For most Canadians, outdoor lighting usually means a welcoming porch light or the security of a floodlit driveway. When selling your Halifax home, one way to make it stand out above your competition is by adding some simple outdoor lighting.
You may want to consider illuminating your yard, balconies, patios and gardens - those outdoor "rooms" that everyone sees. Not within your budget? Today, energy-efficient lighting products such as automated controls, sensors and a wide range of fluorescent bulbs and spotlights, not only make it economically beneficial but environmentally sound.
The great news you can pass onto those potential buyers is that the lighting has been updated with outdoor lighting retrofits, reducing the annual costs almost in half. By allocating your budget for new outdoor lighting, you will appeal to more buyers and will be making your home more environmentally friendly.
Outdoor Lighting Tips
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Replace standard incandescent bulbs with outdoor compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) that last six to ten times longer than standard bulbs and use two-thirds less energy while giving off the same amount of light. They're perfect for hard-to-reach fixtures, but make sure you purchase the ENERGY STAR® labeled CFLs manufactured for outdoor use.
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For your large areas such as your driveways and entryways to your Halifax home, use infrared or halogen parabolic aluminum reflector (PAR) spotlights for these areas. Not only are these ideal for security lighting, they are also lower wattage lights which will not only save you money but will also save energy.
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Install motion detectors on your security lighting with halogen bulbs. These will enhance the effectiveness of your security function, will last four times longer than incandescent bulbs, and will use 40% less electricity since they are triggered with motion.
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If it's within your budget, install timers on exterior lights and set them on a regular schedule. They're energy savers, as are photocells, which automatically switch lights off at daybreak.
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Make your home more inviting and your garage less industrial-looking by using decorative surface-mounted linear fluorescent fixtures.
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You can also harness the sun's natural energy with simple solar-powered lights for landscapes and paths.
Remember, buyers drive by at all hours of the day and night to see if this is a neighborhood and home that they will want to settle in. By lighting the outside of your house, your home becomes more approachable and welcoming. Potential buyers will like what they see on the outside and will want to come in and see the interior as well.
Making your home more energy efficient is always positive, will make your home more energy efficient than the rest, and will give Roy Thomas a leg up when selling your Halifax home.
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