Painting with Light to Help Sell Your Home

A few years ago, James and Kelsey Robins bought their first home in an up-and-coming neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. Their family grew to include two kids and soon it became clear that with two toddlers, their two-bedroom house just wasn't big enough. So they went to sell.

They found themselves in a frustrating situation, though, a situation that perhaps you have been in yourself. While the value of their house appreciated over time, the home still had not sold after several months on the market.

The stress of such a situation can quickly overwhelm a family. The possible solutions are endless and all of them seem to require lots of money. They could take out the carpets and put in new hardwood floors, install new cabinets, replace windows or even pay landscapers to help increase the curb appeal. But, it takes a lot of time and money to make these high-end upgrades and those who find themselves selling a house are often short on both.

It might not be fair, but first impressions really do matter. In fact, within a fraction of a second, we decide whether we like something (or someone) or not.

That's pretty amazing and if you're trying to sell your house, one of the most important things you should know is that buyers will most likely have made a decision well before they see your perfectly staged furniture and updated bathroom. You might have a great house in a great neighborhood, but if you don't make a great first impression, you may have a tough time selling.

Fortunately, there's one word that can simplify this whole process: Light.

Have you ever wondered why so many great artists spent their time painting baskets of fruit, flowers and portraits? They chose simple, everyday subjects because they knew a simple truth: by capturing the light just right, they could make common things extraordinary.

Similarly, the proper lighting in your house can make the difference between a dull, uninspired room and a rich first impression that creates of a sense of livability and comfort. There is an art to selling your home in today's market and one of the foundations of this art is creating the best first impression possible. A surefire way to make a great first impression is with proper lighting.

Whether you're about to put your house on the market or you are simply looking for some affordable ideas to add warmth to your home, we've gathered up five affordable and easy-to-install lighting fixtures. They provide simple solutions that will make an extraordinary first impression on any buyer.

Above all, we hope these ideas will inspire you to find even more ways to paint your house with light.

Why are bathrooms so important? Because this is the room where people go to look at themselves! More than the shower, the toilet or the tub, the centerpiece of a bathroom is the mirror. Have you ever noticed that bathrooms always seem to be on the cutting edge of modern design? People spend a fortune remodeling their bathrooms and at the top of many homebuyers' wish lists is the right kind of bathroom. One of the reasons for this is simply because they want to look good.

Keep in mind that you don't have to rip up the tile or order a fancy marble bathtub to accomplish this. You just have to make sure the lighting around the mirror is designed to produce a flattering reflection.

Mounting bathroom sconces around the mirror is one of the best ways to give off diffused light, which softens a person's facial features and prevents the sharp, angular shadows that bare bulbs or improperly-placed lights often produce. Best of all, they come in a range of styles to fit the look of your bathroom. It will likely take you only 30 to 45 minutes to install each sconce around your mirror. What makes this option even more appealing is that you can find many striking styles for under $200.

A final note on bathroom lighting: You want the light in your bathroom to replicate daylight. This will add flattering color to your skin and smooth out your facial features. To do this, your lightbulbs should be at a certain color temperature and rated for the ability to replicate natural sunlight. To learn more about these important details, see our article on how to light a bathroom.

There are few lighting fixtures as iconic as the chandelier. As practical as it is elegant, the chandelier developed as a way to amplify the light from a single source. Today, chandeliers remain a classic statement of elegance and their practical use has evolved into exciting new forms.

Placed in a prominent position at the front of the house, often in the dining room, a chandelier acts as a magnet to the eyes of potential homebuyers. There are so many styles currently available, too, meaning there is great potential to impress prospective home buyers and really grab their attention.

Whether your dining room is rustic, contemporary, classical or modern, we have a chandelier to match it. Considering the significant, dramatic effect that a new chandelier produces, they are affordable and relatively easy to install. Many chandelier choices are available for $350 or less and installing a chandelier takes roughly one to two hours. (For tips on getting the right size chandelier for your needs, click here.)

If you need help selecting the best chandelier for your home or if you are just looking for somewhere to get started, watch our video How to Choose a Chandelier.

