Kelly is a master at at staging!

"You have to trust me, Peter! I know what has to be done." I agreed immediately. I had known Kelly for nearly a decade, had noted with delight her meteoric rise as a real estate agent. She came to the house, and said that in a situation such as mine--I planned to continue living here whilst the house was for sale--our goal is to have every space minimally furnished. Prospective buyers, she said, must be able to imagine what they would do with every space, even as they see how you are using them. First, I'll tell you how the house should look when I list it. Second, I'll tell you what you must temporarily remove when the photographer comes. Then she began: This can stay, but move it here. Keep that, but center it after you remove other this and thats. Room after room. "Over the top!" I thought to myself on several occasions. But, I dutifully wrote down everything she asked me to do. We went outside. Walked around the house. Into the crawl space. Inspected my mancave/shed under the sunroom. Toured the rest of the property. Back inside, I reviewed my notes. "May I text you photos of my progress and anything about which I'm uncertain?" Absolutely, Kelly replied. I want us to remain in close communication throughout the staging process. I decided to begin with the room that needed the most work--my wife's art studio, unchanged since her death, unorganized for years before then once TBI-late effects began to accumulate. Didn't take me long to realize that Kelly's instructions weren't over the top. They were spot-on! Less was truly more! Moreover, staging became fun. Fulfilling! A sense of accomplishment! And, the eventual buyers told me, sold them on the house.