You only have one chance to make a first impression, so when you're preparing for a home showing, the last thing you want is for your house to appear dark and gloomy. Dark rooms can seem small, cramped and claustrophobic. These lighting techniques will help open up your interiors and impress potential buyers. 

Leave all Your Curtains and Exterior Doors Open

Pulling back your curtains will let in the sunlight from the outside, giving your home a cheery quality that buyers will find familiar and comforting. While you're at it, open your doors as well. This will encourage people to wander into your home while increasing your interior's exposure to outside light. 

Take Down Heavy Drapes and Replace with Sheers

Heavy drapes, even when pulled back to let in the sun, can still bring down the mood of a room and give a sense of darkness that you'll want to avoid. Take down your draperies and replace them with sheer curtains that filter light without blocking it. 

Turn on All Your Lights, Even in the Daylight

Natural light is nice, but it's not always adequate for staging purposes. Turning on your lights in broad daylight will eliminate shadows and reveal your home's beautiful interior features. To add to the sense of light airiness in each room, get the air flowing by turning on ceiling fans when you turn on the lights. 

Add Extra Lighting Fixtures In Dark Spaces

Buy lamps--lots of lamps. Put little lamps on end tables, in the foyer, in bedrooms and guest rooms. You don't need to put very strong light bulbs in these lamps. Low wattage warm light bulbs will contribute to the sense of lightness in the house even if they don't emit much light individually.

Update Old Lighting

Old home lighting fixtures, like large dominating ceiling lamps, can make your home seem outdated. These fixtures tend to be bright and glaring, taking away attention from more subtle and attractive light fixtures (like lamps). Have your old lighting fixtures replaced with a more modern option, like recessed lighting. This will make your home look more modern and may even convey the subtle sense that you've recently renovated. 

For more lighting tips, speak with a home lighting expert. He or she will be able to identify areas of your home that could benefit from custom home lighting fixtures to help with the staging and sale of your home.