Let There Be Light

Light Bulbs

As a major Plano Texas listing broker, I spend most of my time marketing my listings and servicing clients. As part of any listing I discuss staging and showings with my sellers. While I always discuss the importance of having lots of light in the home, I never gave any thought to the impact of Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFL).

CFLs have become wildly popular because they offer far more energy efficiency than the traditional incandescent light bulb. The downside is that CFLs take a few minutes to reach full brightness. Normally this is annoying at best.

Today, I was out showing and realized that this delay might have an impact on how potential buyers feel about a home. You see, the buyers we were showing a property commented on how dark and dreary the home was!

I’m recommending that sellers go back to traditional light bulbs while on the market. You can also consider one of the new CFLs out that come up to full power much quicker or LED light bulbs that have no delay.

You only get one chance to make a great first impression…let there be light!

Tom Branch, Broker, CDPE, SFR

Photo: Copyright 2011 Tom Branch

About Tom Branch

Tom Branch has written 597 posts in this blog.


Have you ever just met someone, but felt you like you'd known him for years? That's what most people experience with Tom. He has a knack for making folks feel right at home. After 21 years in the Air Force, loyalty and honesty are the foundation of everything Tom does. In addition to being a Texas Real Estate Broker, Tom is a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) and a Short Sales & Foreclosure Resource (SFR).