Don't Leave Buyers in the Dark!

This was originally posted on my website's blog page, www.neohiorealtor.com. This is a modified version for the real estate community. I hope you like it.

Whether you are trying to get a listing or just talking with a future client that wants to make sure that their home's value is kept current so they can maximize their return when they do decide to sell, my top tip is: PAY ATTENTION TO THE LIGHTING!

Changing out and updating lighting in your home is one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to completely change how people perceive your space. I have walked into so many homes on the market today that are 30-40 years old and have never had any lighting updates done. If you like throwing money out of your pocket, that's a great way to do it.

Okay, so assuming you'd like to change that, where should you focus and how much do you spend? Of course, that's relative to each house and homeowner's budget. The rooms that typically sell houses are kitchens and baths, so these are the best rooms to start.

The kitchen: Take a look at your kitchen without any lights on during the brightest time of day. How much natural light are you getting from windows or skylights? Is any of that light being blocked or filtered by heavy drapery that could be cut down or eliminated? Buyers in today's market love natural light - the more, the better. Consider whether more windows can be added or changed. The expense is higher, but the return may be worth it. Consult a window expert or home designer for their opinions or call me. I'll be happy to come out and give you an assessment. Second, turn on the lights! Do you have ample lighting over all the workspace? Do you need to consider installing some inexpensive lighting under cabinets? Is the lighting in your kitchen coming from outdated fluourscent tubes in a drop ceiling or do you have more modern, recessed lighting that is more pleasing to the eye and more energy efficient, too? Don't forget to make sure that the style of light you select not only creates the amount and quality of light your room needs, but that the fixture, itself, goes well with the cabinets, counters and any furniture you have in the room, too!

The bathrooms: If you have globe lights on swags from the 60's still in your bathroom, you have a problem! If you have a cheap light bar that costs all of $10 at Home Depot, you have a problem! Great lighting is not expensive, it's priceless! For $50-100 you can usually find specialty lighting that will look great in your bathroom and installing lighting is not hard! I'm no electrician, but if I can do it, you can, too! Of course, hiring an electrician is always wise. If you really don't know what you are doing, pay the professionals! In your bathroom, is the light bright enough, or maybe even too bright? A combination of lights can be very effective. Consider installing some recessed lighting in the ceiling above the main areas of the bath (a light in the shower is always a plus, too!). You can then install sconces to either side of mirrors to help give your bath a more plush, spa hotel look. Don't neglect the mirrors! Most homes still have enormous mirrors that run the full length of the bathroom counters. People thought they made the bathroom look bigger, but that really isn't the case. You can get much better style and functionality out of your bath by replacing those old mirrors with smaller, framed mirrors. Less cleaning and more visual interest is what you'll get!

I recently got a $500 budget from some sellers of mine to go out and replace fixtures throughout the house. Here's some before and after photos (we're still doing some other updates as well, so the photos are just focused on the fixtures, not the rooms as a whole). Also, keep in mind that the new fixtures throw out an average of 50-100% more light than the old fixtures, which significantly brightens up the room, but actually causes photographs to come out darker (it's like a camera closing the iris if you point it at a bright light or the sun).

(This blog has been edited on 2/22/08. I apologize for the missing pics, but I re-formatted the website that was holding these and they are no longer available!)