Lighting is one important component to successful staging

I am real estate addicted.. I grew up in a family that has owned many things over the years and continues to own properties to this day. I learned a lot from my parents: mistakes and things that work and have taken these ideas and use them in my staging today. I do a lot of consulting on home remodeling, pre-staging listings as well as interior decorating for quite a few clients in the Portland area. Over the years, the one thing that has been a constant in every job is a lack of lighting. Lighting is your friend. Any type of lighting is a GREAT THING. You do need to know a few basics about lighting: I suggest going to a local lighting source and see if they have a lighting lab. In the Portland, Oregon area, the folks at Globe Lighting host these FREE Seminars. They are about an hour long and I go at least once or twice a year. It is so amazing to me how much this industry changes as with so many things in the design world. What I have found out is that if you surround yourself with professionals that specialize in these areas, they can make your life much easier. Deveope long-lasting relationships with your vendors.... They can be invaluable to you... If you need something in a hurry, they can sometimes get it for you. BIG BOX stores are nice if you need something generic that millions of other people can get, but I am a big believer in supporting the "little guy" in the community.

Getting back to lighting for staging purposes... You should have a huge inventory of lighting. Lamps can make a small space appear larger. Going into the winter, lamps are very important to make the dark corners come to life so potential buyers can see the entire square footage of a room. Lamps should be to scale for a room or table. Nothing looks worse than having a small lamp on a huge side table or a lamp that is larger than the table it is on. Also, consider the size of the room you are placing the lamp/chandelier in. If it looks off to you, chances are that it will look off to others as well. Remember: DO NOT GIVE YOUR BUYERS ANY REASON NOT TO BUY A PROPERTY. Since permanent fixtures stay with a property, pay attention to the style and proportions of the fixtures you are recommending to your clients..