I've been photographing homes for 10 years.  I usually get to see them when they are at their most perfect, which is a treat.  When I spend time getting ready for a party and clean my own house and get everything looking its best, the 10 minutes before the party starts is my favorite time in my house.  If it's just us at home I can be a little slack on clearing off the counters or making sure the dish towels are straight (I have an 18 month old so that's actually close to impossible - we just remove the towels), but if I have people coming over I go the extra step to make sure it looks great.  I always feel so happy to live in my house and so proud of it at a party.  

I'm so lucky that almost every day I get to be the guest walking into someone's house they've cleaned and prepped and gotten to looking its absolute best.  Photo ready is usually nowhere close to real life.  I sold my own house 18 months ago. Being on the other end of things and getting my house ready to photograph taught me a few tips.  The main idea is to clear out as much clutter as you can and make your house look like a hotel.  Not sterile and bare, but comfortable and neutral.  It's a little bit different than getting ready for a party, because for a party you usually add more than you take away: food, platters, candles, flowers.  For a photo shoot you want it to look as if nobody lives there, or as if anyone COULD live there.  See below for my 5 tips for getting your house photo ready.

1. De-Clutter your kitchen countertops

You want buyers to be able to picture themselves living in the space.  Therefore, the kitchen needs to look functional but not crowded or personalized. Remove paper towels, personalized hand towels, trays of spices, containers of spoons, and personal photos.  It's nice to have a bowl of one type of fruit on the counter (think green apples or lemons) and maybe a plant or flowers.

Example of how to stage your kitchen.