NORTHBROOK, Ill. (June 1, 2009) - There may be thirty-one flavors, but when selling your home, the flavor of choice may be vanilla. While fancy, exotic, even custom decorations are a wonderful personal investment in your home, keep in mind that your aesthetic may not increase the home's overall appeal to potential buyers.

"Decorating your home for sale doesn't mean an overhaul, it's more about simplifying and resorting decor to the basics," said Fran Broude, president and COO of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. "You want the home to be tasteful and desirable while giving buyers every chance to envision themselves living there."

Here are a few tips to get your home decor in line for sale:

• Small changes go a long way. A top to bottom overhaul is probably more than you need, so focus on fixing minor details that can have big impact. While renovating bathrooms and kitchens will add concrete value, a fresh coat of neutral color paint and smartly-polished floors are a quick, low cost move.

• Sell your home, not yourself. Photos of your charming family and cute kids are great but don't expect them to motivate a buyer to pick your home. Instead, present kid and family-friendly aspects of the home less directly with tidy playrooms and an organized kitchen.
• Get another set of eyes.  It's difficult to be objective when looking at your own home. Have your Realtor or design-savvy friend offer third party insight. They are likely to catch design flaws, clutter and other issues you won't.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, a leading residential real estate brokerage company serving Chicagoland, Northwest Indiana, Southeast Wisconsin and Southwest Michigan, operates 58 offices with more than 3,800 sales associates. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is part of NRT LLC, the nation's largest residential real estate brokerage company. NRT, a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, operates Realogy's company-owned real estate brokerage offices. For more information, please visit www.coldwellbankeronline.com.