When putting your home on the market, home staging is crucial in order to make a great first impression. By presenting your home in the best possible light, you greatly increase your chances of receiving a firm offer. There are many different approaches one can take to prepare their home for home staging. One the best new selling points to utilize in 2009 is the eco-friendly home. Environmental concerns are at an all time high in the United States and by making some simple “green” home improvements; you can market your home as environmentally friendly to help capture the attention of potential buyers. One of the easiest ways to go green is through the use of energy efficient home lighting. By investing in lighting options that are better for the environment, you can assure people that they will be buying a home that has Mother Nature’s best interests at heart. You can start by replacing your old fashioned light bulbs with more efficient Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs or CFL for short. These distinctive swirly looking light bulbs last up to 10 times longer than standard bulbs and use roughly 25% energy. While they may cost a little more up front, they will save you money on your electric bill in the long run. While upgrading your light bulbs is a great start, you should also consider replacing the lighting fixtures that are used most often in your home. Renowned lighting brands like Minka and Murray Feiss have done their best to earn the Energy Star seal of approval, which is only given to products that meet certain energy efficiency standards. These light fixtures range from table lamps to flood lights and everything in between. Most people are not aware that their homes can produce more emissions than their car. If every home in the United States switched out just 5 light fixtures for ones featuring the Energy Star seal, then each family would save more than $60 on their annual electric bill. That would help keep 1 trillion pounds of greenhouse gases from entering our atmosphere. By addressing the concerns that potential buyers may have about the impact your home poses on the environment, you create yet another point in your favor over the competition. You can remind prospective buyers that they will be saving money on their utility bills whilst simultaneously helping protect the environment. When it comes to selling your home, every little bit helps and by jumping on the eco-friendly bandwagon you are placing your home one step above the competition.