Lighting is one important component to successful staging

I am real estate addicted.. I grew up in a family that has owned many things over the years and continues to own properties to this day.  I learned a lot from my parents: mistakes and things that work and have taken these ideas and use them in my staging today.  I do a lot of consulting on home remodeling, pre-staging listings as well as interior decorating for quite a few clients in the Portland area.  Over the years, the one thing that has been a constant in every job is a lack of lighting.  Lighting is your friend.  Any type of lighting is a GREAT THING.  You do need to know a few basics about lighting: I suggest going to a local lighting source and see if they have a lighting lab.  In the Portland, Oregon area, the folks at Globe Lighting host these FREE Seminars.   They are about an hour long and I go at least once or twice a year.  It is so amazing to me how much this industry changes as with so many things in the design world.  What I have found out is that if you surround yourself with professionals that specialize in these areas, they can make your life much easier.  Deveope long-lasting relationships with your vendors.... They can be invaluable to you...  If you need something in a hurry, they can sometimes get it for you.  BIG BOX stores are nice if you need something generic that millions of other people can get, but I am a big believer in supporting the "little guy" in the community.

Getting back to lighting for staging purposes...  You should have a huge inventory of lighting.  Lamps can make a small space appear larger.  Going into the winter, lamps are very important to make the dark corners come to life so potential buyers can see the entire square footage of a room.  Lamps should be to scale for a room or table.  Nothing looks worse than having a small lamp on a huge side table or a lamp that is larger than the table it is on.  Also, consider the size of the room you are placing the lamp/chandelier in.  If it looks off to you, chances are that it will look off to others as well.  Remember:  DO NOT GIVE YOUR BUYERS ANY REASON  NOT TO BUY A PROPERTY.  Since permanent fixtures stay with a property, pay attention to the style and proportions of the fixtures you are recommending to your clients..