Virtual staging is becoming more popular with home-sellers. But is it worth it, and how does it compare with traditional staging? According to the National Association of Realtors, 77 percent of buyers’ agents say that staging makes it easier for buyers to visualize themselves living in a home, while as many as 38 percent of sellers’ agents say that they stage all their clients’ homes before listing. Because staging has a direct impact on listing performance, virtual staging was created to offer the same benefits for those who are seeking an alternative to traditional staging. To determine whether virtual staging is a viable alternative for you, Redfin explains what it is and how it compares with traditional home staging.

What is virtual staging?

Much like traditional staging, virtual staging is decorating a property to showcase its best features and qualities to make it more attractive to buyers. But virtual staging is done with a computer, without any real furniture, area rugs, potted plants or other décor. Professional virtual stagers digitally insert decorative elements in high-resolution photos to show the full potential of the empty rooms.

For what type of homes is virtual staging best suited?

Virtual staging won’t work for all homes – in many cases, traditional staging is the better choice. However, it can be a huge benefit if it’s done properly in:

• Vacant homes
• Homes with outdated furniture
• Properties with tenants in them, which leave the homeowner little control over the appearance of the space

If you still occupy your home and you can stage it to make it as appealing as possible to potential buyers, whole-house virtual staging isn’t for you. (You still can virtually stage some rooms if you and your agent think it’s appropriate, though.)

Virtual staging versus traditional staging

Virtual staging usually is a lot less expensive than traditional staging:

• Virtual staging costs between $39 and $199 per room, depending on the contractor you use, your location and the amount of space you need to stage.
• Traditional staging can cost several hundred dollars per month, depending on the stager you use, how much furniture you need to rent, your location and the number of rooms you need to stage. 

Pros and cons

Each method has pros and cons to consider. Virtual staging can help sell a home faster and for more money—but only if it’s done right. You still need to hire a professional who knows how to take good photos for virtual staging and work with a reputable company with a great portfolio of completed work. Meanwhile, traditional staging doesn’t always call for a professional stager. However, it does require an eye for detail and the ability to create a space that appeals to the widest possible range of buyers. Check out these pros and cons of each to help you make the right choice:

Pros of virtual staging 

• Can help you showcase an empty home’s best features
• Is cost-effective when compared with traditional staging
• Attracts prospective buyers’ attention online
• Offers you the opportunity to stage any number of rooms
• Allows you to stage flex rooms in multiple ways

Cons of virtual staging

• Becomes more expensive when you need to remove furniture or items from photos
• Can be difficult to use when the house is occupied, unless you have previous listing photos
• Furniture and décor only exist in the virtual space—buyers will never see it in person

Pros of traditional staging 

• Gives buyers real-life perspective when they tour the home
• Prevents buyers from having to tour a completely empty, vacant home
• Appeals to buyers’ sense of imagination
• Makes spaces appear larger and enables prospective buyers to gauge size
• Helps your home stand out in buyers’ memories after they leave

Cons of traditional staging

• Can be expensive, and you’ll keep incurring costs until the home sells
• Requires stagers to bring in furnishings, décor, and other items
• May be unnecessary, depending on how quickly homes are selling in your market

Common virtual staging mistakes

The biggest mistake a seller can make is hiring a virtual staging company that’s not good enough. Virtually staged photos should be exceptionally realistic—so real, in fact, that buyers won’t know they’re computer-generated. Other mistakes many people make with virtual staging include:

• Failing to provide prospective buyers with photos of empty rooms, as well as staged rooms. Buyers may expect the home to look the same as it does in its listing photos, so provide both.
  • Choosing virtual staging that makes the home look worse, not better. You have to be careful not to overdo furniture and decorative elements in staged photos.
  • Using virtual staging when it’s unnecessary. Replacing furnishings and decorative elements in photos when they’re perfectly fine to begin with can be a significant waste of time (and money).

Could virtual staging help sell your home?

Virtual staging can be a tremendous asset when selling a vacant home, or one that has wild-card tenants or outdated décor. It allows prospective buyers to view the right vision of the home—not an empty, cavernous space, but one in which it’s comfortable and easy to live.