Staging Your Home Virtually
August 13, 2010 · Written by Brock Dunda · Filed under Real Estate

Technology has evolved to the point where you can edit and modify photographs to such an extent as to adding objects or smoothing a feature of the image. Many people are familiar with what staging a home involves. It requires someone to come in and set up and analyze the space and add furniture and objects to resolve the vacant look that an empty room has. Now, with digital editing software, this can be done on a computer by adding furniture and object directly to the image without ever setting foot in the home. Below will discuss the pros and cons of virtually staging a home.

Pros

• In many cases digitally editing stock images taken of a vacant home is less costly than hiring someone to move furniture and other objects into the home and then taking the picture.

• There will be less potential for damage if people are moving large pieces of furniture around the home.

• Staged homes statistically sell for 17% more than vacant homes. Only 10% of home buyers can visualize the potential of a vacant home.

• Virtual staging is less of a hassle as you can simply send photo’s to the virtual staging designers without moving furniture yourself.

• Requires only a one time design fee and no monthly payment to rent staged furniture.

Cons

• Virtual staging that is poorly done is extremely obvious and can detriment the quality of the photo for home buyers.

• In a bright room it’s difficult to capture lighting and replicate it’s affect on imported image objects.

• Virtual staged rooms can be made to deceive which may not sit well with alert buyers if they notice a discrepancy in the size of how an object looks in the photo vs. physically.

• It’s difficult to produce the same effect that real furniture has on the room.

• Buyers that visit the home may wonder where the furniture is that was furniture is that was in the pictures. Real furniture helps buyers visualize when they are walking through the home.

It will really come down to preference between how much you’re willing to spend between the two staging methods, how competent the stagers for both virtual and actual settings are, and whether or not staging is right for you.

In general, staging will often provide a needed boost to help set your home and property above the competition. For some more information on staging in general, see our other blog post concerning staging.