Front Doors: A Surprising Value Driver

Swapping out your busted old door? Not just for looks. Appraisers and buyers are obsessed with first impressions—up to 7% of your property value is riding on that split-second glance. My last realtor practically screamed it at me in the driveway.

Choosing Styles That Appeal to Buyers

Mid-century, craftsman, traditional—does it matter? I’ve seen a walnut door with skinny glass panels steal the show, even if the siding was patched. Zillow claims a black door can add $6,000 to your value. My neighbor’s black door just attracts spiders. Go figure.

People say “neutral is safe,” but buyers run from weird statement doors. I had a plain white door at my last open house—two couples whispered about the “fresh matte finish.” (Eggshell, not gloss. Never gloss.) NAR keeps saying door swaps are top-10 ROI, but nobody’s fighting over a door that looks like a dentist’s back entrance.

Popular Materials and Colors

Steel vs. fiberglass—everyone’s got an opinion. Fiberglass doesn’t warp and holds paint. Wood is gorgeous but needy, especially in winter. One buyer literally knocked on a composite door and asked, “Is this plastic?” Suspicious glare and all.

Color is a trap. Plastpro says a new door can add $24,000 to your home, but everyone’s mom tells you to paint it black, red, or navy. Zillow says buyers like bold colors—black, sometimes red, but tan? Forget it. I painted mine green once—neighbors complained, buyers didn’t care. So who knows?

Lighting Fixtures That Welcome and Impress

I’ll never get why people ignore the entryway. Let buyers stumble around in the dark and expect them to fall in love? Not happening. Lighting makes or breaks it—either you get “welcome home” or “abandoned office lobby.”

Natural and Artificial Lighting Tips

Forgot my umbrella last week, stood in my own entryway at sunrise, and realized the lighting was garbage. Blame the crusty transom window. Sunlight only matters if you let it in. Cluttered window ledges and giant coat racks kill daylight. I even checked my phone’s lux meter—270 lux, which is apparently sad. You want 300–500 for a decent entryway.

Jane Elderfield (architect, I think) told a NARI panel that twin wall sconces at eye level are the fastest way to calm a foyer. Don’t hang a pendant unless it clears every door by 20 inches. Chandelier overkill is real. Geometric flush mount? I saw one on Quiet Joy at Home and, weirdly, it worked.

Renters: stack a narrow table lamp with a bright LED bulb—warmth, done. If you have no window, you need about 20 lumens per square foot. Not optional. Candles? Sure, but if you can’t see your shoes, what’s the point?

Energy Efficiency in Entryway Lighting

Swapped my old overhead for an LED semi-flush—supposedly “90% energy saving,” which sounded like marketing fluff until my electric bill dropped four bucks last month. I mean, that’s not life-changing, but hey, it’s something. Energy Star fixtures? Realtors won’t shut up about them. They claim efficient lighting bumps up a home’s value, and I half-believe it—there was this National Association of Home Builders study that put modern entryways in the top five for non-cosmetic ROI. Not sure I trust any study that leaves out the horror of dusty incandescent bulbs, but whatever.

People keep pestering me about smart switches. Yes, I use them. Yes, motion sensors are cool until they flip off while your guests are still standing there—so unless you like being left in the dark, add a manual override. By the way, Energy Star isn’t just for dishwashers; their lighting fixtures (like the Halo Selectable LED Disk, which is fine, I guess) get EPA certified. I tried some random no-name bulbs last December—half of them died before Valentine’s. Never again.

And here’s something dumb: nobody notices drafty weatherstripping until their LED bulbs start flickering in winter. Does that make sense? Not to me, but apparently air leaks drop the temperature and confuse dimmers. So yeah, fix the gaps and swap lights at the same time if you actually care about your bills. Online guides never mention this, but honestly, if you want a brighter entry and lower costs, it’s worth the hassle.