MEDIA ROOM
All You Need to Know
FIND IDEAS FOR EVERY ROOM AT NASHVILLE HOME SHOW
Are you trying to spruce up your home so you can sell for top dollar in today’s hot market? Or maybe you have decided to stay put and want to redecorate your forever home. Perhaps you want to build from the foundation up.
Whatever you’re planning, Nashville Home Show attendees will come away with ideas for DIY projects and meet dozens of vendors who can help make that dream home a reality.
The Nashville Home Show is a popular event that is returning to the Music City Center.
The Nashville Home Show is a popular event that is returning to the Music City Center.
The show is returning for the first time since 2019. Last year’s show was canceled because of the pandemic.
“We can’t wait to bring back the Nashville Home Show to the Middle Tennessee community,” said Tami Bailey, Nashville show manager.
“As the largest producer of home shows in North America, we are excited to offer Nashvillians a one-stop shopping event for their next home and entertainment project as the demands continue to grow in the area,” she said.
Those attending the show will hear from experts in all aspects of renovation and construction, from the heating and cooling system that keeps the home comfortable to decorating ideas for the whole house. There will be floor-to-ceiling ideas for every room, from the living room and bedrooms to the kitchen and baths. Even the garage is included. So are the lawn and garden.
Vendors at the Home Show will have ideas for the lawn and garden.
Vendors at the Home Show will have ideas for the lawn and garden.
MARKETPLACE EVENTS
Show highlights include a luxury tent experience from Let it B Love, an event and styling company that specializes in children’s luxury parties, and an exhibit by The Flying Ham, a glamping (glamorous camping) company that rents vintage campers and glamping tents.
“People are working on all rooms in the home. Living room and master bedroom updates topped our client's wish lists, followed by the usual kitchens and bathrooms. There is a lot of interest in wallpaper, which is great for a refresh or when you are doing a whole room redesign,” said Bohnne Jones, who operates Decorating Den Interiors.
Her team will be talking with show attendees about the latest in window coverings including draperies, shades and blinds and how to incorporate them into your home automation.
“Other innovations in window covering include shades in 805 colors with coordinating patterns for draperies, and if we can't find the right color in 805, we can custom design patterns and/or colors,” said Jones.
Who’s renovating and redecorating? It seems like everyone, said Susan Minzak, who operates Nashville Quality Granite.
“During COVID we were very busy," she said.
“A new kitchen counter is not the most expensive project but it yields a lot of money for your home. It’s one of those projects where you can spend a lot of money or a little, and it has a big effect. It really changes the look of your kitchen and really increases the value of your home,” said Minzak.
Brett Tudor of TLC’s "Trading Spaces" is this year’s celebrity guest. He will be showcased on the main stage, among others.
Tudor enrolled in carpentry school after being medically discharged from the U.S. Air Force after tearing his Achilles tendon while training. His carpentry school experience led Tudor to flipping houses in Austin, Texas, where he founded Property Doctors Home Inspections.
He is a licensed professional inspector, licensed OSSF septic system installer, residential energy auditor, rainwater harvesting system installer and rainwater system inspector.
During the show, Habitat for Humanity will showcase unique items available in its ReStores, which sell donated items such as used kitchen and bath fixtures at steep discounts to anyone decorating or remodeling on a budget. Habitat uses the proceeds to help fund its home-building efforts.
Attendees will learn about Habitat’s free DeConstruct program. Instead of paying a demolition crew, anyone renovating a home can call Habitat. Volunteers will remove countertops, cabinets, doors, kitchen and bath fixtures and other items for sale in the ReStores
HOME AUTOMATION & SECURITY IN DEMAND: 5 STOCKS TO WATCH
In earlier times, home automation and security were more about security sensors placed around the lawn, flashing lights automatically or directly placing an emergency call to 911 in case of a break-in. However, thanks to development in home technology, one can now be alerted of such situations on their smartphones. Internet of Things (IoT) has been around for over a decade and its application in home automation and security is impeccable.
