Home Staging Austin – The Five Senses to Sell – Seeing is Believing Lighten Up!

Beautiful spaces that follow the elements of interior design – space, line, form, light, color, texture & pattern are all critical to appealing to home buyers.  It is hard to say which is most important, but easy to say which one can be improved upon the fastest with little to no investment to the homeowner…LIGHT!

If you have ever purchased a home you know the first thing the Realtor does upon entering is turn on the lights.  Why do they do this?  Well for obvious reasons the potential buyer needs to be able to see the details of the home.  They need to know that everything is in working order. They are looking at the walls to ensure there are no cracks and the paint looks fresh.  They need to get a strong sense of the architectural details of the home.  The lights on also provide the interested buyer a chance to emotionally connect to the home and visualize themselves living there.

All of this being said, if you ever find yourself as the home seller, carefully consider this information when staging your home to sell.  Your home stager should discuss your overall lighting, both natural and man-made.  I personally am a stickler for opening blinds, shutters & curtains.  It is the first thing I encourage the homeowners to do upon staging their home to sell.  It is amazing the difference natural light can make in any space.  Light sets the tone, it sets the mood, it creates the overall ambiance.  Unless your target buyer demographic is a vampire, maximize your homes natural light potential in every room.  Consider removing drapery or vertical blinds, keep shutters and blinds open, trim taller bushes away from windows and have all the windows in your home professionally cleaned.  It is a very low to no cost way to create a bright, cheery, welcoming effect in your home.

Let’s talk about man-made light.  There is task light, accent light and mood light.  Task light is exactly as described; it serves a purpose such as desk & nightstand lamps.  Accent light is meant to highlight a certain feature such as artwork.  Mood light is mean to illuminate overall spaces and elicit an overall emotion.  All three types of man-made light should be working with your home to showcase all that your home has to offer potential buyers.  There are a few things to consider when evaluating the lighting in your home.  Are the lights themselves aesthetically pleasing both on and off?  Are they too bright or too dim?  If so, replace the bulbs with a different wattage or consider installing dimmer switches.  Do you have enough light in spaces where natural light is low?  How does your lighting make you feel?  Would it elicit the same response from a potential buyer?  Your lighting shouldn’t feel overly sterile.  It should be warm, inviting and comfortable.

If you know in advance of a showing, turn the lights on in your home before you leave.  Carefully select the lights that highlight the positive features of your home.  For example, if you have a beautiful piece of art over the fireplace and sconces on each side, turn them on.  If your kitchen lighting is exceptionally bright such as a high wattage incandescent, consider turning on cabinet under mount lighting or pendant lighting only or add a dimmer switch with dimmable LED bulbs.

Finally, with all this natural & man-made light maximized in your home, ensure you have your home professionally cleaned.  It is hard to hide dirt & dust.  Now is the time to showcase your home in its best light.

Stay tuned for more Home Staging Austin – The Five Senses to Sell from Inspire Redesign