Last updated August 2026 · Stay Off The Roof — Outdoor Lighting Experts · ROC #344820 · Phoenix metro
For most homeowners staying in their home, yes — but the honest answer depends on your timeline. Outdoor lighting recoups roughly 50–70% of its cost at resale per the National Association of Realtors, and 41% of buyers rate it an essential or desirable feature. The bigger return, though, is use: it’s the rare upgrade you see every single night.
What does the resale data actually say?
The National Association of Realtors’ Remodeling Impact Report puts outdoor lighting’s return in the 50–70% range, with a commonly cited midpoint around 59% and roughly $2,500 in added value on a typical project. Consumer Reports has found well-placed lighting can lift perceived value by 5–10%. Worth being straight about: those figures cover outdoor lighting broadly, and no single number predicts what your home will appraise or sell for.
The return that doesn’t show up in a resale figure
Most home improvements are enjoyed occasionally. Lighting is on every night. You get curb appeal 365 days a year, a house that’s easier and safer to walk up to after dark, holiday displays with zero effort, and no ladder in December ever again. The same daily-use argument runs through the reasons to invest in outdoor deck lighting: you are buying back the evenings, not a one-off event. If you’re staying put, that daily use is the real payback — the resale number is a bonus.
Does it help with security?
Partly, and we’d rather be accurate than oversell it. Research on lighting alone as a deterrent is genuinely mixed. The consistent finding is that opportunistic burglars are more likely to avoid well-lit properties, while planned offenders are less deterred by lighting by itself. A University of North Carolina at Charlotte study found about 60% of convicted burglars said a visible security system deterred them. The realistic takeaway: lighting is a genuine layer, best combined with cameras, trimmed landscaping, and good locks — not a magic bullet.
Who should probably skip it?
If you’re listing the house in the next year, a seasonal install or landscape lighting refresh likely makes more sense than a permanent system — you won’t be around to collect the daily value, and you’d be banking on partial resale recovery. Same if you genuinely enjoy putting up lights each year. Smaller upgrades at the front of the house work the same way, and these porch lighting ideas cover what you can do at the entry without committing to a permanent system. Permanent lighting is for people who want it handled, permanently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do permanent outdoor lights increase home value?
Outdoor lighting typically recoups about 50–70% of its cost at resale per NAR, with roughly $2,500 in added value on a typical project, and 41% of buyers rate it essential or desirable. Actual results vary by home and market.
Are permanent lights worth it if I’m selling soon?
Often not. If you’re listing within a year, a seasonal install or landscape lighting refresh is usually the better spend, since permanent lighting pays off most through daily use over time.
Does outdoor lighting deter burglars?
The evidence is mixed. Opportunistic burglars are more likely to avoid well-lit properties, but lighting works best layered with cameras, trimmed landscaping, and solid locks rather than on its own.
Talk it through with us — free.
We’ll give you a straight answer on whether permanent lighting fits your plans. We design. You shine.
