Photo Credit: Elan
Last fall, after 13 years of crazy successful pitching—which included three World Series wins—beloved San Francisco Giants baseball player, Matt Cain, retired. Since then, Cain has relished quality time off with his family—wife Chelsea and daughters Hartley and Everly, six and three. “I’m taking care of the family,” Cain told Haute Living in a recent telephone conversation. “And, enjoying life, and seeing what happens after baseball.”
Photo Credit: Elan
One thing that’s keeping him busy? House hunting. The Cains sold two of their homes—one in Alamo and the other in Arizona—before purchasing a gorgeous new property in Paradise Valley, Arizona. The Cains were driving by, and the 8,300 square-foot hacienda-style house caught their eye. They set up a time to check it out and instantly fell in love with the five-bedroom and 6.6-bathroom home. “It was a turnkey of what we wanted, and what we’ve been looking for. The layout and everything was great,” Cain says. “It had everything that we were looking for in a house that was plenty of room; and then, it had rooms that the girls could redecorate.”
Photo Credit: Elan
With two young daughters, security is vital to the Cains, so they had the property outfitted with new technology, the Elan Smart Home Systems and Solutions. Cain is absolutely obsessed with the setup which has transformed his home into a futuristic and smart space. From setting the pool temperature to dimming the lights in the kitchen to unlocking the front gate for the housecleaner, Cain can do everything with the flick of his finger. Elan panels are located throughout the house, but everything is conveniently accessible through the iPhone app.
Photo Credit: Elan
“We decided to go with the Elan alarm system, and I’ve fallen in love with it. The biggest thing is that it’s bulletproof and it’s super easy to use. Some of the systems can be a little confusing,” Cain says. “ It can be as basic as you want it, or it can be as over the top as you want it. The nice part is you don’t have to buy into a one-step package, and they do everything. You can really build your own system.” Even Cain’s parents find Elan easy to use. “We love that we could hand our parents the remote, and they can pretty much work the system without having to give them an hour long session of what-works-what. It’s very self-explanatory,” Cain explains.
Photo Credit: Elan
Cain was able to customize the system to suit his family’s needs. He worked with Jon Lunt of JL Automation to place microphones in the kids’ rooms eliminating the need for baby monitors. The sound system is compatible with Pandora and Spotify and there are speakers throughout the entire property including near the pool and basketball court.
Photo Credit: Elan
Cain’s wife Chelsea ensures that the doors are locked and the lights are turned off in the evening by simply saying “good night Elan.” Immediately the system changes the settings—locking doors, turning off televisions and audio, and dimming lights. In the morning when Chelsea says “good morning Elan,” the opposite occurs. Lights brighten and the service gates are opened so the gardener and pool maintenance team can enter the grounds.
Photo Credit: Elan
The Cains also take advantage of Elan while traveling. After being away for an extended period of time, they can remotely set the temperature of the house. If they are leaving for a trip and are worried they forgot to close the garage door, all they have to do is check and then remotely close it with the app. The jacuzzi, sprinklers, security cameras—you name it, Elan controls it. Like Apple products, Elan updates the software itself, so the system never goes out of date. Now that he and his wife have found their dream house, what’s next for the Cains? “You know, we’re not sure. We’re just gonna see what life happens.”
