How to Light up Your Life

Many people are choosing LED lights for their homes these days, but many have no clue where to start when shopping for LED bulbs. We’ve got some great resources and tips for you to figure out just how you can light up your life with cool products that are available.

Proper lighting is essential to create ambiance and enhance online photos. We are consistently asked about what type of bulb to purchase. The way to go these days is definitely LED bulbs. BUT they can be so confusing to shop for when you are unfamiliar with LED terminology such as lumens. Kristie Barnett, the Decorologist, has a helpful guide to wade through the myriad of options in LED lighting and WHY you should replace the bulbs in your home. Read it here. There she delves into the color (temperature) of LED bulbs and she also breaks down the conversion of watts to lumens for the brightness level of a room.

Sufficient lighting can be a huge problem when a home was not built with overhead lighting into rooms. There may be a switch attached to an outlet in the room that you can use to turn on a lamp, but that switch could be inconveniently located. Or better yet, one lamp just may not put out enough light for the entire room. One of our lead stagers, Kim Jones, found a cost effective solution to this problem in her own home. In the video below she demonstrates how you can light up a room with new smart bulb technology even when you don’t have overhead lighting. Take a look:

Say no to dark rooms and turn on the lights! Lighting technology has come a long way in the past five years. There’s so many cool products out there that provide the right light no matter your problem or area. Better lighting can increase your mood and your productivity levels. AND its especially helpful to have sufficient lighting when selling your home!

C by GE Smart Home Bundle Pack - 2 Smart LED Bulbs and Wire-Free Smart Dimmer Switch (2 LED A19 Tunable White Smart Light Bulbs + Wire-Free Smart Dimmer Switch + Color Control), Bluetooth Light Bulbs Buy on Amazon

5 To-Dos for a Quick Listing

The Spring selling season is almost upon us. Are you ready? With limited inventory on the market, the home selling/buying process is moving very quickly. If you are needing to put your house on the market in a quick time-frame, we have come up with 5 things you need to do before listing. These are all very economical tasks you, as the homeowner, can do in a short time frame that will increase the salability of your home.

De-Clutter

Our home revolves around our lives. Life gets messy - especially with kids. But when selling a home, let's edit some of the items we use on a daily basis. We don’t really need buyers seeing our every day lives spilled out on the countertops of our kitchens and bathrooms. AND buyers don’t really want to see evidence of someone else living in the home.

Furniture Placement

If you can't see it, you can't sell it. Draw attention to the focal points of the room and make sure you have have ample walking space from room to room. This may mean moving some furniture out into storage while your house is on the market.

Clean, Clean, Clean!!

We are talking Spring cleaning on steroids. Make sure to take into consideration things you don't normally think about on a regular basis like air vents, light fixtures and grout. Sometimes buyers can see past clutter but they can’t see past the cleanliness and condition of the home.

Adding Style

Adding a few inexpensive light touches makes a huge difference. New pillows always freshen up an old sofa. New white crisp bedding and towels give off that clean hotel appeal while adding style to a space.

Curb Appeal

Realtors spend several minutes at each home trying to open the lock box and get the key to the home. During this time buyers are analyzing ALL the details of the front exterior. First impressions are huge! Items you can tackle in this area include trimming those overgrown bushes, adding a fresh coat of paint to the front door, giving the flower beds a fresh appearance with new mulch, and planting seasonal flowers.

The market is definitely crazy right now and things are moving at a fast pace. These 5 things will put you in the right direction toward a quick listing date. If you are feeling overwhelmed or your house needs a little TLC before hitting the market, book a home staging consultation with us. We will give you a room by room priority list of what you can do to spruce up your space within your budget. We can shine a spotlight on your home!