Surround yourself with the right people and you wont hear any of the background noise from negative influences.

You can get better or worse returns in a syndication vs. a buy and hold - you just need to evaluate the #'s, the sponsor's track record, and make sure you're comfortable w/ the assumptions of each option.Key differences:1) control: in a syndication, you have little to none, mainly just whatever influence your voting rights provides2) liquidity: in a syndication, it's not easy getting out prior to the entire group selling the property3) time: being a passive in a syndication is about as passive an investment as you can get, whereas buy and hold will involve landlording, repairs, maint,, etc. unless you hire a PM company4) 1031 exchanges: must easier to orchestrate on your own buy and hold property.    

I am convinced staging can be a positive influence on the buyer.  

He knew about business, legal issues, tax issues, marketing, sales, promotion, networking, and most importantly he knew about people (psychology).The first thing he did was tell me that I have two ears and one mouth, and I should listen more than I talk.Second thing he did was have me read "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie.Then he taught me how to set appointments with home sellers, go out to their home, and write up a "letter of intent to purchase or lease".He said to me, "your job is to bring me potential home sellers who will consider a creative offer."

You won't, the listings gent may have to grant them access, but trying to influence them is a waste of time,you'd be the 400th to try, and they're immune to it.

., nearness to freeways, shopping, and other facts that might influence a buyer).

Besides  being the "Next Portland" or a better version of itself, Pittsburgh has really been dubbed as the 2nd "Silicon Valley" with it's tech influence largely funded by big named companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook, Autodesk, Uber and Ford AI Initiative among others who have set up shop here.

It's basically a proof of concept for you and your sphere of influence (family and friends) so you move on to more and perhaps even better deals.

Subsequently I have seen how perception influences how people treat you.

It would seem that only chance or luck would actually influence that.