A 2020 study by the National Association of Realtors found that "82% of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home." Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a new agent, there’s a tremendous benefit to professionally staging your clients’ homes.
But in this day and age, physically staging a home can be very difficult. With the pandemic, just about every industry has shifted away from "in-person" visits towards more virtual alternatives — and real estate is no exception. That's why something known as virtual staging is becoming increasingly popular. Couple this with the fact that it's usually much cheaper and faster than doing the real thing, and it becomes a no-brainer.
Virtual staging allows you to showcase individual rooms at their highest potential. Showcasing vacant rooms puts a lot of pressure on a buyer to conceptualize the potential of a room. Virtual photos allow buyers to easily visualize their own furnishings in the space and show what can be accomplished aesthetically. In addition to the added value of professional photos, virtual staging is much more cost-effect than traditional staging which could cost thousands of dollars.
Not everyone has the budget to afford expensive furnishings for traditional home staging. Depending on the property, traditional home staging can have a significant return on investment, but at a steep cost. For only a few hundred dollars, sellers can use virtual staging to create realistic photos of every room in their home and showcase individual areas of the home at their highest potential. This avoids drawn-out and expensive furniture rentals and the headache of maintaining the property while it’s on the market.