Smart security and home automation tools include controllers, user interface devices, sensors, actuators, output devices (like dimmers, automated window coverings and dampers), and wiring and networking devices). A major part of home automation and security relies on the interconnection of these devices and appliances. It gives an extra layer of security, convenience and sustainability to the living space. With technology constantly evolving, these techs are becoming popular and more affordable.
Research firm Statista predicts that the smart home market will rake in $28.8 billion in revenues in 2021. In fact, the market is expected to see a CAGR of 12.8% to reach $46.7 billion by 2025. Home technology usage in households may jump to 40.1% by the end of this year, growing to 57.3% by 2025, with the United States leading the global market rally.
Home automation and security witnessed a significant jump last year, especially with people opting to make homes more energy-efficient. In fact, in order to cut down interaction with outsiders, many adopted robotic vacuum cleaners, smart cooking assistants, butlers, and even healthcare bots. For instance, SpotMini, a spinoff of Boston Dynamics’ original robotic dog, Spot, has found greater use in homes. It can already help in opening doors and providing security when the house is empty.
Per a National Association of Home Builder’s (NAHB) study in March 2021, buyers are ready to pay more for home technology that makes them feel safer and more comfortable in their homes. From programmable thermostats to security cameras, video doorbells, wireless home security systems, and multi-zone HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems, consumers are using technology that can control the micro-climate at home.
Additionally, these home technologies have found significant application in the healthcare space. From sleep monitoring devices to smart watches, healthcare home technologies can monitor all aspects of health and notify abnormality, before the person feels it. Even in the case of elderly people who live alone, these smart home technologies can monitor their health and report to doctors and family, regardless of the distance.
5 Top Choices
Wellness, usability, entertainment, and security will continue to power the home automation and security market, and declining costs will constantly boost the space. We have, thus, shortlisted five home technology stocks that are poised to grow.
Resideo Technologies, Inc. REZI develops, manufactures, and sells comfort, residential thermal, and security solutions to the commercial and residential end markets. The company reported a 25.81% earnings surprise in the last quarter.
The company that belongs to the Zacks Security and Safety Services industry has a projected earnings growth of 4.9% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s current-quarter earnings has been revised 20.4% upward over the past 90 days. Resideo sports a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Vivint Smart Home, Inc. VVNT engages in the sale, installation, servicing, and monitoring of smart home and security systems. The company’s revenues grew 17% in the last quarter, with a 13.6% earnings surprise. It has an expected earnings growth rate for the current quarter is 43.8% compared with the Zacks Retail - Consumer Electronics industry’s projected earnings growth of 25.8%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s current-year earnings has been revised 29.1% upward over the past 60 days. Vivint Smart Home carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Honeywell International Inc. HON offers automated home solutions and has merged with Intel to develop advanced security platform for home solutions since April 2019. This Zacks Rank #3 company that belongs the Zacks Diversified Operations industry has a projected earnings growth of 14.1% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s current-year earnings has been revised 0.1% upward over the past 60 days.
Johnson Controls International plc JCI designs, sells, installs, and services heating, ventilating, air conditioning, controls, refrigeration, integrated electronic security, energy efficiency solutions and more. Its HVAC & Controls and Fire & Security segment witnessed a 9.5% jump in revenues in the United States.
This Zacks Rank #3 company's expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 18.8% compared with the Zacks Security and Safety Services industry’s projected earnings growth of 13.8%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s current-year earnings has been revised 1.1% upward over the past 60 days.
Alarm.com Holdings, Inc. ALRM provides interactive security solutions to control and monitor security systems. It reported an earnings surprise of 42.11% in the last quarter. This Zacks Rank #3 company, belonging to the Zacks Security and Safety Services industry, has an expected earnings growth rate of 1.7% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s current-year earnings has been revised 6.6% upward over the past 60 days.
