Archives > June 2015

My house is dark and has blocked Light

This topic covers a wide range of issues with regard to blocked light when selling a home

Here are some key points to consider:

How many windows are allowing light in and how many are being blocked?
Trees and Shrubs should be cut back to allow as much light in as possible. Consult a professional on this subject so that the pruning does not kill the trees
Buildings can block light, but unless it is a portable shed or structure that could be taken down you are usually stuck with it so paint and interior lighting is the best course of action. Also, keep in mind with regard to RPR’s that outbuildings should not just be taken down as that may affect your RPR.
Oversized window valances or coverings are usually out of style and should be removed, in almost ALL cases
Neighbor’s recreational vehicles may block light and perhaps they would consider moving them while you are selling? It doesn’t hurt to ask. Not to mention they are a visual eyesore
Awnings on decks should be fully closed for showings and if you have dated awnings on the front of your house remove them if the budget allows
Exterior roll down security shutters should remain fully open for all showings. This is not a time to hide the house!
Use a bright light in the foyer and in the exterior light and leave it on at night
Consider adding a mirror to entry to enlarge the area’s appearance
Large pieces of interior furniture should be moved away from all windows, including headboards
Clean all windows, do both sides of panes
Keep curtains & blinds open
Clean all drapes, blinds and shutter (including exterior shutters)
Choose the brightest incandescent bulb you can (no fluorescent or white LED, this isn’t an office or hospital)
Clean all switch plates
Add lamps to all rooms or dark corners
Use existing lamps and change the darker shades out to a lighter one
Turn all lights on for all showings and ensure exterior lighting works
Paint all woodwork panels to a neutral or remove them completely
Take out loud color furniture pieces or dark heavy wood furniture

Opening and keeping open all window coverings is the first things and a MUST DO, regardless of the view. Buyers want to know what surrounds them when they are buying. Usually opening the coverings solves a lot of light problems. Having the windows professionally cleaned also will allow sunlight to burst through and give a great, clean first impression.

I highly recommend https://www.cleanshinywindows.com/

Interior Lighting and other Tips

Update all fixtures in the home, if budget allows. This has a great impact and first impression. Stay away from builder style pieces and go for the dressier ones.

I can consult with you on this and even have a Electrical contractor that can install them for you.

https://www.facebook.com/The-Troubleshooters-100187558527685

Improving the lighting in your home is an easy & Affordable way to add value fast.

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

How to Lighten and Brighten my house

Aside from odor, one of the first things buyers say is that a property is too dark. “It’s so dark in here.”

They could mean from an exposure perspective, or it has been too closed up for too long and has not seen the light of day.

Other times the paint colors are way too dark or there is dated wood paneling that has kept the house in the 1970’s. Regardless of why they think or feel it is too dark, is the better question of “How can we fix it before this happens?”

To lighten and brighten a home may be a simple process or an extensive one. Either way it needs to be done. Start with opening all the window coverings or even removing them. See where that leads you, besides exposing the sins of the dirty windows and wells, the bigger item we are looking for is how has doing this changed the brightness of the room?

Natural Exposure and Paint

Exposures of your property create varying degree and colors of natural light and that is a buying factor when buyers consider purchasing a home. Some buyers refuse to buy north facing homes due to the lack of light coming into half the home. So your first plan of action is to determine which direction your home is facing. You cannot change the direction of your home but you can influence its overall interior lighting.

Keep these points in mind when choosing paint

North exposure causes a dull gray hue to fill the room
East creates a green hue causing a darker cool feeling
South exposure brings a yellow or bright hue
West adds orange/red and creates deep warm glow

Working with the paint colors and the other elements within the room can make a huge impact on the overall first impression. It is a consistent truth that the paint colors seem to change from the store to the home, from the paint can to the tray and from the tray to wall. And usually when the paint dries, people think the paint colors were mixed wrong due to the stark difference in color. However this is not the case, it is simply the fact that the exposure, weather, and lighting all change color.

Choose colors that work well in all these rooms and if you are having difficulty consider hiring a Certified Color Consultant for help with this. I am a Color Consultant and my number is 780-218-7444 if you want to discuss a consultation.

If you choose to have a consultation for paint color will be well worth the small investment and save you bigger problems later once the new paint is applied and you do not have to change it because it was chosen correctly to start with. When painting to sell, it’s important that no mistakes are made. Universally neutral colors are the best road to take, but be warned all color chips are made up of multiple drops of pigment and therefore cause an undertone.

An undertone can be your biggest nightmare or your best kept secret. Neutral paint will have green, pink or yellow undertones and the key here is to choose paint that enhances your existing fixed elements, not the opposite.

Undertone Nightmare

Before I understood this important truth, I had a client who had a very pink house. Everything from tile, carpet, counter tops, walls, blinds, curtains and sheers, furniture, sinks, tubs…all pink. Even the kitchen cabinets were oak with a light pink wood stain. I had never seen anything like it. So, since we were using all of the client’s furniture for staging and they were unwilling to do other changes, all we could do was paint. So I took my paint fan to the STORE and chose a color. A nice neutral beige, paid for 10 gallons and arrived to paint.

I did the entire top floor, painting in my own little world before I noticed the color in its DRY state. It was green. So now I had a green and pink house! The pink elements in the home were now brighter PINK with the un-complimentary color of the green under toned paint. That lesson cost me a small fortune to fix and led to me get training on why that happened and how to not do it again!

Paint is an inexpensive way to add huge overall impact to a property and it can, if chosen correctly, create a wow factor first impression and add value to your property.

Oh and one more tip, Painters are applicators not decorators, so don’t let them choose your color!