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Or imagine a fine painting stuck in a dollar store frame. Does the painting have the same appeal as it would if it had gone to a professional framer? No, suddenly it looks like it must be a cheap painting instead of the wonderful work of art that it is.
Conversely, have you ever taken one of your 4 year old's paintings and had it framed? What a difference compared to how it looked when you had it stuck on the fridge with a magnet!
Why does one T-shirt sell for $15 and another for $100? They're both 100% cotton and they're probably made in the same country. The hundred dollar version has a big name on the label, it's sold in a fine boutique.
It's all about context and packaging... home staging is about packaging a home to show off its best features and downplay the flaws. Home staging is about romancing the buyer, putting them in the mood to make an emotional connection with a house!
 CNN Money interviewed Home Staging expert Debra Gould on how Home Staging, or Real Estate Merchandising as it's also called, is a great strategy in a slowing real estate market.
5 reasons it's a bad idea to leave rooms empty when showing your house:
1. People don't buy houses, they buy homes.
2. It's hard to understand how large a room is when there's nothing in it as a reference point.
3. People can't visualize how furniture will fit in an empty space and if they're unsure, they don't buy.
4. When a room is empty prospective buyers focus on negative details instead of falling in love with the overall space. Instead of looking at the flow of one room to another, they get bogged down in questions like: Is the drywall smooth? Will those bumps in the carpet come out? How come the closet doesn't have a hanging bar yet? Why doesn't that molding fit perfectly? How come the light switch is in the middle of the wall?
5. When a house or even a few rooms are empty prospective buyers can get distracted from looking at the house. Instead of focussing on whether this is the home for them, they may be busy wondering: Is this a divorce? Have they left town? Are they selling because they have money problems? This train of thought will take them where you, as a vendor, don't want them to go! They'll start thinking, "maybe I can put in a low ball offer since the seller might be desperate."
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