Our Home Sellers Took All of the Lights with Them — Here’s Why It Was a Blessing in Disguise

Recently, a friend of mine lamented their ongoing house hunting struggle. After viewing dozens of houses, they finally began negotiations on their dream home. Everything was proceeding swimmingly until they hit a frustrating obstacle: The sellers intended to take every single appliance with them! Refrigerator, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, you name it. Suddenly my pal’s house hunt turned into an appliance shopping spree complete with decision fatigue and delivery headaches, not to mention the sizable budget increase. 

My friend’s predicament reminded me of my own homebuying hassle a couple of years ago. When my partner and I signed the deed for our Chicago condo, the experience felt too good to be true. We found “The One” after only a handful of tours. Interest rates hadn’t skyrocketed yet, and negotiations with our sellers were pretty standard. Yet confidence turned to utter frustration as we neared move-in day.

Everything about our final walk-through seemed normal, until we realized the majority of the hanging light fixtures were nowhere to be found. Given how quickly we were reviewing and returning documents via email, my partner and I must have missed that little detail in the fine print. Rather than dwell on our oversight, we kept our focus squarely on the daunting task of moving. But soon we had no choice but to confront the darkness.

The first half of move-in day was mostly uneventful with the sun shining and a pleasant breeze blowing through the open windows. However, as night fell we began to notice the true impact of those missing fixtures. While track and recessed lighting illuminated our kitchen and hallways, some rooms remained pitch black — until we dug out the boxes that held our packed-away lamps.

In between fully unpacking — a process that took weeks — I logged into Wayfair and started perusing overhead lights. I landed on solutions for our living room, guest room, bathroom, and primary bedroom, and splurged on a cute office light from Sazerac Stitches. 

While the added expense was a bit demoralizing (ouch!), on some level, it helped that we really only had ourselves to blame. We should have noticed the lighting was going away in the contracts. But after confirming the shipments, I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel … literally.

We had to adjust our budget to accommodate the purchases. We tried saving on painting. As you can imagine, the results were abysmal, mainly because the painters didn’t have adequate lighting! Again, I blamed myself for rushing through the move and getting carried away by the stress. But believe me, I also cursed the heck out of our sellers, who managed to take such crucial features while leaving countless mismatched adhesive hooks on the drywall and doors. Why, sellers!?

Eventually our fixtures arrived, and a friendly electrician installed them in no time. I was surprised not only by their much-appreciated radiance but also how they elevated each respective room. Our statement lights completely transformed our home, and in a way I’m grateful for the move-in hiccup. Without our sellers’ annoying undertaking, I don’t think I ever would have replaced any of the existing lighting fixtures — after all, they were working wonderfully. But with a little bit of struggle, we were forced to replace our lighting with options that, in the end, better suited our space and personal style.

We won’t be leaving our condo anytime soon (thanks to that sweet 2021 interest rate!). Still, I know that wherever we go next, whenever we go next, our lighting fixtures are likely to join us. Just like any other piece of furniture or decor, a lighting fixture is an investment that, with care and maintenance, can continue to serve you from home to home. Even if there’s a mere chance that the fixture will complement your new home, it’s worth the effort to properly uninstall and pack the lights. 

Am I a total hypocrite? Yes. Do I feel guilty? Absolutely not. Shout out to our home’s previous owners who shined a very irritating light on a secretly brilliant idea!