The coronavirus could be the crisis that finally propels the tech-averse real estate industry into the 21st century. Location matters less, now that the office is the kitchen. Size matters more, now that everyone is at home. And the best way to the kitchen. Size matters more, now that everyone is at home. And the best way to the building’s amenity package — it’s peace of mind walking from the lobby to the living room. These are the touchpoints for a host of new or newly valuable technologies emerging in the post-Covid housing market, from rent-regulated apartments to luxury condos. They range from robotic furniture that reimagines itself inside our shrinking walls, to contactless apps designed to bring neighbors together. They are futuristic takes on prosaic features, like ultraviolet wands in air ducts, and “Ghostbusters”-inspired blasters to hose down Amazon boxes. Some may be passing fads. Still, the ones that stick could have long-term implications for a stubbornly analog industry, even as some critics have raised concerns about data collection and privacy. And it remains unclear whether these improvements will reach the workaday housing market, or remain a luxury niche. Click to read more at www.nytimes.com.