“Should I leave the lights on when I leave the house?” is one of the questions we field most often from sellers. Short answer, “yes!” Please leave the lights on and the heat up for the buyers and their agent. As the days grow darker and gloomier in New England it’s uplifting and welcoming to enter a bright, well-lit home. Let’s delve into some points of view surrounding lighting etiquette.
What are the buyer’s agents and buyers thinking about when they go into a home? From a buyer’s agent point of view, it is a sigh of relief when we go into a home that is well-lit and the heat is at a decent temperature. Hunting for switches and dimmers takes time away from pointing out the features and amenities of the property. And, little known fact, buyers are obsessed with switches, fans, lights, and remotes. Removing that as a distraction lets the showing continue without a stop at every doorway or closet with the questions, “Where is the light for this?” or “I wonder how this turns on?”
What should seller’s agents want to point out to the buyers and buyer’s agents? Listing agents may add some “notes” about the location of some of the switches/lights in case they are “off” when the buyer’s agent is showing the house. One recent example was a switch to lights located on the exterior of the room hidden behind the door. Thankfully there was a note to explain. Better solution would have been to leave the light on to avoid potential confusion.
But what about saving money and turning lights “off” when no one is home? It’s understandable, that, as a seller you don’t want your lights on all day or even for several hours due to electricity costs. But, in the long run keeping your lights on is one small detail that may move buyers forward while they look at the house, floor plan, and features without fumbling for switches and remotes.
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First, who doesn’t love a warm Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tart? Alas, I digress. Back to the topic at hand, what is a Pop-Tart agent? Whenever there is a hot seller’s market, as it has been the last few years in Vermont, buyers are eager to run out and see property. This means that a buyer would call an agent, and the agent would pop up at the front door to let the buyer into the house, thus the practice of “popping up” to show a house morphed into a “Pop-Tart” showing as Pop-Tarts, well, you know, pop out of the toaster when ready.
If you’ve been following the mainstream media you may have read that Sellers are no longer required to pay Buyer’s Agents. It’s an interesting headline unless you are in the real estate business and know that Sellers never were required to pay Buyer’s Agents, but that’s another blog.
