77-Year-Old Retired Teacher Wins HGTV’s $1.3 Million 2026 Smart Home—and She Has Big Plans for the Idyllic Florida Retreat

A retired substitute teacher has been named as the winner of HGTV's 2026 Smart Home, scoring not only the keys to the $1.3 million Florida property, but also $100,000 in cash.Karen Hiers, 77, who hails form Jacksonville, FL, is now the proud new owner of the modern Orlando abode, which is newly built and fully furnished.As first reported by People magazine, Hiers is a retired high school substitute teacher and a longtime fan of the home network as well as its designers Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt.While speaking to the outlet, the former educator revealed that when she first discovered the property would be hers, she went through several steps to confirm the shocking news, because she couldn't actually believe she had won.She first learned of her win in an email. However, she thought that the missive "looked suspicious," so she asked her son to help her verify it.Loading...A retired substitute teacher won the keys to HGTV's 2026 Smart Home, receiving the $1.3 million property and $100,000 in cash. HGTVLoading...Karen Hiers, 77, who hails form Jacksonville, FL, has been unveiled as the winner of the modern Orlando abode, which is newly built and fully furnished.HGTVLoading...As first...