8 Important Reasons Why You Should Install Exterior Lighting

Everyone knows interior lighting is vital because as each day comes to an end, indoor lighting ensures we can still be productive. However, do you ever stop to think how important exterior lighting is? Of course, there are a few obvious reasons that come to mind, but if you’re on the fence of whether installing lighting outside your home would be a good idea, read on to see what exterior lights can do.

1. Provides Safety and Prevents Lawsuits

If the pathway leading up to your home is slippery, steep, bumpy, or contains steps, having added exterior lighting keeps both you and others safe when walking up to your house.

Not having lighting installed outside your home is risky. If someone else trips or slips and receives an injury, you are more likely to receive a lawsuit and lose if adequate lighting is not provided to ensure others can see if there are stairs or another object in the way of their path.

Your best bet is to install lighting leading up your sidewalk to minimize the risks of potential injuries and even lawsuits.

2. Deters Criminals and Pranksters

Having lighting installed outside your home helps prevent burglaries, vandalisms, ding-dong ditching, and other criminal behaviors or pranks. The reason for this is because exterior lighting indicates that someone is home and will be able to tend to outdoor disturbances if they arise. This also tells a potential criminal that they are easier to see if caught and better to spot on film if any nearby security cameras are installed.

In fact, outdoor lighting doesn’t just help keep crime away from your home; it can keep crime away from nearby neighbors’ homes as well. Outdoor lighting can also create a blind spot, so others can’t peep into your home as easily.

Due to this benefit, many like to leave their outdoor lights on all night – even if they aren’t actually home. If this is something you may wish to do, consider opting for solar or LED lights as both are very cost-effective sources of light and are energy efficient.

You may also wish to have motion-activated lights. if criminals trespass, the lights will go off around the time they pass the lights, giving them the impression that someone is potentially not only home but also watching.

3. Increases Your Home’s Value

Believe it or not, adding the proper exterior lighting to your property can boost your home’s value up by 20%. For a simple and affordable installation compared to other additions that can also increase your home’s value, exterior lighting is a great option.

To take full advantage of increased value, be sure to opt for quality and strategically-installed outdoor fixtures. If you aren’t sure where to start, check out Cocoweb.com for a variety of exterior fixtures.

4. Helps You to Sell Your Home

If you’re hoping to sell your house quickly, added exterior lighting can help you in the process.

For one, exterior lighting makes a dingy home happier and more family-like. That’s what home buyers want: a house that speaks to them and makes them feel welcome. After all, many tie darkness with gloom or uncertainty and light with joy and security.

Second, outdoor lighting is an added feature that not all homes have – or sufficiently have. Home buyers love properties that have or have extra amounts of what other properties lack. Already having adequate exterior lighting installed gives the potential buyer peace of mind as they won’t have to install it on their own. Such a home thus looks as finished and ready-to-move-in as possible.

Additionally, exterior lighting can help one sell their home because it can accentuate the positive features of their property. The way some fixtures illuminate can also create a beautiful reflection or shadow onto the home, yard, or ground to provide a homely and fancy feel.

Last but not least, exterior lighting will make your home look more expensive. Buyers may believe that by purchasing your home, they’re getting more bang for their buck. A home without exterior lighting may appear cheap or unfinished.

5. Extends Your Outdoor Time

With better lighting in your front or/or backyard, you can expect yourself and your guests to spend more quality time outside. Quality lighting can ensure one is able to extend their work and play past daylight hours, and of course, better guarantees safety.

Consider placing lights around pathways, your pool or jacuzzi, trampoline, sitting area, barbecue, or other areas where you plan to spend a lot of time around. With better lighting, you’ll be able to host dinner parties and other evening gatherings outdoors, especially great for the spring and summer when the nights are warmer.

6. Makes You and Your Home Appear More Trustworthy

Say you and your daughter are selling cookies around your neighborhood in the evening. Which homes look more inviting: the ones that are dimly lit or have no lights at all, or the ones that have sufficient lighting? If you said the latter, you’re correct! Most people find that well-lit homes are more trustworthy while non-lit homes are sometimes deemed suspicious or threatening.

It’s not just the home and home owners that are deemed more trustworthy when they have well-lit properties. People will also trust that they won’t trip over something on your pathway and that there aren't strange animals lurking around your yard in the dark. Safety is a key concern for most people.

With that said, make sure your home is inviting to neighbors, party guests, friends, family members, and others who may be visiting your home. To do this, all you may need is better exterior lighting (or lighting to begin with)!

While some may say, “I want my home to look less trustworthy on purpose,” this isn’t something one should want and here’s why:

• Neighbors will be less likely to befriend you.
• Friends will feel less comfortable visiting your home at night.
• Less potential home buyers will want to even enter your home for an open house or tour, and thus, be less likely to purchase your home.

After all, some homeowners intentionally turn off their home’s lights to deter trick-or-treaters when they don’t have candy, and it works, but why try to deter your friends, neighbors, or even potential buyers?

7. Boosts Your Curb Appeal

Many like the idea of showing off their property. Pulling up to your own home and viewing its beauty after a long day in itself is pleasing too. Best of all, something as simple as exterior lighting alone can significantly boost one’s curb appeal. Attractive fixtures and the illumination they provide help offer such curb appeal.

Additionally, lighting can highlight the features of your property you wish to be noticed: your freshly-planted flowers, the beautiful white-washed brick on your home, your green grass, and so on. Placing your fixtures in all the right areas can ensure your home and yard are best dressed for any occasion.

8. Reduces insects and other pests

Cockroaches, spiders, rats, earwigs, and more all prefer darkness. With outdoor lighting, you can deter many unwanted insects and pests from your yard, garden beds, or even from inside your home.

Installing adequate lighting outside your home is especially important if you have already dealt with pests in the past and/or prefer to deter as many creatures as possible without the use of traps, chemicals, and the like. Everyone knows how pesky bugs and others can be. They’re called pests for a reason!

Conclusion

With eight great reasons why one should consider installing exterior lighting for their home, it makes sense why it’s a great idea. From increased safety to better curb appeal, outdoor lighting can provide both the security and ambiance one may be looking for in their home. Play it smart, and start searching for great outdoor fixtures today.