Using personal photos to decorate the walls and tables is common in homes. It certainly is in the Glover Bryant house. However, if I were trying to sell my home, those personal photos of my dogs, my kids, my parents — basically my life — may be a turnoff to potential homebuyers. Plus, if you think about it, people looking at my home are going to learn an awful lot about me, and I’m not so sure what I think about that.

As with any issue, opinions differ. My opinion is that the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Some in the industry strongly advise home sellers to remove all personal photos. After all, you want potential buyers to be able to visualize their family living in the home and not be distracted by seeing personal photos of your family.

Others in the industry may say, “Why not?” They argue that photos actually make a home feel more warm and inviting, and feel like a “home.” Even some builder model homes have started incorporating personal photos into the decor to personalize spaces.

Here’s my thought. Remove some photos, but keep some of your favorites up. When the day comes to list my home, in addition to painting over my daughter’s pink walls, I will have to take down the entire wall of black-and-white photos I have of my kids. I think potential buyers would find both the pink walls and the gallery of my kids distracting, and in a way, I’m starting to think it makes that wall look shorter.
On the other hand, some folks think it helps the potential buyer to visualize how they might decorate and where they might put photos. Again, there are two sides to every issue.

Many decorators recommend using photo frames that complement one another (such as gold and wood together or black and white frames). That I’ve done. They also recommend hanging the photos in a grid with similar spacing, such as leaving an inch-and-a-half between the frames to create a symmetrical look. I did that, too, and have a helpful tip for those thinking of doing the same: Use newspapers before grabbing your hammer and nail. Trace all the frames out on the newspapers, cut them out and then play with the arrangement to make sure they are spaced correctly. Then hammer the nail in over the newspaper and hang your frame.

Last but not least, when and if you do remove photos, make sure you fill in the nail holes and don’t leave behind telltale shadows or marks. Those can turn off a buyer as well.