In today’s tough economic times, many people may be considering selling their family home. Thousands of people have already downsized into smaller homes, after surrendering their dream home to the real estate market. Some families are even abandoning the prospect of owning a home, and opting to rent instead. Because of the number of homes on the market, more people are now researching the factors that can affect their home’s total market value.
There are a wide variety of factors that can affect the optimum selling price for a home. However, in regards to home security, you may be wondering if installing a home security system will provide you with a bonus to your home’s value.
Quick Answer
Yes, installing a home security system in your home does improve the potential selling price of your home.
In-Depth Answer
You will probably be able to include an installed seucirty system among your home’s assets when listing your home on the market. However, there are other factors to consider as well:
Leave Your Security System Behind?
If you’re moving to a new home, you may want to bring your current security system with you, to save on the price of purchasing a new system. If your system is wireless, this will be fairly simple. If your system is wired, the cost and/or time involved in re-installing the system into a new home may not be worth it. You also need to consider if your existing security system would be a good fit for the setup of your new home. For example, wireless systems encounter more interference if there are obstructions between the control panel and the wireless devices.
Selling Incentive
When a house is being shown by a real estate agent, the potential buyers will most likely want a tour of all of the features of the home. Leaving a security system in the home may add to their incentive to consider purchasing your house. For example – If a family was already factoring in the cost of a security system to install in a new home, and they were shown your house with an existing security system, it may provide enough incentive for them to purchase your house.
Ease-of-Use
Some home security systems are too complex for the average user, and may not provide enough incentive to justify leaving the system in your old house. This is especially true for many do-it-yourself (homemade) security systems, which may involve complicated programming and electrical knowledge. If your existing security system will not be easy to use for the new residents of your home, you may want to consider taking it with you instead.
