One of the worst parts of selling your home is the constant string of showings. It’s difficult enough to keep your house clean and ready to show. But it’s really inconvenient to have to rush out every time there’s a showing. You don’t always get a lot of notice and you often have to scramble to get the place ready in time. Even though a showing rarely takes a full hour, you still have to find a way to kill time until it’s scheduled to end. What if there was a better way?

Technology to the Rescue!

Would you have guessed a piece of technology could help reduce the stress of showing your home? A wi-fi camera set up on your front porch will save you time and let you be prepared when potential buyers arrive. A camera will allow you to see visitors as they show up at your home. And it can also be set to send notifications to your phone. This way, you will receive a message when people arrive and another when they leave. Meaning you can return to your home as soon as the showing is done rather than waiting an entire hour. This will save you a lot of time over multiple showings. You’ll also have peace of mind knowing your home is secure when you’re not there.

What Kind of Camera is Best?

When it comes to wi-fi cameras, there are a lot of different ones to choose from. But like all technology, not all cameras are created equal. We like to recommend the Nest or Arlo cameras to our clients.

Nest Outdoor Cam

One thing we like about the Nest Cam is that it looks good. You don’t want to be installing something ugly when you’re trying to make your home look its best. It’s weatherproof and plugs into a standard power outlet so you won’t have to worry about replacing batteries. With the Nest Aware service, you will receive an alert when the camera thinks a person has entered the frame. (If you have an Android phone, it even includes an image of the person!) The Nest camera ranges from about $200-$250 in price.

Arlo

The Arlo camera is also attractive and it’s completely wireless, so you can install it in almost any location. It’s weatherproof and will work in all climates. You can check the live feed anytime, and you’ll receive alerts when motion or sound are detected. And it has night vision, so you won’t miss an alert even in the dark!  The Arlo records motion or sound-triggered events and stores them for one week. This is handy if you want to look back and see how potential buyers reacted to your home. The free app is available for iPhone and Android. The Arlo has a range of models ranging from about $150-$430, so you can select the one that’s best for you.

Whichever camera you decide to go with, you’ll appreciate the added time and security you gain.