Natural Lighting

Take stock of how much light is entering your house. When your house is dark, it feels like a bat cave and it won’t matter even if you have the most incredible interior.

Open all curtains and windows while it’s bright outside. Now observe minutely each room. Does it feel dark and cold? It may be fine if you’re used to living this way but buyers will be quick to cross your house off their list for lack of coziness.

Natural Light:

• Remove ornaments or anything hanging on your windows. The glass panes must be clear and unobstructed.
• Cut back tree limbs that block natural light reaching your windows. Similarly, remove indoor shelves and plants blocking your windows.
• Window treatments: replace dark or heavy looking drapes. Here the sky is the limit:
  Consider shutters, sheer white panels, or cut-to-measure blinds at a home center. They are relatively inexpensive and you can revitalize your rooms in one weekend
  Mount your valance higher to let in more light while making the window appear larger.
  Yet another possibility is to leave windows bare for a fresh, on-trend look.
• Remove doors and let adjacent rooms share their light (and fresh air). This works well with dining and living rooms.
• Reflect light with strategically placed mirrors. Do this sparingly or risk being labeled as the house of mirrors.
• Replace the solid door of your study room with a French door so light can permeate to the rest of the house. To upgrade inexpensively, buy a French glass insert and install it yourself.
• Clean your windows and skylights. Layers of grime can filter out an amazing amount of light.
• Consider a new decorative glass insert for your main door. Glass inserts are economical and easy to install. You’re guaranteed to buy lots of light for your foyer.

When natural light isn’t enough, you’ll need to accent it: (more...)

More tips from 'Prepare Your House For Sale'