Staging a home once meant adding fixtures, fittings, and even furniture to a house for sale, to create a feeling of warmth and appeal, and to make it easier to sell. Organizing a home today still involves rearranging possessions and furniture, but in more and more cases, furniture and accessories are digital rather than real, a very cost-effective alternative.
What is virtual home staging and how is it done? This new addition to the more traditional selling techniques used to market a home focuses on taking a photo of the home as it is and then dressing it up. Home interior “after” photos are created using virtual furniture, wall colors, pictures, window coverings and other décor to help potential buyers envision a home’s possibilities.
With an actual staging, the furniture and draperies must be purchased, transported, and then arranged in the home, with the hope that the set designer has accurately calibrated current decorating trends and design techniques to capture the buyer’s attention. . Unfortunately, the taste of the homeowner or decorator may or may not appeal to all buyers. Today, virtual home decorators can embellish photos of empty rooms taken and submitted by agents and landlords with images of sofas, dining tables, rugs, curtains, and artwork. If a furniture ensemble doesn’t quite capture the look, there’s no need to return the curtains. It’s as easy as clicking a computer mouse to change the whole look.
However, there are some things that most virtual stage companies will not do for an owner. According to most virtual setting websites, the ethics statements reiterate that companies will not add non-existent landscaping, wet bars or appliances, nor will they remove power lines or other detractions from photos. These companies also require clients to inform buyers and agents that the rooms are staged virtually so that buyer expectations are realistic.
Virtual staging is quite easy for the seller. Most websites simply require photos of the vacant listing and offer results usually within three to five business days. Sellers and agents can add the photos to brochures, MLS pages and websites.
