6 Advantages of Virtual Staging

One of the most effective techniques to quickly sell a home is to let the buyer imagine how their new home will look like once they are all moved in. This can be harder than it seems, especially when looking through an empty home. However, there is a way to make this vision a reality, and it’s called virtual staging.

Virtual staging is the process of staging a home virtually, wherein graphic editors design the interior of a property based on the aesthetics and personality of the home. This is done by creating highly realistic furniture, decor and accent pieces then integrating them into an image of a vacant interior.

As of 2016, 5 to 10% of listing images use virtual staging, and this is on the rise as more and more photographers and realtors recognize the benefits of virtual staging.

1. Increased home sales

Home buyers are more attracted to real estate photos with well-furnished interiors rather than photos of an empty home. Images of rooms with nice bookshelves, comfortable sofas, and beautiful decor give off a feeling of life and warmth, making them think, “I could see myself living in this house!”. It’s this feeling and imagination that often prompts buyers to close the deal.

With virtual staging, you can digitally put nice furniture, decor, and accessories right in a vacant space. You can choose what furniture sets or specific pieces you’d like to add to a room, or you can simply send an empty image over to a virtual staging editor and have them work their interior design magic on the empty room.

2. A preview of their home

It’s difficult to convince a buyer to purchase a home if they can’t visualize themselves actually living in the space. And in today’s day and age, 80% of home sales start online. That being the case, as a photographer/realtor, you need to do anything possible to get people excited about the home you are shooting or listing. By virtually staging a home, you are giving a potential home buyer a preview into what their life could look like in their new home.

3. Saves you money

Actual staging can cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars, not to mention the time it takes to hire a stager, get furniture in the home, and then take images of the staged property (see below). If the house is not sold quickly, you could be on the hook for a hefty staging bill on top of not selling the home. Sounds expensive, right?!

Compare that to virtual staging. You can have an empty room digitally filled with furniture, decor, and accent pieces at a fraction of the cost. That cost is usually a one-time fee per room/image. In fact, according to Hasten CEO Aleksandr Lanin, virtual staging is up to 90% cheaper than actual staging.

4. Saves time and effort

Photographers and realtors can save a lot of time using virtual staging. Just think of the extra time and effort it takes to find and hire a staging company, followed by the additional time it takes to deliver the furniture and get everything set up and photographed. Whereas if you choose to have a home virtually staged, you can photograph a vacant room(s) one day and have the whole home staged and images delivered back to you within 24 to 48 hours. Seems like a no-brainer, right?

5. Target specific markets

Another great advantage of virtual staging is that you can actually customize the space depending on the style and preference of the home, realtor, or buyer demographic. Does the home look more rustic or modern? Does your realtor only work with high wealth individuals who like a modern look? Or is the home buyer demographic in your area primarily looking for the farm/ranch style home? These are no problem for a virtual staging team. The virtual staging editor can fill the space with exactly what you or your clients are looking for.

In other words, virtual staging allows you to directly target the needs and wants of your market. It makes listings more appealing to the specific buyers that you want to reach.

6. Declutter space and redecorate

Too much can be too bad. No one wants to see a photo of a stuffed, cluttered room. Or perhaps decors and furnishings in the room may be outdated or out of place.

Virtual staging allows you to remove and redesign an existing interior image to fit your preferences. You can remove that old sofa, get rid of that creepy painting of a clown, or say goodbye to those ugly rugs that might hinder the property’s sale.

Looking for a virtual staging specialist? PhotoUp now offers virtual staging services! To have us virtually stage a room for you, please send an edited image over to support@photoup.net and let us know how you would like the room to be staged (i.e. bedroom, living room, kitchen, etc.).

Virtual staging starts at 25 credits per rendered image with a 24 to 48 hour turnaround time. Click to view a full catalog of our virtual staging furniture sets.

Don’t have an account with PhotoUp? Sign up today for a $1.00 trial by clicking this link.

We look forward to helping you provide more value by offering virtual staging services to your clients.