Homes just got a bit “smarter” in Mesa, Arizona

“Alexa, unlock front door. Alexa, turn on kitchen lights.” These are commands that a handful of homeowners will be using in their new Amazon Alexa smart homes developed by Scottsdale-based Maracay Homes.  

The popular virtual assistant developed by e-commerce giant Amazon has taken the world by storm, allowing consumers to access their music, calendar, email, text messages, and more with a simple voice command. This technology has become so integrated into consumers’ lives that demand for entire Amazon Alexa homes has risen.

In Arizona, Maracay homes is capitalizing on this opportunity. Last November, Maracay Homes unveiled 53 smart homes in Electron at Eastmark, an east Mesa housing community. The homes range between 2,300 and 4,000 square feet with three to six bathrooms, up to 4.5 bathrooms, up to four-car garages, and of course, all of your tech needs.

Among many other features, the smart homes include: Amazon Echo, Amazon Echo Spot, Amazon Echo Dot, Samsung SmartThings Hub, Eero WiFi, Ring Pro Doorbell, and a WiFi thermostat. Essentially, these devices allow a resident to operate their entire house with their voice. Homebodies can lock/unlock doors, turn lights on/off, change the temperature, access security footage of the front door, and more.

Amazon representative Angie Newman explains that people have responded well to the relatively new smart homes so far – not only in Arizona, but around the nation. “Amazon is working with builders across the country, including Mesa, to create smart homes,” Newman said. “We’ve found customers enjoy the convenience of moving into a complete smart home that includes the hands-free convenience of Alexa.”

The development of smart homes does not seem like a short-term fad, either. The smart home industry is expected to reach $53.45 billion by 2022, according to Zion Market Research. Another study conducted by Boston Consulting Group anticipates the sales of smart home devices to increase by 42 percent between 2017 and 2022.

These smart homes will also have an environmental impact. With more control of thermostats, lights, and water faucets, residents can reduce their energy consumption with the press of a button. Plus, Maracay Homes offers solar energy-integrated homes, which can reduce carbon emissions even further.

With a massive environmental and economic impact, Alexa homes are becoming the way of the future.