Have you ever entered a dark, dingy room and thought: this feels like home? Not us either.
Light in a room is what makes it feel inviting and comfortable. If you want someone touring your home, contemplating buying it, feel welcome and at peace in it you need to embrace the light.
In real estate, the old adage goes: windows sell homes. We may all love the security of a home’s walls, but the windows are what connects us to the outside and make being inside a joy. At Spade and Archer, our first recommendation is always to let in the light. Removing window coverings is the easiest way to do that. Take everything off your windows and let the light shine in. Curtains can feel heavy and ominous. Remove those dusty old curtains and let the architecture of the home shine. Give the buyer a blank canvas and the opportunity to see the room in its entirety. As well as removing the curtains, be sure to take down any drapery rods and hardware, patch and paint the walls and make it like those curtains never existed. You’ll be amazed at the instant positive response you receive from a light, bright room.
Let’s not forget shutters and blinds in this scenario too. Even in their most open position, these can reduce the light coming into the room by almost 50%. They can also make the windows look smaller too. Take them down, remove the hardware and let all the light in. And while you’re at it, give those windows a good cleaning too. No sense taking down all the window coverings to reveal dirty, crusty old windows.
Even with the window coverings gone, some rooms can feel dark and small due to paint choices. There is a segment of the population that likes dark, moody wall colors and if a buyer does, they can paint once they move in. But our job is to present the home to as many potential buyers as possible. Light, neutral paint will instantly make a room feel expansive and clean. It will appeal to the larger buying population. Heavy, oppressive colors will not make your home inviting. Give it a refresh and watch the offers roll in.
But what if there are no windows in a certain part of the house? What if even with removing the window coverings and lightening up the paint the room still feels dark? Well, that’s where staging can really save your bacon. At Spade and Archer, we use multiple lamps throughout the home to heighten the atmosphere. Using warm, white light bulbs (not harsh blueish ones) we create an air of both warmth and light. Our lights are always on timers set to come on in the morning and go off at dark. A buyer simply needs to walk into one of staged homes and feel instantly welcome. The lights are on, the windows are open and the scene is set for the buyer to make themselves at home.
This is especially important in the cities we stage. Home staging in Portland and Seattle means we are working with Pacific Northwest weather and limited amount of light for many months of the year. Residents are always light-starved! And when we home stage in Los Angeles, the weather is of course why most people live there so we want to help show off that amazing California sunshine.
