Meet Mike Hayertz
Mike's path into residential technology wasn't the typical one, and that's the point.
Before smart homes, Mike built and ran businesses where service was the entire product. He owned a video post production house that grew to seven figures annually, working on national television shows and commercials. He went on to build studios for up and coming dotcom brands during the early internet era, working with major retailers like Amazon in their earliest stages. Later, he owned and operated a pizza restaurant. Different industries, different scales, same daily reality: problems no one had solved before, and clients who needed them solved by the end of the day.
In 2012, Mike brought that problem solving discipline into residential smart home technology. He went on to spend a decade leading technology for Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, managing fully integrated systems across his global luxury estates, private aircraft, mega yachts, and corporate offices. That environment demanded absolute reliability, zero tolerance for failure, and total discretion. It set a standard most integrators never encounter.
That standard, and Mike's service first philosophy, is what every VIP Smart Homes client receives today.
Service Is the Product
Technology is the hardware. Service is what separates a good installation from a great one, and a one time project from a long term client. At VIP Smart Homes, service isn't a department or a line item. It's the product.
Mike sets the standard and holds every person representing VIP Smart Homes to it:
If you call, we answer. Day or night, weekday or weekend. If Mike doesn't pick up, he calls back. If you text and haven't heard from him within minutes, he counts that as a failure by his own standard. That's the expectation for him, and the same bar applies to everyone on the team.
We don't pretend to know what we don't know. If we haven't worked directly with a specific system, protocol, or product, we'll tell you. What we will promise: if the project requires us to become an expert at something, we'll be an expert within a week. That's the honesty this industry needs more of.
We solve problems fast. Every smart home will eventually have something that needs attention. The question isn't whether. It's how quickly the issue gets diagnosed, resolved, and put behind you so you can forget about it and get on with your life. That problem solving reflex is the nature of this business, and it's how our team is wired.
We reduce complexity to eliminate failure. The most sophisticated smart home is one you never have to think about. It simply works, invisibly and flawlessly, every time. Fewer points of failure. Fewer things to troubleshoot. Fewer reasons to call us, even though we'll always answer when you do.
Problem Solving Is The Job
Installing the hardware is the easy part. Boxes arrive. Things get mounted. Cables get pulled. That work is real, but it's not the work that earns trust.
A premium smart home is hundreds of devices from dozens of manufacturers. Each speaks its own protocol. Each updates on its own schedule. Each has its own quirks. The bigger the system, the more places it can quietly come apart, and the harder those failures are to track down.
When something stops behaving right, the symptoms are usually small and confusing. A scene that fires inconsistently. A TV that won't reliably report its state to your automation. A motorized shade humming longer than its neighbors. A network roam that drops a thermostat for ninety seconds. These aren't failures of any one component. They're integration problems, and integration is the thing no single manufacturer is responsible for.
Solving those problems is the actual job. We do it every day, on every project, because we've seen the failure modes most integrators never encounter, and because we know that when a client calls at 9 PM about something not behaving right, they need a real answer in ten minutes, not a service ticket in three days.
Diagnostic Expertise
We read the processor logs, capture the network packets, and trace the actual root cause rather than guessing at symptoms. If a fixture is flickering, we find out whether it's the driver, the dimmer, the protocol, or the firmware, then we fix the right thing.
Real Time Triage
When something goes wrong, we triage by impact. Get you working first. Engineer the permanent fix second. Document the lesson third so the same failure doesn't surface again on your system, or anyone else's.
Systemic Thinking
We solve the cause, not the symptom. A scene that fires inconsistently might be a processor issue, a Wi-Fi roam, a CEC handshake conflict, or a stale firmware version on a single device. Knowing the difference is the difference.
Honest Communication
If we don't know yet, we say so. If we need a day to research a new protocol or test a workaround, we tell you exactly that. The fastest path to a fixed system is a clear conversation about what's happening and what comes next.
Why Our Clients Choose Us
Billionaire Tested Expertise
Our standard was built managing the global technology portfolio of one of the world's most demanding and discerning clients. We bring that same precision, discretion, and excellence to your home, regardless of size or budget.
Unrivaled 24/7 Support
Real, local support: no offshore call centers, no automated menus, no waiting. When you need us, we are there. Day or night, weekday or weekend. The same team that designed and installed your system answers your call.
Unified Ecosystems
We don't install gadgets. We engineer cohesive, reliable systems that give you true single app control over your entire home. Lighting, shades, audio, climate, security. One interface, one experience, zero frustration.
Premium Hardware, Future Proofed
As certified dealers for Lutron and Control4, Crestron certified, and an Official UniFi Partner, we install solutions built to outlast and outperform consumer grade technology for years to come. No planned obsolescence. No disposable tech.
What We Design & Install
Lutron Lighting & Shades
Certified Lutron dealer specializing in HomeWorks QSX, RadioRA 3, Ketra, Rania, Lumaris, and the full Palladiom and Sivoia motorized shade lineup. Professional lighting design and circadian scene programming. Explore Lutron →
Whole Home Automation
Expert integration of Crestron Home, Control4, Apple Home, Google Home, and Home Assistant. Unified control of every subsystem from a single, elegant interface.
Audio & Home Theater
Private cinemas and whole home audio built around Stealth Acoustics invisible speakers, Focal hi-fi systems, Sonos, and Sony Bravia displays. From background music to reference grade theaters. Explore Sony Displays →
Enterprise Networking
Unbreakable wired and wireless networks built on UniFi enterprise infrastructure. Structured cabling, managed switches, enterprise access points, and segmented VLANs for IoT security. Commercial grade performance at residential discretion.
Security & Surveillance
AI powered camera systems with UniFi Protect for premium performance and absolute data privacy. Budget friendly Ring options also available. Smart alerts, remote access, and 24/7 recording. Explore UniFi Protect →
24/7 Concierge Support
Proactive maintenance plans with monthly system checks, firmware updates, hardware inspections, and living system documentation. Starting at $500/month, no contracts. View Plans →
From Seattle Estates to Global Portfolios
Luxury Estates
Large custom homes with complex automation needs across Bellevue, Medina, Mercer Island, Clyde Hill, Hunts Point, Yarrow Point, Sammamish, Snoqualmie, the San Juan Islands, and beyond.
Boutique Custom Residences
Premium homes seeking fully integrated, highly reliable smart systems built to the highest standard, without the complexity of a full estate.
Mobile & Global Portfolios
Drawing on deep experience outfitting mega yachts and private aircraft, we design and install for any property (land, sea, or air) anywhere in the world.
New Construction & Renovation
We collaborate with architects, builders, and interior designers from the earliest design phases, ensuring technology is integrated into the architecture, not bolted on as an afterthought.
VIP Smart Homes is a licensed and bonded contractor in the State of Washington. License #VIPSMSH754B7. Based in Sammamish, WA, serving Greater Seattle and clients worldwide.
Let's Start a Conversation
If you are building, renovating, or upgrading a premium residence (in Greater Seattle or anywhere in the world), we would welcome a private consultation.
Schedule a Private Consultation