Landscape lighting adds a lot of value. The 2023 NAR and NALP Remodeling Impact Report gave it a perfect Joy Score of 10 and cost recovery around 59 percent.
Adding outdoor lighting to your home is a big project. So before spending a large sum of money, you may wonder if it’s worth it. The answer is generally yes because it’s one of the few upgrades that makes its value clear to a buyer when most showings and drive-bys happen.
If you look for statistics on this question, you’ll find cost recovery numbers ranging from 20–70%. The way these figures are calculated differs a lot, so we’ll use one worth trusting instead: the 2023 NAR/NALP Remodeling Impact Report. According to the report, landscape lighting earned a Joy Score of 10, which is among the highest recorded. Estimated cost recovery was said to be around 59%. That’s high for home upgrades.
In the same report, 92% of realtors recommended improving curb appeal before listing. Landscape lighting is simply the version of curb appeal that keeps working after dark. Cleveland-area sunsets slide earlier through summer and fall, so by the time of year many homes are listed, showings and drive-bys often happen at dusk or later. Visiting an unfamiliar home in the dark, even if you’re excited about the prospect of buying a home, is intimidating. Good front yard lighting makes it much less so.
Of course, outdoor lighting is valuable even if you have no intention of selling any time soon. Having well-illuminated steps and driveways reduces the odds of tripping and falling. Quality lighting turns a patio, deck, or yard from a daylight-only space into one you can use in the evening through most of the year. Your home is probably your largest single asset, and outdoor lighting lets you get a lot more out of it.
Outdoor Lighting Perspectives lights homes across Westlake and the west-side lakefront suburbs, Bay Village, Rocky River, Avon, Avon Lake, and North Ridgeville. To see what it would do for your home, book a free nighttime design consultation. Call (440) 336-8650.