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:
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.
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