Staging property for sale: Need basic new Router purchase advice

I have a condo for sale. My realtor suggested that I make it a Smart Home like my current place. I need it to stand out from the other condos. So I am thinking a budget of $500…less is better. I have a CT50 thermostat I got a couple years ago as a backup, I have some switches, and motion detectors on hand, got the buy 2 get one free Iris plugs last week, so I buy a SmartThings Hub, I buy Blink Hub and one camera, now I am at 3 hundred give or take not counting my stuff on hand…I really can do some wow stuff with just that, but… rut roh, I need a router. Anyone got a suggestion for a reasonable router for a one story, 1300 foot condo that will play nice with SmartThings? Thanks

If your making a smart home for the intention of selling, I recommend Wink which will appeal to the average user more than ST, which is geared more to a power user. I would also consider a used Ecobee or Nest to give that sexy look in the wall. Buy used stuff for this project to save some cash.

As far as a router. I have an Asus, but it was $200. Any decent router should do to cover 1300 square feet.

I have a TP-Link OnHub and have been loving it!

Looks like the ASUS RT-AC66U can be had new for just over a hundo. It was top of the line new. My house is 1500 sq ft with all cinder block (even the interior) walls and that router blazes to every corner and most of the yard.

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I have the same router and am extremely happy with it.

Love Asus right now for routers. Best stock firmware.

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My understanding from trade publications is that it’s not about adding value: it’s about adding perceived value. To strangers who will be in your condo without you for about 10 minutes. So whatever you do, it should meet the following:

One) it has to be absolutely reliable. If it fails to operate as expected, you’ll lose the sale even though theoretically it should only be a very small part of the decision-making process. It’s like having a stopped up sink in the bathroom. It doesn’t matter how minor it is, the failure will represent a lack of maintenance.

Two) it has to have an immediately obvious benefit that would be of benefit to anyone who looks at the condo. It can’t need explanations or examples.

So based just on what I’ve read, the one home automation element that adds value in staging is motion-controlled lights in closets. People love these, they understand them, and as long as they work every time, they add significantly to perceived value.

A reliable smart doorlock also impresses some people. But in a condo you want one that doesn’t show from the outside. And again if it fails, you lose the sale. Also I think the group of perspective home buyers which is most impressed by smart locks is families with children. So I think I would tend to skip that in a condo staging situation.

I would consider a smart doorbell. Especially if you pick the ring which is advertised on television enough that people will of heard of it. It should be reliable, it’s simple to understand the value proposition, and it’s easy to demonstrate.

There are a lot of articles out there that will say that having a smart home increases the sale value by some ridiculous amount like 5%. If you dig deep into those you’ll find they are all coming off of one position paper from a national realtors association and that it was primarily referring to security systems like ADT. Not DIY home automation. People like security systems because they think they’re hard to set up so they see value in having the work already done.

The condo is small enough that you don’t really have to worry about Wi-Fi coverage. I would think any decent hundred dollar router should be fine.

Personally, I would get nonnetworked motion sensor lights for the closets. There’s no reason to do anything fancier than that and they’ll be a lot cheaper. I would get a ring doorbell and any decent router. And I think that’s all I’d do.

Anyone who has enough experience to value a home automation system is probably going to want to select their own devices, so I wouldn’t go too deep into anything else.

JMO

p.s. The Onhub hub router is very jazzy looking, and will impress most perspective condo buyers who would be getting Wi-Fi anyway. If it goes with your furnishings, it might well be worth considering just for the visual impact.

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Wow, great advice. I need to sit down and think what I can do from that perspective