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NICE ACQUIRES THE NORTEK BRAND OF HOME SECURITY GEAR
Italian home automation company NICE has acquired Nortek’s security systems for $285 million. The deal adds to NICE’s brands of smart home gear, which include 2GIG, Numera, IntelliVision, Linear, SpeakerCraft, and others. In 2018, Nice took a majority stake in Abode, a smart home security system with a significant base of DIYers. The Nortek deal just emphasizes how important security is for any home automation company. (Nice) — Stacey Higginbotham
IoT platform Kore goes public: Atlanta-based IoT platform Kore has gone public through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) and started trading on the NYSE last Friday at $7 a share. (It closed Thursday at $6.42.) Like many IoT companies, Kore has seen a boost in business thanks to the pandemic and analysts quoted in this article anticipate it could use some of its cash to make acquisitions. (Fierce Wireless) — Stacey Higginbotham
Honeywell has patched a vulnerability in its controllers: Claroty, an IoT security firm, has reported three vulnerabilities in the Honeywell Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) distributed control system (DCS). These vulnerabilities could allow a hacker to load their own software to a controller and have it execute malicious code. The result of that code could affect a physical process, or be used to launch a denial of service attack. The researchers have informed Honeywell, which patched the affected controllers, and now any company using those controllers must make a call on whether to patch or wait. (Claroty) — Stacey Higginbotham
Hiber gives up on its own satellite dreams: Hiber, a European IoT business that had hoped to launch its own constellation of satellites to build an industrial IoT service, has filed with the FCC to withdraw its plans to launch the remainder of its planned satellites. The company launched only four of 24 satellites and plans to look to another provider to supply the satellite connectivity. Hiber provides sensors and an integrated software monitoring package as opposed to raw connectivity and recently completed a deal with Shell to monitor its decommissioned oil rigs in remote areas. Curious how many other IoT satellite plays experience a failure to launch. (SpaceNews) — Stacey Higginbotham
Maritime industry testing wearable fatigue-monitoring devices: P&O Maritime Logistics will use a smart device used in the logistics and trucking industry to measure fatigue in its marine workforce. The device, from a company called SmartCap, measures EEG signals using a band worn inside a helmet or cap to track fatigue. The goal of the gear is to help prevent a worker from falling asleep or performing badly during a safety-critical job like driving a truck or piloting a ship. I worry that the use of such technology without addressing the reasons workers might be fatigued in the first place will just provide companies with ways to ask the utmost of staff while delivering the bare minimum in terms of relief for stressed workers. (Maritime Executive) — Stacey Higginbotham
Hello smart blinds with Thread support! I’ve been contemplating the addition of smart shades or blinds in my home for some time but haven’t flipped the switch yet. The main reasons? The costs and hopes for Thread support. So I was thrilled to see an announcement this week introducing Eve MotionBlinds Motors. These won’t arrive in the U.S. until early 2022, but I’ve already scoped out details from a store in the Netherlands where you can purchase them now. Yes, there’s Thread support, like most other newer Eve products, and the price seems to be about half of what I’d pay if I chose currently available smart blinds from Lutron or another company. And those current alternatives don’t yet support the Thread protocol. Eve has partnered with Coulisse for the window coverings which will be available in curtains, Venetian blinds and cellular shades. (Eve Home) — Kevin Tofel
There’s an expensive new HomeKit security camera: I’ve never heard of Zorachka, but this company announced a new HomeKit webcam called the Homam, and it isn’t cheap. The now-available circular camera costs a whopping $399. Why the relatively high cost? It doesn’t use the cloud at all for image storage or AI detection features, instead providing 64 GB of on-device storage, for starters. And the Homam uses something called VIS, or Verona Index Storage, which is a proprietary technology. VIS is used to store videos and high-speed indexes for faster navigation through your footage, similar to commercial video on demand services. The company says its camera can find one video clip in a five-year archive in under one second, for example. I’m not sure consumers will pay for such a feature, but at least there’s no subscription fee! (HomeKit News) — Kevin Tofel
Finally: A Helium router that you can actually get. This week, RAKWireless announced it was building a new Helium hotspot called MNTD. I’ve been waiting since March for the similar LoRaWAN hotspot I ordered from Nebra for around the same $400 price. Every month since then has been one of frustration because of shipping or production delays. RAKWireless is taking a different approach with MNTD: Instead of taking bulk orders only to have consumers wait impatiently for devices, the company will only sell the product when it actually has them. This means buyers will only have to wait two weeks or so before they can expand Helium’s IoT network with their own hardware. Managing expectations: what a novel concept!