Staging is one of the best ways to sell a home quickly and at the best possible price. When you stage a home, you help potential buyers to see it in its best light while showcasing what is possible with the property. That’s why nowadays, more listings are staged than ever.
However, staging a home takes a lot of work. You might even need to refurnish the entire place!
Fortunately, there’s an easier way — virtual staging.
Virtual staging is easier to do, requires less work, and is less expensive than physically staging a property. Plus, it gives you as the seller or agent greater flexibility over how you stage it.
So in this 5-minute read, we’ll go over:
- What exactly is virtual staging?
- Pros and cons of virtual staging in today’s market
- An easy way anyone can virtually stage a property
Let’s get started!
What is Virtual Staging?
Normal home staging involves preparing the home for potential buyers. You “set the stage” for a potential sale.
This could involve:
- Deep cleaning
- Removing clutter and anything else that could turn off a potential buyer
- Arranging existing furniture and decorations
- Removing unwanted furniture
- Complete redecoration
As you can imagine, all of that takes a lot of manpower and planning. That’s where virtual staging comes in. Virtual staging does the same thing as traditional staging but in a virtual model of the home.
Virtual staging usually takes two forms:
The real estate agent or homeowner takes pictures of the rooms. Then a digital artist edits the pictures and adds furniture, decorations, and lighting.
While this can be effective and relatively quick to do, it has some limitations. For example, your virtual views are limited to whatever photos are taken. Also, it can take time to create different versions of each view.
The second option is the smart choice for most and easier to create than you might think.
Create a 3D virtual model of the home with software like Cedreo. Then, add furniture and decorations from the design library to stage the property.
With an easy-to-use program like Cedreo, you can create a virtual model in almost the same time it takes to snap professional photos of a property. You can even import the property’s floor plan to save more time.
One advantage of a 3D virtual home is its versatility. You can select any viewpoint to get a photorealistic image. Plus, you can show how the property looks with natural light at different times of the day. And it’s really easy to switch out furnishings with just a few clicks.
Think virtual staging could work for your listings? Check out the pros and cons in the next section.
Pros and Cons of Virtual Staging
Virtual staging can be a really powerful tool for real estate agents and sellers. These pros and cons will help you determine if virtual staging is right for your next property listing.
Pros
- Less work: Instead of moving heavy pieces of furniture, you can stage an entire property right from your desk.
- Fast: Normal staging takes at least a few days to do properly, or even longer if you have to completely furnish a property. But with modern 3D home design software, you can create a fully-furnished virtual home in as little as 2 hours!
- Less on-location work: In today’s modern world, more and more prefer remote work. With virtual staging, you can stage a property remotely and without having to bring other workers on-site. Plus, you can share the 3D images with potential buyers to they can see or even purchase the staged property without visiting it physically.
- Showcase more of the property’s potential: With normal staging, you’re limited to staging the property just one way. But with virtual staging, you can create several staged variations to showcase the property’s full potential and increase the possibility of a sale.
- Versatile: Showing the home to buyers who prefer minimalist decor? Virtual staging gives you the ability to quickly create a staged version of the property with decor that appeals to those specific buyers. When you’re able to target specific buyers and their tastes, your close rate will skyrocket.
- Cheaper: Since it’s less work, virtual staging is much cheaper. And fortunately, with easy-to-use software like Cedreo, you don’t even have to hire 3D artists to create professional-quality 3D renderings. You can do it all yourself!
Cons
*IMPORTANT – Most of these cons only apply when you don’t do virtual staging correctly.
- Can mislead buyers: If you don’t openly disclose that what you are showing buyers are virtually staged scenes, buyers can be disappointed when they see the property in person.
- Can make the property look worse: If you don’t edit the scenes correctly, the staged images will look “fake” or like something out of an old video game.
- Each MLS market can have different rules: Check the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) for your area to see what rules they have regarding virtual staging.
*TIP – Avoid those cons by openly disclosing anytime you virtually stage a property. Mark images as virtually staged and clearly explain any changes you made. And always use a professional rendering program like Cedreo to make sure your images look as realistic as possible.
Virtual Staging in Today’s Market
The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the world and the real estate market didn’t escape those changes. The way people shop for real estate has changed forever.
Instead of paper ads, open houses, and in-person showings, online listings and virtual tours are the new norm. Modern buyers spend more time viewing houses on listing websites and real estate apps to whittle down their list of homes before visiting them in person. That means you need to seriously consider how your online listings look to potential buyers.
Photos, even professional photos, of empty properties are cold and impersonal. But a property filled with expertly selected furnishings instantly creates an emotional connection that motivates potential buyers to want to learn more.
The decline in in-person viewings is also driving innovation in the 3D and virtual viewing space. And because of that, 3D virtual technology is available to more people than ever.
Instead of just large construction firms and luxury real estate brokers using 3D virtual technology, now small real estate firms, rental property managers, and individual homeowners can easily create pro-level 3D models of their properties to stage for buyers.
So with changes to the way people shop and a housing market that’s hotter than ever, it’s time to add virtual staging to your sales tools.
Conclusion
Ready to leverage virtual staging to close more sales? Start today and watch your schedule fill up with interested buyers and your close rate go through the roof!
Fortunately, you don’t need to be a Photoshop expert or a 3D artist to virtually stage a home. Do it all yourself in less time with Cedreo.
- Create a 3D home model in as little as 2 hours!
- Choose from 7,000+ items in the design library for staging.
- Short on time? Use the 1-click decorating option to instantly furnish and decorate a space according to a specific style.
- Get stunning 3D images with accurate textures and lighting effects.
- No CAD, Photoshop, or 3D modeling experience required!
Start your FREE trial today and see how virtual staging with Cedreo helps you sell more homes!
