000 house.
The "smart" upgrades that sit in the walls
The ones that hold value are in the infrastructure: structured data cabling to every room, empty conduit runs for future electric-vehicle charging, recessed lighting in every finished space, and a panel sized for future load. If you are renovating anyway, put the wires in before the drywall goes back.
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Related: residential panel upgrades & EV chargers.