2025, Art, gardening, home, Uncategorized

A Lightbulb Went On

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As of last Sunday we had our house on the market for two months. We had many showings, but no offers.

Our real estate agent couldn’t understand why. The house was clean, well kept, and nicely updated, with lovely features. We knew that our rather wild yard with the mass of raspberry canes, the large strawberry bed, the front veggie bed, the large flower beds, and the rampaging rose bushes just didn’t appeal to some viewers. Others wanted a larger yard, something we really couldn’t do much about.

Our agent wondered if the basement, which we had extensively remodeled and updated. was just a little dark. She advised us to try ro make it brighter, so last Sunday we replaced all the basement light bulbs with Bright White LED bulbs. We did the same to the upstairs lights for good measure. The whole interior was somewhat brighter, with uniformly tinted bulbs.

The next day, Labor Day, was somewhat trying as we had two showings, and that meant keeping the house beautifully pristine and having to leave for about an hour with the dog. I don’t quite understand this, but both of the viewing parties on Monday gave us offers immediately after the showings!

Was it the lightbulbs? I seem to think it was, and I find it ridiculous. I am grateful and relieved, though. Now we can focus on wrapping things up here.

What would you look for if you were buying a new house? What decorating trends, past or present, have you loved or loathed?

20 thoughts on “A Lightbulb Went On”

  1. I would look for light. The windows should be washed, even polished, for no other reason than to admit more light. Even if I hated them, I would prefer to view the interior of a house that I was considering to buy with “thin lacy curtains” than with thick drapes. In the old days, when Incandescent bulbs came in wattages, the house that would appeal to me would have 250W bulbs in every lamp and fixture.

    The place that might appeal most to me would have an interior somewhat suggestive of an igloo.

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    1. I agree about the thin curtains I used to use “sheers”, or just a valance of some kind at the top. In this house, I didn’t even put up curtains except in the bedrooms. We have the original oak woodwork and mini blinds, and I’ve been told it’s very “Zen.”

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      1. I’m not big on curtains either. And several rooms I just have valances. In my bedroom, I actually have kitchen curtains — valance at top and half curtains on the bottom. Part of it is I really just love the windows and prefer natural light and a little bit of it I think is my slight claustrophobia.

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  3. This reminds me of the advice that was often given in the past that you bake cookies or bread before a showing so that the house had that homey fresh baked smell. I don’t know if this is still a thing.

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  4. I’m not sure I’m the right person to ask about what to look for. The house I’m in now was in rough showing shape when I bought it. Burnt out light bulbs, absolutely filthy carpet, house reeked of smoke. But it had all this great wood, hardwood floors, and lots and lots of windows. The house had been on the market for quite some time when I found it and I pretty much stole it from the people who owned it before.

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  7. At this point I’d be looking for a rental, and minimal yard work! I was in a great town house the other day, build in the 80s. I was practically drooling. She had a side private patio, but a big shared back yard. Pays a monthly fee for the maintenance…

    I too don’t like the dark colored walls. I do like the open kitchen concept, rather than a lot of small boxy rooms.

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  8. The house inspection for our ND home happens Monday. The furnace is two years old, the shingles are one year old, and we are having a plumber come today to fix slight drips in a bathroom and outdoor faucet. The windows are pretty new, too. The foundation is a poured one and perfectly intact. I am hopeful there isn’t anything in need of repair that we don’t know about.

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  9. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    Renee, what an ingenious and cost-effective (read cheap!) idea to install different lightbulbs.

    If I was looking for a house right now I would seek a condo or townhouse. My concern with those, though, is that HOAs are often expensive and ineffective. So I would also seek a functioning HOA, which is rare! I am not yet ready to move,though. Right now our house is the cheapest living arrangement possible.

    Trends are just so…fickle and often not functional. Case in point on TV or in staged homes there are often white sofas. WHITE! Those folks have never lived with kids, teens, or pets. Most wallpaper I do not care for, especially the stuff my late mother-in-law would hang–red and brown pheasants dancing over the walls. But I do love the wallpaper my friend and I installed in our living room.

    I have loved the open living room and the island we gained during the 2020 remodel. That works well in this house.

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    2. I’m now a member of at least two HOAs. There are a lot of rules. Presumably, the higher the HOA dues the more services you’ll receive, right? My Brockman home will be listed in a week or so. The realtor wants an open house on Saturday the 20th. My Brockman dues are high, but I get exterior maintenance, snow removal, lawn maintenance, water, sewer, garbage, recycling and WiFi. I’ve even had the dryer vent cleaned. They cleaned windows once too! I think it’s worth it. The dues are lower at my new one: Millstone. I get exterior maintenance, snow removal, lawn maintenance, and garbage. I have to pay for my own WiFi, water, sewer, and recycling. I can’t have a grill at either place. I can feed birds at the new place though. Both of these HOAs are responsive. Brockman has always been responsive, but not always in the way that I wanted.

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  10. Sandra and I lived in a townhome for four years. The fees started out small and rose quickly. Big problem for us it was life in a fish bowl. Loved the floor plan. But could not garden. Some members wanted to write all sorts of restrictive rules. Went to renting. Got lucky in that. In all likelihood I will be looking for a new place in a new town. You have me thinking about what to look for and what I am likely to be able to get.
    Clyde

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  12. Good job on the lightbulbs. I think it probably would make a difference. If it’s a little bit dim people are gonna think dingy and the vibe is gonna turn them off. Because they’re not gonna think it’s just lightbulbs, they’re gonna think the windows aren’t big enough.

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  13. Our plumber fixed all the leaky drips. We have known him for 35 years. I told him I never wanted to see him again, at least not in a professional capacity. He thought that was really funny.

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  16. Like VS, I bought a house that needed a lot of cosmetic work but had good bones, so to speak. Nice woodwork and some recent plumbing and electrical upgrades. The peeling wallpaper and carpet with burn marks were things that could be overlooked. It does seem logical that people respond better to well-lit spaces, though.

    If I were going to move, I’d look for something with lots of storage space. That’s something my current living space lacks.

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