Toll Brothers Builds Smart Home Appeal in New Construction Market

The homebuilder’s newly rebranded home security business unit has expanded its portfolio of home automation products and services.

HORSHAM, Pa. — Toll Brothers, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, is looking to the smart home to sweeten its appeal in the new construction market.

The company, based here, has expanded its portfolio of home automation products and services, and recently rebranded its longtime home security monitoring subsidiary to TBI Smart Home Solutions. Formerly called Westminster Security, the subsidiary first began offering alarm monitoring services more than two decades ago and currently serves for more than 7,000 Toll Brothers homeowners nationally.

“While the name change for us is new, we’ve been in this space for many years and think we have created something no other builder can match,” says Felicia Ratka, president of TBI Smart Home Solutions.

Toll Brothers has seen a steady rise in the desire for smart home control, Ratka explains, and in response the company has built home automation into the process of choosing options for the home.

TBI Smart Home Solutions provides each buyer with the opportunity to consult with one of its low-voltage contractors at either a Toll Brothers design studio or in a model home in their community of choice. Buyers are given a selection of home technology options to select for their residence.

“The expansion of our platform of services has allowed Toll Brothers to become the first national home builder to offer this level of smart home products in all of our communities,” says Ratka. “And with more than two decades of experience in home control and automation, we have a strong understanding of what it takes to prepare a home, coordinate installation of systems, and most importantly, expertly execute setup of these systems.”

TBI Smart Home Solutions offers choices ranging from a home security system — which homeowners receive for free with the purchase of a monitoring agreement — to smart home systems which allow the buyer to control security, lighting, room temperature, locks and more through Web-enabled devices. All systems have the ability to integrate voice control through both Amazon’s Echo speakers with Alexa and with Google Home Devices.

Buyers can select automation platforms from either Alarm.com or Control4 to meet their smart home objectives and budgetary considerations. Technology demonstrations for video surveillance, security, energy management and others are available at the design studios and model homes.

“Smart home control is such a highly personalized thing,” says Ratka. “What matters to me in home control might not matter to someone else. Offering a solution to fit each buyer’s demands is not easy on a national scale. We are proud we have been able to accomplish that.”

Home control solutions are offered to buyers in all single-family, estate, and carriage collections, as well as townhome communities.

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