There are many reasons why virtual staging can make selling a home better, faster and more profitable for real estate agents and buyers alike.

Consider the two images above.

They’re similar rooms—both kitchens, more or less the same size. They both have nice features such as big windows onto a garden, and lovely wooden floors.

Which one appeals to you more? If you’re like most people, it’s probably no contest. The room with the furniture in it and the warm, bright lighting is far more attractive to the eye. It looks more welcoming and seems to be the kind of place where you can imagine yourself raising a family.

That’s the power of virtual staging. It does the imaginative work for a buyer and helps them to visualize what it might be like to live in the home.

Does Virtual Staging Actually Help Sell Homes Faster?

As illustrated above, the benefits of virtual staging become apparent when you see a staged room and an empty room side by side. A recent study found that 77% of realtors thought that virtual staging helped them to sell a property – which is an overwhelmingly positive result.

Virtual staging can make buyers feel more comfortable with the property because they can visualize what it might be like to live there. Home buyers now have an idea of what each room is and it can help them to make a quicker buying decision. If you’re lucky, buyers may like the look and feel of the property so much that they’re tempted to offer a higher price on the property. Your virtually staged images may be the thing that separates your listing from your competition…

Facts About Virtual and Home Staging

Some other interesting stats from the National Association of Realtors:

  • 40% of buyers’ agents cited that home staging had an effect on most buyers’ view of the home.
  • 83% of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.
  • 28% of sellers’ agents said they staged all sellers’ homes prior to listing them for sale.
  • 13% noted that they only staged homes that are difficult to sell.

Why is Virtual Staging So Popular?

Designer Justin M. Riordan explains,

“Empty houses are hard to see. Furniture provides scale, shows use, and adds light to spaces. Without it, the space is just walls, windows, floors, and ceilings. It is important to show how the space is used and how big the space is. Once you have taken care of these items, then stop decorating.”

Virtual staging is not only about putting great furniture into a room. Whether or not you have a great virtual staging image is largely because of the quality of the picture that you’re presenting. That means color-correcting, adjusting the brightness, contrast and saturation of the photograph until it looks beautiful and alluring.

Hiring a professional real estate photographer is a great place to start when you’re thinking about virtual staging. In fact, a lot of real estate photographers today will offer a virtual staging service or use a virtual staging app to stage the images that they provide.

Quality Photos Are Non-negotiable

While there may still be some discussion around the benefits of virtual staging, there can be no argument when it comes to the importance of good quality, hi-res photographs. In this age where so many people live their lives online, you will not be able to drive interest in a property using your iPhone photos or that cheap point and shoot camera you got for christmas 5 years ago. There’s simply too much competition when selling a home. Not to mention, the quality of real estate photography continues to get better and better every year.

If you’re not using professional real estate photography to market your homes, you’re losing out on potential sales.

“According to VHT Studios’ first-of-its-kind analysis, Chicago-area homes that were professionally photographed sold 32% faster, spending an average of 89 Days on Market (DOM) – compared to 123 DOM for other homes. According to the analysis, Realtors® who utilized professional real estate photography cut average DOM by nearly five full weeks.”

Check out these impressive real estate photography statistics that prove that real estate photography does indeed help sell homes faster.

Advantages of Using Virtual Staging

There’s no question that virtual staging will save you a lot of money over the long term. Consider the cost of virtual staging. When you work with a professional virtual staging company like PhotoUp, you will pay around $25 for a well-crafted, well-styled, realistic final image that you can use on any digital platform to market your home.

Now compare that to the cost of sourcing a staging company, transportation, set up, and paying rent on physical furniture until you make the sale. Costs will vary but they’re always going to be higher than $49.

If you’re ready to transform your real estate marketing services, then get in touch with PhotoUp today and discover the value of working with one of the best virtual staging companies on the market today.