Getting ready to sell your North Shore home requires planning and a lot of hard work preparing your home from the inside out. There may be one more finishing touch to apply before having The Marla Schneider Team put your North Shore home on the market - Outdoor Lighting.
You may not realize it but a lot of potential buyers drive by at many times throughout the day and night to check out the home and neighborhood. Curb appeal doesn't have to end at dusk. By adding outdoor lighting, your home will be sure to stand out and look impressive even when it's night.
Also, lighting professionals say that good exterior lighting can add up to 20% to the perceived value of your home. This can add up to real money when selling your home. By following some simple guidelines, you can make a huge impact to the curb appeal of your home.
Tone it Down
The first tip isn't to turn up the wattage, but to tone it down. Reduce the wattage in your fixtures such as pole lamps and wall-mounted lanterns beside the door and garage. It will really make a big difference in making the house more welcoming, and your guests are not assaulted with light. Use light bulbs that are between 25 watts and 40 watts for a pleasant bath of light. You can also use a dimmer switch for the porch light if you prefer.
Lantern Therapy
Most of the lanterns that are installed when homes are built are usually clear glass or too small for the home. You can either replace them with upgraded fixtures that will really add to the look of the home or, if it isn't within your budget, you can keep your current lanterns and frost them yourself. A spray-on frost will give the attention to your lanterns and your home instead of putting the focus on the light bulb.
If you do decide to update your lanterns, stay away from brass which looks dated. Bronze is a great finish for a traditional home and nickel for a modern home. You can even ask to borrow a fixture from the showroom to size it up next to your home to make sure it's to scale.
Welcome your Guests
Your front door area is perhaps the most important focus of the entire home. Good lighting will play an important role in drawing the focus there. By illuminating the entryway, you are saying: "Welcome to our home".
If you have columns, bushes or even pots on either side of the front door, place lights down low and shine them up into those features so they bracket the door.
Another simple trick is to lower the wattage as you get further away from the doorway. The eyes automatically go to the brightest thing in our field of vision which will be the doorway.
These are the first steps to making your North Shore home beautiful even in the dark. By just toning down the wattage and resurfacing your existing lanterns and lights, you will be on your way to impressing all the potential buyers that The Marla Schneider Team brings in to view your home.
In Part 2, you will learn how yard lighting will enhance the entire look of your home.
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