What’s Digital Staging and Why Does Your House Want It? – Berri Properties

Home staging is an important component of the real estate transaction.

With the coronavirus pandemic in full swing, most real estate agents and buyers across the United States are stuck inside their homes. It’s an especially challenging time for home sellers.

However, there are many digital tools and methods we can use to make things a little easier for sellers. One of those tools is called virtual staging.

In this article we’re going to go over the following points:

• What is virtual staging?
• What can be done with virtual staging?
• Why is virtual staging important?

Let’s talk about it.

What is Virtual Staging?

Virtual staging is where a professional photographer takes photographs of vacant or occupied homes and virtually changes a home’s décor and furniture to make a great first impression on buyers.

It’s essentially the same as normal staging, where a team of interior designers come to your home and arrange rented furniture to make the home as attractive as possible. However, virtual staging sounds exactly like what it is, virtual.

Instead of physically altering homes, it’s done through photography and fancy technology that creates realistic 3-D furniture models.

What’s even better about virtual staging is that it’s a cost-effective alternative to traditional staging. Virtual Staging Properties, one of the leading virtual staging companies, has stated that their pricing can be as low as 8-10% of the cost of traditional home staging.

If you’re a real estate agent or a home seller, that might be enough to convince you to use it.

What Can Be Done with Virtual Staging?

Just like the reasons for why you would stage your home traditionally; virtual staging provides the same benefits.

It Helps Get Buyers in the Door

The number one goal for all real estate sales is to get a buyer to preview your home.

If buyers don’t show up at your home, then the house won’t sell.

Virtual staging is one of the most significant actions you can take to attract buyers. 97% of all buyers state that photos are the most important factor when determining whether they should schedule a preview of the home.

If you include virtually staged photos in your listing, then you increase your odds significantly.

Your Property Will Be Much More Attractive Online

Photos with well-positioned, sleek furniture radiates a lifestyle for your buyers.

Just look at the pictures below.

Which one would you choose?

It Makes Vacant Homes Visual

Vacant home sales are common, especially in the luxury market. But that poses a problem for home sellers.

How can you sell a home when there’s no way for the buyer to visualize it as their own?

Not everyone has the ability to walk into a space and figure out what it needs to personalize it. Most people need guidance.

That’s where virtual staging can pick up the slack.

Instead of losing out on all the buyers who pass over your home online because they can’t envision the lifestyle their searching for, you give it to them.

Thus, you fulfill your goal of getting buyers in the door. A vacant home with virtual staging will almost always beat out a vacant home with no virtual staging.

Why Is Virtual Staging Important?

We’ve talked already about what virtual staging can do for your home. But how important is it?

A stand out statistic is that 97% of buyers express that photos are a crucial factor in determining whether or not they view the home in-person or purchase it.

Buyers are paying attention to your photos. It’s immensely important that you make sure your real estate agent is hiring a great photographer and even more so to include virtual staging.

Furthermore, virtual staging can make the most important rooms in the home look fantastic.

86% of home buyers said that a staged living room was “important” or “very important” during their online home search. The same numbers follow for the master bedroom and the kitchen.

Virtually staging these rooms puts yourself at a significant advantage over sellers who aren’t. For a service that could cost roughly $300 with the potential to create thousands of dollars more, as staging is known to increase the sales price of a home, I find it to be a worthy investment.

Final Thoughts

With the world moving digitally and the coronavirus outbreak causing massive shifts in the real estate technology market, virtual staging can be a great way to cut through the noise.

It’s easy, cost-effective, and affordable.

If you’re thinking about virtually staging your listing, then I recommend Virtually Staging Properties, as they’re one of the best in the industry.

Stay Classy.