Putting your home on the market typically means putting the personality of your home to the side. Watering down your interior design can help buyers imagine themselves in your home and bolster the chances of a sale. Here are nine design elements that should be muted before you try to sell your home: 

1. Pet Products

So, you've purchased a scratching post for Fluffy and Sparky that looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. While that prime piece of pet paraphernalia might've cost a pretty penny, you need to put it away when someone comes to look at your house. Your cats are great! But, they aren't going to sell your house. 

2. Old Metallic Decor

Brass details in bathroom and kitchen age homes and hearken back to the sets of '80's sitcoms. Look into different methods of inexpensively revamping these accessories as your prepare your home to sell.

3. Garages With Second Lives

If you're currently using your garage as a workshop, clean it up as best as you can to help potential homebuyers see the roominess of the space and imagine their cars parked inside. 

4. Bold Wallpaper

Yes, that polka-dotted wallpaper is super cute with your twee couch and whimsical details. But, once the space is empty and a buyer with a tamer aesthetic stops by your house, your sweet eye for design might come across as a sour touch for that prospective buyer. 

5. Funky Carpet 

Give your carpet the same destiny as your wallpaper: tear it up. Most buyers are looking for hardwood floors and can install carpet once they're in the house if they really, truly want to go that route. 

6. Bright Paint

Your colorful house might suit your vibrant personality, but when the Gray family shows up to look at your house, your Frida Kahlo-inspired color scheme might turn them off. Slap some neutral paint on the walls to help a wider range of folks envision your home's potential. Don't fret! You can beef up your next home's color scheme and coordinate fresh hues!

7. "Office" Bedrooms

Like a converted garage, a bedroom that's serving a different purpose can dissuade buyers from looking into your home. Let each room serve its original purpose. 

8. Statement Light Fixtures

Bold lighting can light up the room in more ways than one, but it can also blind potential buyers as they try to imagine themselves in your home. Implement more natural illumination in your rooms to help buyers see the light. 

When you're ready to put your home on the market, drop the Real Group Team a line!