Real Estate Investor Tip – Update Your Lighting

Here is a tip any type of Real Estate Investor or Home Owner can use – great lighting sells and rents homes faster. Don't over look the simplicity of just screwing in the right light bulb or updating the dining room chandelier.

When I started real estate investing in 2007 I had a rehab/flip project that sat on the market for over 1 month. I had tons of weekly traffic of interested buyers and their agents. Coupled with a  great open house turn out  I had over 60 interested potential buyers-  but no offers. In my mind of course, it was a perfect rehab – great for a new family, close to employers and in a good neighborhood with decent schools. Every time I was on site had always been during the day. After about day 45, I decided to visit the property around the same time that most people where viewing it, which was in the evening.

Wow, what a big difference. The street was dark, the house was dark and the existing lighting indoors painted a very dull and unflattering picture. I fixed that right away and in 2 weeks I had someone submit an offer on the spot with their realtor.

Are you a flipper, rehabber, buy & hold, lease-option or apartment investor? If so, here are five home lighting tips that have helped me close deals quicker and get a deposit check on the spot from tenants.

5 Home Lighting Tips For Real Estate Investors

1. Make sure that the perimeter of the house is well lit, especially during the evening hours. Don't forget the backyard. It will create an inviting feel when a potential buyer, renter or real estate agent arrives.
2. Let more natural light into the home. When flipping a home don't block windows with heavy curtains or closed blinds. Doing so will create more spacious  rooms. If staging, make sure furniture and small home furnishings do not block windows and home lighting fixtures to achieve a clutter free space.
3. Use the highest wattage bulb possible for all light fixtures.  The highest wattage bulbs that are allowed for your lighting fixtures will provide the maximum brightness and visual comfort.
4. Use “Daylight” type of bulbs. As an Real Estate Investor it will paint your space as bigger, cleaner, show off your beautiful rehab work and be more inviting for buyers and renters.
5. Replace broken fixtures and burned out bulbs.  Potential buyers and renters always look up and have only one thing to look at in that direction–lights and lightning fixtures. It looks tacky to have a fan missing bulbs or a chandelier crooked from missing links.

As a real estate investor you want every advantage to getting you home buyer offers faster and your rentals leased quicker. Updating and changing your bulbs and lighting fixtures will be a big boost to your profit margin.