Interior design expert Leslie Neblett working on the family room.

If your home was built and decorated in the 1970s, here's how to update the family room and neutralize it for potential buyers.

Expert: Leslie Neblett, interior design expert - Meet Leslie and our other design experts.

Some solutions:

• Take inventory of all the furniture to help later in the move.
  
• An inventory will also help you determine what you have sentimental attachment to and what you can't live without.
  
• Paint the family room paneling white to brighten and update the walls.
  
• Paint the back of bookcases red to add accents.
  
• Remove carpet to expose the hardwood floors.
  
• Remove furniture to cut down on clutter in the family room — and make the room seem larger and more contemporary.
  
• Make rooms generic for the potential buyer — take out personal touches.

Product Information

From Linens n' Things, 866-568-7378, www.lnt.com
Sisal rug, $130
Mirror, $70