The kitchen can make or break the sale of a home. This is where people congregate, where the food is made and where beverages are created. Buyers know they are going to spend a lot of time here and are often hyper-vigilant about looking for things they don't like. As a result, many sellers consider the kitchen a constant source of anxiety.

Fortunately, upgrading the lighting fixtures in your kitchen can really help strengthen someone's first impression of the space. Think of proper lighting as a good introduction to this very important part of your home. If you make that introduction count, everything else will go much more smoothly.

Let's focus on one particular type of kitchen lighting: the lights that go above your kitchen island. These lights provide two major services: they bring style to the room and provide the light you need to do everything from chopping garlic to writing a grocery list. Take a look at yours. Have you put too much emphasis on functionality? Does the lighting need a little more style or flair?

Many kitchen island lights are available for about $250 and require about an hour to install. Check out our full selection of kitchen island lights and see if there's a fixture for your kitchen. We have a great variety of choices to fit your home's style and your budget.

Curb appeal means buyers are making a decision about your house long before they step in the door. A clean lawn, pruned trees and nice landscaping can go a long way toward impressing a buyer, but what else can you do? If you have a nice lawn, do you have to spend hundreds of dollars on landscaping, planting trees or fixing up flowers and plants? Is there a less expensive way to make your lawn shine?

Certainly! Consider this: Some would-be buyers may see your place only by driving by it at night, so making sure your house and yard are properly lit is extremely important. Not only does good lighting highlight the features of your house, it also gives buyers a sense of security and creates a warm sense of welcome.

There is a huge variety of outdoor lighting options to choose from, and since we're working with a budget in mind, we recommend taking a look at placing outdoor wall lights around the front door or replacing the ones you already have there. These handy fixtures are easy to install and allow for a range of budget-friendly possibilities.

Post lights provide a great way to add that old neighborhood charm to your yard. Placed properly, they create a line of light that the eye naturally follows up to the wall lights hung around the door, creating a warm welcome. You might want to put a post light at the very end of a driveway, right by the street or mailbox, to make a streetside impression.

Finally, we have a variety of landscape lights, allowing you to really get creative. Strategic placement can create effects like silhouettes, shadows, moonlighting or other techniques that are explained in depth here.

Depending on your yard and landscaping, lighting can provide you with many new ways to enhance your home's appearance. Most of what we have discussed in this section can be installed in about 90 minutes.

Sometimes, buyers look at many homes and sometimes, these houses start to run together. You don't have to have one big thing that makes your home stand out, of course, but it's a good idea to combine one or a few strategies to make an impression.

One of the best ways to wow your buyers and really make a room pop is with pendant lighting. These lights can accent just about any space and add variety to any room. We have any style you can imagine (and probably some you haven't imagined yet)! 

Take some time to explore our entire selection of pendants and consider where to add them in your home. One tip is to walk through your house like a prospective buyer might do and consider what you see. Is there anything standing out? Is there anything you can play up more? You can also enlist a friend or family member to provide a second opinion. They don't see your house as often as you do, so they may have some really smart insights.

The time it takes to transform your boring old light fixture into an eye-catching impression—that is, the time it takes to install a pendant—is roughly an hour. Plus, we have plenty of fixtures for under $150. Realty website Zillow discovered that mentioning pendant lights in a listing caused homes to sell for about 5% more than expected, too!

Lighting upgrades are great because they are inexpensive and they add accents that emphasize the unique qualities of your home. They add depth and dimensions, focusing attention on the rooms and spaces that will influence how prospective buyers feel about your house.

More than ever, great lighting is one of the easiest and most striking ways to make a first impression. This is largely because more people are looking at homes on the internet than ever before. Curb appeal is still important, but remember that many people's first impressions are made before they even see the outside of your house. Your potential buyers will decide whether they want to see your home in the time it takes to swipe a thumb or press a button. If you're selling, you need to be sure that your house will appeal to them!

We hope that we've provided a few tips to get you started. If you have any questions about lighting or about the fixtures mentioned in this article, feel free to call one of our trained lighting specialists at 1-866-688-3562 or contact us on social media. 

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