What is virtual home staging?
We all know traditional home staging — the art of arranging furniture and décor to make a home feel inviting and aspirational. Virtual staging updates this for our modern era, taking advantage of digital tools to create beautifully rendered images of spaces.
Real estate professionals typically start by selecting high-quality images of the home, focusing on key areas like the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms. From there, professional virtual staging services digitally enhance these images, adding virtual furniture, décor, and even changing wall colors or flooring to highlight a property’s best features.
This way, you can help buyers imagine their future home in all its glory, without the physical hassle of lugging furniture in and out. Plus, virtual home staging makes the entire process more customizable, which really allows potential buyers to imagine themselves in the space, rather than just anyone.
How virtual home staging helps sell homes
Far beyond just looking cool, virtual home staging can play a big role in influencing a buyer’s decision-making process. According to the National Association of Realtors, 81% of buyers’ agents said that staging a home made it easier for buyers to visualize that property as their future home. And staging the home online achieves the same faster and for a fraction of the cost.
When potential buyers see a home that is clean, organized, and thoughtfully furnished, they are more likely to feel an emotional connection to the space. A photo of an empty space can feel awkward or clinical, hard to connect to. By staging a space, you allow potential buyers to imagine how they might fit in, or what their lives there would look like.
Benefits of virtual home staging
Virtual staging offers real estate professionals a range of practical advantages:
Cost-Effective: A physical home staging can cost as much as $7,200, while doing it virtually can cost as little as $200-300.
- Flexible Design: Customize styles to attract different buyer demographics.
- Quick Turnaround: Transform photos into staged listings in hours, not days.
- Highlights Key Features: Emphasize a property’s best aspects with tailored staging.
- Boosts Online Appeal: Stand out in online searches with eye-catching images.
- Overcomes Property Limitations: Reimagine empty or outdated spaces with ease.
Of course, there are also disadvantages to staging virtually. No matter how well done the rendering, some buyers will always prefer to experience a furnished setup in person to truly envision it. Altered photos can also open the door to misrepresentation, with buyers feeling disappointed if the space in the staging feels significantly different from that in the viewing.
When done accurately and tastefully, staging online can bridge the gap, allowing buyers to see a property's full potential while providing flexibility and cost savings for sellers. Now, let’s explore how to do virtual staging effectively.
