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Whether you or your Realtor shows your property, it’s sometimes awkward to circle the room and turn on all the task and accent lights. That’s why it’s important that general, overhead lighting be sufficient.  

Other tricks for boosting the brightness: double up on lamps. Yes, I mean pairs of lamps in close proximity. Or, place a large mirror on the wall behind a table or desk that sports a lamp.

If you are absent  before a showing, you can’t count on your realtor to arrive at your house before her clients do, and turn on all lamps.

In one property I had on the market, I put timers on a couple of table lamps, just to make sure that darker room were always well-lighted when I was away.

To me, the cost of electricity was worth it. No one said it wouldn’t cost any money to sell a house.    

When choosing a floor lamp, look for lamps that provide ample light and take up little floor space. A floor lamp that bounces light off the ceiling will go a long way towards increasing the size of the room.

An extension cord snaking across the floor to a lamp is a red flag to home buyers. It gives the impression that there’s a problem with the home’s wiring, even if there isn’t. Try to arrange lamps so the cord isn’t visible. 

Uplights, Downlights

One clever way to add some drama to a room is with hidden lights that wash a wall with light. Make sure your walls are blemish-free and expertly painted when you aim a light at them at a sharp angle.

Of course, it’s not always possible to control the schedule, but it’s worth mentioning to your Realtor. 

You cant beat a white ceiling for bringing a room to life. Dont listen to people telling you that the wall color on the ceiling will heighten a room. Light reflection matters more.  Designer: Nate Berkus for Katie Lee.

Brighten Ceiling and Walls

I’ve given many ceilings a coat of fresh paint, and the client is always amazed at the difference one coat of bright white paint makes. Over time a ceiling can take on a dull grey or brown tone from dust, pollen, aging paint, nicotine or cooking oils in the air.

Paint sold as “ceiling white paint” is especially designed to be reflective because it’s a pure, bright white. It doesn’t have the durability or washablilty of wall and trim paints, so it’s usually less expensive.

If you think your ceiling can benefit from some brightening (most can) it’s not that difficult to paint a ceiling if you do half a room at a time. Remove the small furniture to another room. Scoot all the big stuff to one side of the room, and cover the floor. Then, working on a step ladder, use a brush to cut in around the edge of the ceiling, and roll the reminder from the floor, using a roller screwed onto a long handle (like a mop handle).

Make your walls feel clean and bright with wall colors that reflect rather than soak up light. Muddy colors with dark undertones will close in the walls of a room more than clear, pale colors. Use a flat finish rather than a finish with sheen. Flat finish tends to blur the boundaries of the room, making it feel larger. 

Light Your Way to a Purchase Offer

“Plenty of light” is high on the wish list of most buyers. Even if you don’t have an abundance of natural light, you can still go a long way towards pleasing buyers by putting to work my tricks to create the sense of light-filled spaces in your home.