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I am finalizing my upcoming International Builder Show speech and I have an entire section on lighting.  I consider some enhanced lighting to be essential and some to be nice to have. However, my co-speaker Deborah Blake pointed out that many of her 55+ builder clients seem to struggle selling lighting because it can be expensive.

Perhaps a better understanding of why lighting is so important to a 55+ buyer can help builders sell it better. Indeed, many 55+ buyers don’t  realize why it is so important.

The Aging Eye

I wasn’t always so passionate about lighting. But now that I am 55+, I’m well aware of the challenges that come with reduced eyesight. As we age, the lens of our eyes thickens. This thicker lens allows less light to pass through. A sixty-year-old needs 6 times the light of a 20-year-old. Additionally, this thicker lens is also less flexible, making it harder to focus on things up close or small print. Thus, reading a menu or the bill with small print in a dim light is such a challenge.  The dim light of a restaurant may be great for the ambiance, but who wants to live this challenge every day in their home?

Non-negotiable Lighting for 55+

Layered Lights

My first must-have when it comes to lighting for a 55+ buyer is to layer the lights. This approach allows buyer the ability to adjust the lights for their vision needs. A great place for this layered lighting approach is in the kitchen. Let’s start with under cabinet lights that shine directly on the work surface without a shadow being cast by the person cooking. This task lighting can be amplified by overhead lighting like recessed cans in the ceiling. Next, add a second layer of lights about the cabinets – either in stacked upper cabinets or above the cabinets shining on the ceiling above. Lastly, the decorative pendants add the final decorative layer of light.

Wayfinding Lights

This is an essential for the aging eyes that struggle to navigate a dark house at night. Adding step lights to stairs, interior hallways, and toilet rooms is a great way to conquer the darkness subtly.

But these lights are not budget friendly so some builders offer them only as pre-construction option. If there is no prewiring for the step lights, the 55+ buyer is left to navigate their home in the dark.

All is not lost, however! Our townhome wasn’t prewired for step lights, so we upgraded our switches and outlets to include night lights that come on automatically in the dark. Now I can see at night on my staircase – even with the dark treads. Our toilet room already had a switch for the light and fan. Now that switch plate lights up at night.

Still not convinced? The most budget-friendly approach would be to strategically locate outlets in the toilet room, stairs, and hallway and let your buyers add their own nightlights.

Nice to Have Upgraded Lighting

Vanity Lights

Perhaps you’ve noticed new and newly renovated hotels have gone to LED mirrors. It is a very clean look, but the real reason hotels use them is that we all look better when the light source is directly in front of you rather than overhead.

Lights from above cast shadows on our face and accentuate wrinkles!

Don’t we want home buyers to look and feel their best when walking through your house?  Perhaps you remember the old Hollywood lights we used to place around mirrors in the eighties. Same idea without the intense heat from the lights.

Closet lighting

Have you ever tried to differentiate navy blue from black in a dimly lit closet? (I once wore on black shoe and one navy blue shoe to which I vow never buy the same shoe in those colors again – even if they were comfortable). Ceiling mounted lights in closets fall short of adequately illuminating our closets, especially if there are two rows of hanging. Adding an LED strip above the rod eliminates the shadows cast from the top row of hanging and let’s the true colors of the clothes be seen.

Pantry lights

Our townhome has a strip closet for the pantry. Because the depth of the closet is essentially the same as the shelves, a single light above would be worthless. We added an LED strip light to the inside of the door jamb. It is motion activated so when I reach in, the light comes on.

Using Color to Augment Lighting

Dark colors eat light. So, using dark colors can really darken a home. Such was the case in my last kitchen. I used espresso brown cabinets and a light countertop. I wanted the contrast. I thought the light countertop would be enough to brighten up the kitchen since it was parallel to the ceiling lights. Sadly, not the case. There was simply more surface area of dark cabinets than light countertop.

The kitchen in my townhome has white cabinets and a black countertop. Very dramatic with lots of contrast and very bright!

Selling Upgraded Lighting

Let’s face it. We pretty much only sell houses during the day. This is not the ideal time to see and appreciate upgraded lighting. Why not hold an evening event at your model for your buyers and prospects? Perhaps you make it a wine and cheese event making it fun and who knows – perhaps the wine will dissolve their resistance to yet anther option.

Selling lighting packages at night is exactly what our outdoor lighting specialist did at our lake house. It was mid-summer, so it was long after business hours. I was admittedly very skeptical about yet another expense. Did I really need low voltage lights around the waterfall? Couldn’t we just use the flood lights located on the nearby corner of the house? Then he demonstrated the difference.

WOW. What a game changer. The outdoor lights washed the waterfall in a soft light. The moving water then reflected the light back creating a magical flickering light cast around the yard. By contrast, the overhead flood light was harsh and flat. After this demonstration, I became a believer and later added them to our Jacksonville house.

If you have lighting success stories, I’d love to hear them. Just reply to this blog.