DIY & Home Improvement

My job is to get them INTO the home. It is the RE agents job to make them want to buy it. Which answers your next few issues.
I never misrepresent the home by changing anything with photoshop. That would be considered illegal by MLS, so it is a line I do not cross.
Here is the OTHER reason why shooting great photography is important. I have had many, many home owners tell me that the ONLY reason they chose a particular RE agent was because their images looked so good in MLS. It behooves the agent to post the best possible images.
In answer to your question, staging happened a lot more often before this buying boom we are in atm. It was done to make an empty house look like a home. And it works. A staged home is much more inviting to a potential buyer than an empty one. It just fits their eyes better. What we are finding now is that houses are selling so quickly that owners and agents don't feel the need to spend $1000-$1500 to stage it. I was actually anticipating that it would cut into my work also, but agents still want great pictures of the homes they list. It makes the agent look good.
As far as the guy on HGTV, he had it right. Clutter is a killer. It will turn off potential buyers more quickly than an empty house. That is why I send all of my agents a "things to do list" before I go shoot a house. If an owner even does 1/2 of what is on the list, it makes it look better for my lens.
Good luck in your search.

edited to add that I do NOT do video. Too time consuming and agents do not want to pay what it is actually worth.