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Buyers in the premium market increasingly expect integrated technology as standard in new-build homes. They want seamless control of lighting, heating, and blinds without complexity. Research shows that the majority of buyers above the £700,000 price point view built-in automation as a baseline expectation, not a luxury upgrade.
Five years ago, integrated home automation was a differentiator in the premium property market. Today, it is rapidly becoming a baseline expectation. Buyers spending £700,000 or more on a new-build home increasingly assume that some form of intelligent control over lighting, heating, and blinds will be built into the property. When it is absent, they notice.
A 2023 Savills survey of premium property buyers found that 78% expected integrated technology in new-build homes. A further 62% said they would pay more for a property with built-in automation rather than add it themselves after purchase. These figures represent a significant shift from even three years earlier, when integrated technology was viewed as an impressive bonus rather than a standard feature.
Premium buyers are not looking for the most advanced or feature-rich system available. They want technology that makes daily life more comfortable and convenient without requiring technical knowledge to operate. The word that comes up most frequently in buyer research is simplicity.
Specifically, buyers expect intuitive lighting control with the ability to set scenes for different times of day and activities. They expect intelligent heating that maintains comfortable temperatures without manual intervention. They expect motorised blinds that respond to sunlight and can be controlled alongside the lighting. And they expect all of this to work from a single, elegant interface rather than a collection of separate apps and devices.
A 2024 Strutt and Parker report found that 67% of buyers in the £700,000 and above bracket rated integrated technology as either important or very important in their purchasing decision. The features rated highest were lighting scene control (81%), automated heating management (74%), and motorised blind control (68%).
Buyer expectations are being shaped by their daily experiences with technology outside the home. People are accustomed to seamless, intuitive interfaces on their phones, in their cars, and in their workplaces. They expect the same level of thoughtfulness in a premium new-build property. A home that requires separate apps for the lights, the heating, and the blinds feels fragmented and dated by comparison.
This is why integrated systems perform so much better than collections of standalone smart devices. Buyers can see the difference immediately. A unified system that responds to a single button press feels considered and complete. A collection of gadgets with different interfaces feels like an afterthought.
For many buyers, the show home is where expectations are set. If a competing development demonstrates live automation during viewings, your development will be measured against that experience. Buyers who have seen lighting scenes change at the touch of a button, blinds close automatically, and heating adjust seamlessly will carry that benchmark into every subsequent viewing.
This creates a competitive dynamic in the premium market. Developers who include integrated technology raise the bar for the entire local market. Those who do not include it risk appearing behind the curve, even if the rest of their specification is competitive.
Despite rising expectations, many buyers still have limited understanding of what integrated home automation actually involves. They may confuse it with wireless smart home gadgets, or they may worry that the system will be complicated to use or expensive to maintain. This knowledge gap is an opportunity for developers who communicate clearly.
Marketing materials that focus on benefits rather than features, sales teams who can demonstrate the technology confidently, and clear homeowner documentation all help to bridge this gap. The developer who makes connected living feel simple and accessible will win the buyer's confidence and, ultimately, the sale.
According to a 2024 Knight Frank survey, the most common concern among premium buyers considering home automation was complexity of use (cited by 54% of respondents), followed by long-term reliability (41%) and cost of maintenance (37%). Addressing these concerns proactively in marketing and sales materials can significantly reduce buyer hesitation.