When we bought our first house here in Murphy, NC, it was a foreclosure—and there was maybe one working light bulb in every room. It made trying to make the house sell miserable and difficult. In fact, I tried to sell it no less than three times to different buyers before I made an offer on it myself, and no one would buy it! I decided it worked wonderfully for my family, so Jessica and I purchased it.

Perhaps I’m wrong; I suspect a major reason it didn’t sell is because of how poorly it showed. There were obvious things wrong with it: disgusting carpet, it needed staining outside desperately, the basement wasn’t completely finished, and a few other things. It was all cosmetic. The location was prime, repairs were reasonable, and the price was right. I, to this day, believed it didn’t sell for one simple reason – light bulbs.

Too simplistic? Perhaps; perhaps not. Lightbulbs are one of the most overlooked yet effective tools in showing a property. In fact, anyone who has ever had their house listed for sale with me has probably heard me say, “When you have a showing, turn on every lightbulb in the house. I want it to look like the house is on fire!”

If you’re selling your house here in Murphy NC and surrounding, or anywhere for that matter, make sure that every light bulb in the house works. It may sound like a no brainer, yet you’d be amazed how many houses we show where there’s no light working in the stairwell, the kitchen, bathroom, you name it. Switch broken and that’s why the light won’t turn on? Replace it. This is simple, yet important.

The lightbulb itself matters. You want something in 3000k range of light. The “old fashioned” incandescent light bulb is the standard, yet is getting hard to find. It turns on to peak output instantly and provides a comforting, warm light. You do not want the “spaceship blue” lights as I call it (I believe the industry calls it Cool Blue or something of that nature). You also do not want the curlicue fluorescent light bulbs… unless you set the stage for each showing.

The light itself is fine in terms of output and color, however they tend to take a significant period of time to warm up and reach maximum output. By then, your prospective buyer is gone and on to the next room and didn’t get the best impression, whether they realized it or not. LED’s work great – instant on, easy to find color temperature, however can be cost prohibitive. When it comes to selling, or not selling your house, a light bulb is certainly worth the cost.

Don’t overlook the little things: lightbulbs go a long way. Want to know what else it takes to sell your house? That’s what we are here for! Call us on the number below or contact us by clicking here and we will guide you on what it takes to get it sold!

John Poltrock – The Poltrock Team at RE/MAX – Murphy NC – www.iLoveMurphy.com – 1-866-Murphy-NC or 1-866-687-7496 – Murphy’s #1 Real Estate Team