As a real estate professional, you understand an online presence is beneficial for your property listings. Even without the COVID-19 pandemic of this year, your potential clients are still using the internet. According to statistics, 44% of home buyers start their search online. Stay home orders are slowly lifting, but the majority of home buyers are relying on digital solutions before making a purchase, and virtual staging is one of them.

Do you offer virtually staged real estate listings? If not, now is the time. Let’s explore three main reasons to add it as a service for your real estate business. 

1. Staged Homes Appeal to the Buyer’s Emotions

There’s a reason why staged homes sell 75% faster than those that are not. By filling your listings with elegant furniture, potential buyers can visualize the home as their own. Statistics show that 83% of staged properties sell for the asking price or above. If your potential buyer likes what he sees, he will most likely agree to the initial price to keep it from being sold to someone else.

Take advantage of the opportunity to style a home that resonates with the buyer. Nursery decor, for example, may tug at the hearts of new parents. Since more people are working from home due to pandemic guidelines, a study room or home office is another popular staging idea. 

Keep in mind, a photo of an empty room can make the room appear much smaller than its actual size. Virtual staging not only fills the space but gives buyers of how the dimensions of a room could work for them. 

2. Virtual Staging is Cost Efficient

You can save hundreds, and even thousands of dollars, in physical staging costs by adding virtual furniture to an image. Physical staging can cost up to 3% of the property listing price. Virtual staging, on the other hand, can cost less than 1% of that. 

Other professionals have caught on to this cost-efficient trend. Virtual staging is just as popular among interior designers as it is real estate agencies. Why not take advantage of this money-saving strategy?

3. Virtual Staging Saves Time

The truth is, your job as a real estate agent can be extremely busy. If you need solutions that help better allocate your time throughout the day, this is one of them. Where physical furniture placement can take multiple days, even weeks, to finish, virtual staging has quick turnaround times that are generally within a few business days.

Also, virtual staging provides the type of flexibility that is impossible with physical furniture. You can change the look and feel of home in several different ways with virtual staging, tailoring the style to your current buyer. This is much faster and easier than hiring a moving team to add and rearrange furniture throughout the home. During popular holiday seasons, Christmas for example, a photo can be modified at any time to include a Christmas tree, lighting, and furniture to match.

 

Limitations of Virtual Staging

As with any service, there is criticism of virtual staging. Some people may argue that virtual staging can take away the buyer’s imagination and become a distraction. It’s possible for users to focus solely on the furniture and decor, and not the actual property in which they fill. 

People who are not fond of virtual tours may conclude that virtually staged homes deceive clients. For example, a potential buyer may contact you after admiring your real estate photography, but get disappointed after seeing the emptiness in person. 

Nevertheless, all real estate professionals should leverage virtual solutions and tools to highlight the key features of a home. The goal is to sell, and virtual staging is an excellent real estate marketing strategy to showcase a home and seal the deal. 

Our experienced team at In D Sky Homes can help you create virtually staged photos of your properties without falsely advertising it. Whatever real estate marketing service you need, we can deliver.