When preparing their home for a show day, long-time owners can easily miss one of the most important factors in creating a great first impression on potential buyers: good lighting.
“If a house is dark, buyers will be hard-pressed to notice how clean, fresh or neat it is. Correct lighting, on the other hand, can change the appearance of a room from dull and even a little gloomy to bright and airy," says Martin Schultheiss, CEO of the Harcourts Africa property group. “Advice from our agents is that a small room can be made to appear much larger, and localised lighting in a very large room can create comfortably cosy areas. “Down lighters will help to shorten very high ceilings, washing one wall with light will visually push it away and illuminating the wide sides of a long, narrow room will make it look shorter. Accent or spot lighting will accentuate and attract attention to the room's best feature, perhaps the fireplace.” And contrary to common perception, he notes, changing the light fittings in a home is relatively inexpensive, especially when compared with other home decorating or renovating options. “The range of modern light fittings available and new systems such as low-voltage lighting, track-mounted spots and mini fluorescent bulbs, which last much longer than normal bulbs and use less electricity, means no homeowner needs to be in the dark.” What is more, says Schultheiss, a little imagination and the correct advice on what fittings to use to create the effects you want will enable potential buyers to “see what they’re getting” and help ensure a quicker sale.