Virtual Staging: A New Wave of Innovation to Impress Buyers

Home staging is a visual art. It helps homebuyers visualize space as livable. But do you have to spend thousands of dollars to physically haul in furniture and decorate the place to ignite your buyer’s imagination?

Not necessarily.

Virtual staging can do it for you at a fraction of the cost. With virtual staging, you can digitally insert furniture and décor items into your listing photos through a simple function of drag and drop.

What is Virtual Staging?

Virtual staging, like traditional staging, is beautifying a property to show off the best qualities and features with the intention of making it attractive to the buyers. As the name suggests, virtual staging is done using Computer-Generated Imagery.

There’s absolutely zero real furniture, potted plants, area rugs, or other décor involved. Professional virtual experts digitally insert visually-appealing elements in high-resolution photos to showcase the empty rooms’ full potential. But, it still manages to create an emotional connection to the property that translates to speedier sale.

What Homes are Best for Virtual Staging?

If done properly (with the help of a virtual staging expert), virtual staging is best for these homes:

• Empty homes
• Homes with outdated style, theme, and furniture
• Properties occupied by tenants where homeowner’s control over space’s appearance is limited.

Virtual Staging vs. Traditional Staging

Virtual staging is usually a lot cheaper than traditional staging. But, each method has its own set of pros and cons. Let’s take a quick look:

Pros and Cons of Virtual Staging

Pros of Virtual Staging 

• Helps showcase the best features and qualities of a home
• Is a lot cheaper than traditional staging
• Offers the opportunity to stage any number of rooms
• Attracts the attention of prospective buyers online
• Allows flexibility in staging a customizable experience for prospective buyers

Cons of Virtual Staging

• The furniture and décor exists virtually – buyers cannot see it in person
• Can be difficult to click photos if your house is occupied – unless you have previous listing photos
• Can get expensive when furniture or items have to be digitally removed from the photos

Pros and Cons of Traditional Staging

Pros of Traditional Staging

• Gives buyers a real-life perspective of a home
• Appeals to the buyers’ sense of imagination
• Prevents buyers from seeing a completely empty home
• Helps create a lasting impression in the buyer’s mind

Cons of Traditional Staging

• Is expensive and the cost keeps incurring until the home sells
• Requires real furniture, décor and other items to stage the home

Can Virtual Staging Help You Sell Your Home?

Absolutely. If done correctly, with the help of professional virtual staging solutions, it is easier to sell virtually staged homes than it is to sell homes that are completely empty, occupied by tenants, or have outdated décor. Virtual staging helps prospective buyers see a home that is comfortable, inviting, and easy to live in.

Author Bio:  Rahul Agarwal is the Co-founder & Chief Business Officer at Styldod, where he has taught a computer to do interior design! Styldod provides the most hassle-free & inexpensive virtual staging solutions for real estate agents so they can sell their listings faster, and for higher prices. Rahul was also a co-founder of Mebelkart (which is acquired by Ask Me). He’s your everyday IIT Kanpur nerd who pushes the boundaries with his innovative entrepreneurial stints and is also a sound startup investor & advisor. Rahul attributes his success as a professional to the discipline he has learned from his district hockey days, being a swimmer and a gym enthusiast.