Archives > March 2015

Natural Lighting when Selling your home

Buyers are demanding more natural lighting in their homes. As a society, we are overwhelmed with florescent lighting at work and now with the removal of incandescent light bulbs, it is even more important. Many people do not realize the hazards of CFL’s to their health and wellbeing, but I will save that for another blog!

Natural Lighting and Exposure

One of the top things buyers look for is natural lighting. Dreary homes are not appealing. Lighting comes in two forms, artificial and natural. Natural lighting is most affected by the direction a home faces. Homes that face South/North are less sought after than those that face East/West. This is because north facing homes are in grayness all day, as they never gets sun exposure. Add to this cold dark Canadian winters and you have a dreary home by default.

East/West exposures benefit from sunrises and sunsets and will have some yard in the sunshine depending on the lay of the land. It often allows for great breakfasts in a sunny kitchen!

While you cannot turn your home around, there are things you can do to add natural lighting to your home. First remove all overgrown shrubbery from blocking your windows.

You can also ensure better lighting by keeping the windows and screens free of dirt and cobwebs. Regularly washing windows goes a long way. Awnings are also a major offender in blocking light and unless you are actually trying to do that, then take them down.

Interior Tips

The interiors of darker rooms can be lightened up as well. To start, remove heavy furniture and drapes from windows and install lighter weight sheers. Adding Solar tubes is a great option also and can be an asset when you go to sell, as long as it is professionally installed. Staircases and north facing rooms benefit from this feature.

Check out this page for details: https://solatubepremierdealer.ca/lightco-solar-systems/about

Solar tubes are an aluminum tube shaped product that is installed with a small hole in your roof. The tube is bent through your rafters, bouncing natural light in to the room you choose via a small flat round window that is installed in your ceiling. It creates a mini skylight at an affordable price. Solar tubes also eliminate the need for lighting during the day, especially in closets and hallways, which saves on electricity bills as well.

Adding value through some small investments can really boost your marketability when it’s time to sell. And if you plan ahead you can enjoy these features for a while too!

For information on Staging and pre- renovation consultations prior to Listing your home, or for a 15 minute Market Strategy call, book your spot here:

Jill Turgeon

REALTOR® @ One Percent Realty & RESA Award Winning Home Stager

& Owner of Simply Irresistible Interiors

780-218-7444

https://linktr.ee/thestagingagent

Offering her optional “Stage and Sell Real Estate” services to her listing clients, she can strategize with you on the best way to set your home apart for selling

*This website in whole, is not intended to solicit listings that are currently under contract to other brokerages.

#onepercentrealty #homestaging #stageandsell #jillturgeon #homestager #edmontonstaging #realestate #renovations

Artificial Lighting when Selling Your Home

When preparing your home for sale, the lighting topic cannot be overlooked. The importance of natural lighting was in an another blog, so now we are taking it indoors.

To fully appreciate this let me take you on a short showing through a dark listing.

Showing Your Home

First, your Agent has trouble finding the key box. Once located, opening it is a challenge because the exterior lights aren’t on or burnt out. After a few frustrating minutes, access is finally gained! Now the showing begins. Upon entering the home for the appointment, you discover total blackness. It’s only 6 pm, but it is January in Edmonton. It is dark outside. Your real estate agent fumbles around looking for light switches while you try to adjust your eyes to take in the sights of what might be your next “home”.

If all lighting is functional and the bulbs aren’t burnt out then you can assess the property. However, that is usually not the case and you are left wondering what this home is all about.

Moving onto the bathroom, the seller decided to save money and only has one bulb in there. It’s hard to see if there is water damage or repairs needed. The bedroom has a small flush mount light with one bulb in it and the lamps are not on. The laundry has blinding florescent light and after you recover your balance, you find a dingy dark basement with no strings on lights. There is no way to find a switch and just more disappointment.

Lighting Matters

I could go on but I think we get the point. Today showings are less than optimal for so many reasons and lighting is a large player. One of the reasons that I am opposed to CFL bulbs is the time they take to “warm up” and fully turn on. It’s much too slow and by this time, your buyer has already moved to the next room and is waiting for that bulb to warm up.

When you are presenting a large scale investment for sale and have only minutes to entice a buyer, it is important to make sure that they are able to see what you are selling. Daylight bulbs are a great investment for selling. This may mean a larger power bill temporarily; however it is a small price to pay.

Another option is to keep your lamps on light timers . Leave them set for the darker hours of the day/ evening depending on the season you are in. Keep in mind that September to March they will need to be set from 4 pm to 10 pm, in more Northern regions.

Another way to use artificial lighting to your benefit is to add more. A typical living room has 2 lamps, but you can add a floor lamp in a corner behind a chair. Entry ways that can accommodate a table can also have a lamp in many cases. You can also add one in the bedroom corner as well as the existing table lamps on nightstands. Consider desk spaces, laundry rooms and even a dining room corner with a nice vase and branches and floor lamp, if space allows.

Increasing the wattage will also help, and make sure that every space for a bulb in a fixture does actually have one.

Light up corners with floor lamps or use up lighting. This involves using a small desk lamp behind a sofa chair in a dark corner, placing it on the floor and shining it upwards to light up the corner. This is especially helpful in basements where there are no windows or less natural light. Keep in mind that it has to be stable and not in danger of being a fire hazard.

Artificial lighting benefits best from neutral paint colors, as that of course makes the room look lighter.

I want to ensure that you have a great sale and that you are well prepared to sell quickly, so I offer a Strategy call for 15 minutes to see if we are a good match for working together.

Click the link below to select a time that works for you: