TRI Pointe Group to Deepen Investment in Smart Home With Homes Featuring Amazon Alexa Across All Six of Its Homebuilder Brands

• The new offerings are an advancement of HomeSmart^® – TRI Pointe Group’s included in-home technology package – and a commitment to delivering what today’s buyers want
  
  
  
  
• HomeSmart^®, activated and supported by Amazon, is demonstrated in over 25 model homes in eight states

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 31, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TRI Pointe Group, a family of premium homebuilders with a legacy of delivering sustainably designed, high-performing homes to buyers in major markets across the United States, has announced that it is teaming with Amazon to offer homebuyers smart homes featuring Amazon Alexa. An extension of HomeSmart^®, TRI Pointe Group’s suite of state-of-the-art home technology and automation features, the new smart home offering includes:

• Echo, Echo Show, Echo Spot, Echo Dot, or Fire TV Cube
• Home activation appointment with an Amazon Expert and Amazon activation support
• Eero Home WiFi System – a premium offering of eero and two beacons that provides fast and reliable wireless internet coverage
• Leviton or Lutron Smart Switches
• Honeywell Lyric 2 Smart Thermostat or Ecobee Smart Thermostat
• Ring Video Doorbell Pro
• Samsung SmartThings Smart Hub or Wink Smart Hub (available in select markets)
• LiftMaster or Genie WiFi Garage Door Opener (smartphone/app enabled, available in select markets)
• Schlage or Kwikset Smart Door Lock  (available in select markets)
• Rain Bird Smart Irrigation WiFi Controller (available in select markets)
• Rinnai Tankless Water Heater Recirculation Pump (available in select markets)

By simply asking Alexa, homeowners will be able to activate routines like ‘Alexa, good morning’ to adjust lighting and temperature, play music, and more in their new home. TRI Pointe first introduced smart home experiences, activated and supported by Amazon, with their Seattle-based Quadrant Homes in April, 2018. The expanded smart home offering being implemented across TRI Pointe Group’s other five homebuilder brands adds to the HomeSmart^® tech and automation features that harness the power of Internet-connected devices – all to elevate the homeowner experience and allow homeowners to conserve energy. 

“We are constantly evolving and aiming higher to meet and exceed customer expectations,” said Tom Mitchell, president and chief operating officer of TRI Pointe Group. “It’s an honor to work with companies like Amazon that share our commitment to innovation and customer service offerings that enrich consumers’ lives while contributing to their well-being.”

Reflecting its commitment to stay at the forefront of today’s most innovative home technology, TRI Pointe Group began demonstrating the new smart home offering with the launch of HomeSmart^® in early 2017. Builder brand Pardee Homes was the first to incorporate Alexa into the Arista model homes at its Aliento™ master-planned community in Santa Clarita, California.

“From enjoying entertainment to locking the front door and even managing sprinkler systems, we hear that customers love the simplicity and convenience Alexa brings to their everyday lives,” said Sarah Zenz, GM, Amazon Experts. “We’re pleased to see TRI Pointe Group expanding to offer Alexa smart home experiences to even more customers.”

Research shows that 32 percent of U.S. homes will be smart homes in 2018, and that number is expected to hit 53.1 percent by 2022.¹ “Whether it's the desire to improve efficiency for cost savings or environmental reasons, security, or the convenience of creating a more seamless lifestyle, buyers want smart home systems,” said Mitchell. “The smart home offering featuring Amazon Alexa is an opportunity to address those desires, and we’re thrilled to start offering it as an extension of HomeSmart^® across each of our homebuilder brands.”

HomeSmart^® is the fifth component of LivingSmart^®, TRI Pointe Group’s comprehensive program that seamlessly blends the design, development, construction and operation of high-performing homes to provide healthier, more comfortable living environments with lower operating costs. HomeSmart^® is centered around three components: comfort and control, access and security, and Wi-Fi connectivity. The technology package homebuyers receive is tailor-made for each of TRI Pointe Group’s builder brands’ markets and price ranges.

To help new homebuyers maximize their HomeSmart^® technology at no extra charge, the package includes an on-site activation appointment with an Amazon Expert to customize the smart home experience, as well as Amazon Expert activation support. Amazon Experts are Amazon employees who are specially trained on the latest technology and are passionate about helping customers. Customers have rated Amazon Experts at 4.9 out of 5 stars.

“TRI Pointe Group is proud of the progress each of our homebuilding brands and divisions has been making in the areas of home technology and seamless connectivity,” said Mitchell. “We are excited about our implementation of the Amazon-supported and activated technology package companywide.”

About TRI Pointe Group^®

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TRI Pointe Group, Inc. (NYSE: TPH) is a family of premium, regional homebuilders that designs, builds, and sells homes in major U.S. markets. As one of the top 10 largest public homebuilding companies by market capitalization in the United States, TRI Pointe Group combines the resources, operational sophistication, and leadership of a national organization with the regional insights, community ties, and agility of local homebuilders. The TRI Pointe Group family includes Maracay™ in Arizona, Pardee Homes^® in California and Nevada, Quadrant Homes^® in Washington, Trendmaker^® Homes in Texas, TRI Pointe Homes^® in California, Colorado and the Carolinas, and Winchester^® Homes* in the Washington, D.C. area. TRI Pointe Group was recognized in Fortune magazine’s 2017 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list, named 2015 Builder of the Year by Builder magazine, and 2014 Developer of the Year by Builder and Developer magazine. The company was also named one of the Best Places to Work in Orange County by the Orange County Business Journal in 2016, 2017, and 2018. For more information, please visit .

*Winchester is a registered trademark and is used with permission.

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¹ (Statista 2017 - )