How the Art of Light Management Can Benefit Home Sellers

It is a common mistake for home sellers to fail to employ the primary pre-listing rules for selling Real Estate. Rules such as a decluttering, and removing non-mission critical personal items to storage, fixing cosmetic issues, and correcting light management issues that affect buyer impression, followed by a careful review of closets, pantry, laundry room and finally a thorough clean-up, including windows and landscaping, are all checklist items that will help you get the job done.

Don't Give Away Your Hard Earned Home Equity

While a percentage of home sellers dump their homes to buy-out vendors along with their home equity profits, the vast majority of home sellers have no intention of handing over their hard-earned equity and even find ways to amplify the size of the check they receive at the closing table. Giving away your home equity gains is like conceding years of your personal labor efforts, that you won't get back. Giving away your equity, in my opinion, is the real estate version of the payday loan scams. My advice is to carefully protect your assets. 

A key seller concept to embrace is this; the second you decide to sell your home, it belongs to someone else and you're just looking for a name. It is what you do before prospective buyers step one foot inside your home, will impact the price your home will sell for and how long it takes to find a buyer. You get only one shot at a good first impression, and that is where we can help.

When you decide to sell, your home becomes your theatrical stage to manage, and you become the director. Your Listing Realtor® acts as a production consultant offering valuable advice and quality tips so your home's impression value can emotionally connect with today's buyers. Many times, after you have made corrections, your listing agent will need to reevaluate your home's initial listing price to reflect your home's new look. Finally, buyers are your audience and either provide acclaim or criticism. Being prepared, and knowing the mind of buyers is the most important key for sellers.

Light Management and why it Matters

Above image was from a Frisco listing ARG sold in 4 days after being listed by another agency for 4 Months. We offered advice that included touch-up paint, new LED lights, ARG™ Accent Staging and a deep clean.

Today's home builders know all about the magic of light management and how quality presentation value, equals homes sales. Many homeowners, can unknowingly embark upon expensive mistakes when updating their homes, especially if the resulting new look is "dark and confining versus bright and open." For sure, the age-old adage, when selling "Light is your Friend," continues to be a timeless maxim.

How LED Lights Can Help Remove the Yellow Color Cast Look of Your Walls Without Expensive Repainting

Here are "before and after" photos illustrating how affordable LED's can change the wall color that one sees.

Quick Note, the seller kept the soft Edison Bulbs over the Island. Also notice in the upper Right-Hand corner of the image immediately above, that the LED, was the older soft light. We were one bulb short, but the difference is noticeable.

More light gives an illusion of more space and freedom. The lack of light makes a home feel more cave-like, confining and even depressing and that works against your home's general impression value. Darker homes with dark walls are harder to sell, and they tend to stay on the market longer, and eventually sell for less. Still with that said, it all depends upon pricing, so if you're shooting for a higher sales price, at or above COMPS, then employing light management techniques, and staging, are integral to your success.

When you hire ARG to sell your home, we conduct a thorough review of your home and discuss a wide range of staging advice including inexpensive ways to improve your home's lighting. We're believers in "Light Management" and we have seen it sell difficult listings. Even if you don't plan to sell your home anytime soon, if you have read this blog to this point, you should carefully consider how you spend future dollars on home improvements updates to insure you are creating a uniform look that will help you sell your home. The general rule is when in doubt, go lighter when choosing wall paint, cabinet finishes, counters, backsplashes and other impression setting accents, including shades and window treatments.

We Need Listings, And if You Need to Sell, Let's TALK!

When it is time to sell, the award-winning Realtors® at ARG™ offer D/FW residents an attractive combination of full service, years of experience and an affordable low commission cost! We can even help you save you more than FSBO. ARG offers a full array of client MLS listing services and middleman free savings. Also if you're buying a new home, the good news is builders have known about our market leading Free Move-up for years and hiring us will make them breath easier. Since 2004, we have maintained a 90+% success rate selling our MLS listings. To learn more, call Mike @ 214-727-3686 or fill out the form below and pick up a Free Copy of our Seller's Guide.