Light… you can’t see a home without it. You would never buy a home unseen. It should be the number one item on your list to Prepare or Repair.
First and foremost, it’s not your home anymore. Remember that. It doesn’t matter you like it dark. Forget any personal dedication to global warming. If only for a short while, Al Gore will forgive you. We could provide bland technical details, instead we’ll be short and to the point.
These are the five things you must do:
1) Go from room to room and turn on every single light. Look at them and make sure all the bulbs work in every single fixture and lamp. Look up at the chandelier and every single pot light. Look at all the bath fixtures, every one, even that shower light you don’t feel like changing. Look at every lamp on every table, desk, every mantle and in every corner. It it’s not plugged in plug it in and make sure it works. If it doesn’t work fix it or get rid of it. If those under the counter lights don’t work fix them.
2) Pay close attention to the color temperature (that warm glow of incandescent lamps we all love). It should be the same in every fixture in the room. In laymen’s terms don’t mix florescent with incandescent. Ditch those white curly bulbs. You spend all that time selecting a color coordinated set of towels and bed linens. Spend the time to color coordinate the temperature of your lights.
3) Lamps are not for decoration alone and non working lights send the wrong message. If they don’t work or the plug can’t reach, what kind of message does that send? Pa says “Hey ma look at the pretty desk in the middle of the room.” to which Ma replies “The lamp don’t light dummy. Look at the cord. No where to plug it in.” Those tall console lamps were meant to light not sit there. Nothing is nicer than a well lit room and nothing is more apparent than a dark lamp in a well lit room.
4) Pot lights that are not lit draw attention to the fact they are hard to reach. Replace them with working bulbs. The same goes for that chandelier in the entry. Sure it’s high and hard to reach. Do you want to draw attention to how nice it looks or that you fail to maintain it for whatever reason. While you’re up there brush off the cob webs and wipe the dust off the bulbs. No “I never turn it on” is not a good excuse. Replace the bulbs and whatever you do use the right bulbs and the right wattage. It will greet you potential buyers.
5) Fix every exterior light that does not work. Make sure every bulb in every carriage light works and make sure you turn them on before every showing. Night or day it does not matter. They are a warm greeting to buyers and say you care about “their new home.”
Have a few spare bulbs hand of all the right styles and wattage. One will burn out before the sale, if not, your new home will need them.
All of this is very simple and may take less than an hour to remedy these faults. It should be a good prep before each showing. Nothing makes a better impression than all lights on when potential buyers open that front door or enter a room. Night or day it doesn’t matter, as you leave your home before each showing go through and turn every light on in every room all at the same time including the exterior lights. Don’t forget those wall sconces. Now you know the drill, just do it.
Chances are the bright look will impress you. CLICK! (the sound of that light bulb going ON over your head) If it impresses you it will impress those potential buyers.
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