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Norton Agency adds smart features to homes
06292018 SMART 1
More new homes, and even rentals, are including smart home systems like this Nest, pictured Thursday, June 28, that connects to the internet and can be controlled remotely via a smartphone app. - photo by Nick Bowman
Gainesville realtor Frank Norton Jr. spends a lot of time reading. These days, much of that reading has to do with technology and how he can better serve residents in Norton Agency homes by using that technology to make their lives easier.“We are at the infancy of all of this,” Norton said of the 5 percent or so of properties the Norton Agency has that have smart technology. “We should see this transpire over the next five years as the tenants are demanding a higher level.”As millenials and even older generations are purchasing and renting homes, they are expecting more technology to come standard with the property, Norton said. That’s why he has been slowly moving in that direction since he first had a Nest thermostat, which allows residents to control heat and air through their smartphone, in a vacation home in 2011.Since then, he’s seen utility savings up to 50 percent.