Todd- just in case, do you bring miners lights and shin guards? I could see where this could make your job challenging.

I agree. I hatge when this happens. When I remodeled my basement I took care of this because I have walking int he dark. You are right. Electricity is not that expensive.

I agree. I hatge when this happens. When I remodeled my basement I took care of this because I have walking int he dark. You are right. Electricity is not that expensive.

Todd, Great advise!  I ask sellers to leave a light on also for those darker rooms without a window.  Even a small accent lamp is better than nothing and uses less electricity.

I totally agree-I'm not fond of basements as it is let alone dark ones.  But just to be safe I now carry my maglite.  Lights up a room and in a pinch could be used for self defense.

Basement???????  Not gonna happen here in North Texas! You'd have to dig though bedrock! Great idea to leave the light on...I do remember having a basement when I was a kid in Tennessee and hated to go down there when it was dark.

Todd, I think you should stop blaming home sellers for you lack of preparedness to bring a flashlight! Just Kidding! This is a good post and I'm sure that your 65 tips are very helpful.

I did a blog on lighting in homes just recently - you could have them check that out.

 Some people don't do well in the dark at all & I think a light on is the least that should be done.  We select lights all over the home to be on for show days and open houses - again setting the stage!

We recnetly satged a home where the seller doesn't like the dark so there were lamps in all sorts of strange places. Everything was on a timer so we struggled to move anything since we had to figure out how to reset the timers. I like the suggestion to have the flashlight multitask as a weapon!

I think the little things can be forgotten and people tend to take it for granted that they know "exactly" where that switch is. But yes, take the time to get the house ready if people are coming and that would involve that light switch! sheesh people, come on!

There's another thing - if someone were to take a tumble going down dark stairs, there could be liability issues for the sellers.  

we walk in first and turn all the lights on! it makes the whole place look more inviting!