Use Virtual Staging in Your Real Estate Business
Virtual staging has taken the world of real estate by storm, and it’s easy to see why: by using computer-generated images of your house or apartment, you can realistically represent how it looks to potential buyers and sellers and sell faster than ever before. Here are nine reasons you need to use virtual staging in your real estate business right now!
Help people visualize their home
One of the great appeals of virtual reality is that it helps people see themselves in a new environment. This could be as simple as helping them imagine what their house will look like with new furniture or a different paint color. It could be more complicated—like helping them decide whether moving from a two-bedroom apartment to a three-bedroom house would really make sense for their family.
When you’re selling real estate, your clients can’t physically visualize how changes to their home will impact its value and function. A virtual staging company can help bridge that gap by taking photos and videos of your clients’ spaces. Using editing software to create images that show how those spaces might appear after changes have been made.
The result: People who are shopping for homes can get an accurate idea of how they might fit into those homes. Before they even set foot inside. As an agent, you can use these images to illustrate how specific upgrades might improve a space. Then convince your clients that spending money on those upgrades is worth it.
In other words, virtual staging provides all kinds of benefits for both sellers and buyers alike. If you’re involved in any kind of real estate transaction. Partnering with a virtual staging company should be at the top of your list.
And yes, we know: Virtual staging is already becoming pretty common among agents. Who want to stay competitive in today’s digital world. But just because something has become commonplace doesn’t mean there isn’t still room for improvement.
We believe we can bring something unique to our customers. Thanks to our unique background and perspective—as well as our growing network of partners (including some big names). So if you want your business to stay competitive now and in years to come, contact us today!
Attract higher-quality leads
Do you know how some real estate companies seem to attract more leads than others? It’s not because they’re better at door-knocking or calling people. It’s because their online presence (and digital marketing skills) are stronger. Why do they have such a strong online presence? They leverage virtual staging.
Virtual staging is an amazing tool that allows potential homebuyers to virtually stage a home. By adding furniture and other decorative elements. It helps them get a feel for what it would be like to live there. Which means they can imagine themselves living there. Which means they might actually call your company when looking for help buying or selling property. If you want more high-quality leads. Start using virtual staging today!
Staging Sells Houses for More Money
Being able to stage homes opens up a world of new opportunities for real estate agents and home sellers. One of those opportunities is getting more money for houses at sale time. It’s no secret that there are many buyers out there who want what your home has to offer, but can’t afford it. With virtual staging, you can make your home look like it belongs in their price range—even if it doesn’t!
Here are some of the benefits you might be missing out on by not using virtual staging
- More Money: If you sell your house with an open house or auction. You could get as much as $10,000 more than if you didn’t use virtual staging techniques. And even when selling without an open house or auction, studies show that staged homes sell faster and for higher prices than unstaged ones. The reason? Buyers like what they see, so they don’t waste any time making offers.
- Fewer Showings: When you have virtual staging in place before showing your home. Fewer people will come through your door to view it. Which means less traffic for you and less wear and tear on your property.
- Less Competition: Using virtual staging gives you a competitive advantage over other homes on the market. This allows you to stand out from other properties and attract buyers from farther away. Increasing your pool of potential clients.
- Faster Sales: A study conducted by Zillow found that staged homes sold faster than non-staged ones (by about 30 days).
- Lower Maintenance Costs: Once you’ve sold your home, moving costs go down because you won’t need to pay someone to clean up after each showing.
- Easier Listing Photos: Professional photos taken during a staged open house allow viewers to focus on your property rather than its condition. Which makes it easier for them to imagine living there.
- Higher Quality Offers: When you receive an offer on your home. Having professional pictures ready to share online can help you negotiate a better deal.
- Higher Home Values: Homes that have been professionally staged tend to increase in value more quickly than those that haven’t been. Sometimes even maintain their value better during downturns in the housing market.
- Better Resale Value: Even if you plan to stay in your current home forever. Staging it can give you better resale value should you ever decide to move again. The Benefits of Virtual Staging When it comes to staging your home. There’s nothing like the real thing. But unless you can hire a team of professionals to do the job for you. Using virtual tools and apps is the next best thing.
By adding realistic images and video content to your listing, consumers can easily imagine themselves enjoying life in your home while they shop around.
Showcase the Full Potential and Intended Use of a Space
Whether you are selling a 1,000-square foot condo or 5,000-square foot single family home, using virtual staging is a great way to show potential buyers all of the space and its intended purpose. Using virtual staging software allows you as a realtor to add furniture, accessories and even artwork that gives your clients a clear picture of how they can utilize their new space.
This is crucial because buyers want homes that will serve their needs not just now but years down the line. They want to know if there is room for children or pets to grow. They also want an idea of how much it might cost them if they decide to expand later on.
Virtual staging helps you showcase these things by showing off what’s possible with a little imagination and creativity. It shows people what’s inside without them having to go through any hassle. If a person likes what he sees then he may be more likely to make an offer right away instead of waiting around until he has seen every listing in town.
The longer you leave something like this unattended, the more likely it is that someone else will swoop in and make an offer before you do. With virtual staging, time is no longer against you so long as your photos have been designed well enough to give viewers a good impression of each room from every angle.
Showing prospective buyers everything they could possibly want to see about a property at one time makes it easier than ever to sell quickly. No need to run back and forth between properties when you have everything laid out neatly online.
There’s nothing quite like seeing something firsthand though, so don’t forget that it’s important to incorporate pictures of your actual space into your virtual tour too. People still value personal experience over anything else, especially when making big decisions. Give them both options and you’ll come out ahead!
More Affordable than Traditional Staging
A virtual staging company isn’t cheap, but a full-service package is still much more affordable than hiring a professional stager from your local real estate association. On average, full-service packages cost less than $1,000 for interior staging and only slightly more for exterior staging. Not too shabby!
Traditional stagers usually charge anywhere between $2-$10 per square foot of space; that could cost you well over $10,000 depending on how large your home is. Talk about sticker shock! Luckily, there are plenty of affordable alternatives out there.
In fact, most professional virtual stagers will even work with your budget. They understand just how important it is to appeal to potential buyers—even if they don’t have big bucks to spend. (more…) Don’t Get Caught Unprepared: If you’re not ready to show off your home, no one else will be either. And being unprepared could cost you thousands when it comes time to sell.
Hiring a virtual stager can give buyers all the information they need before scheduling an appointment with your agent or walking through your door unannounced—and make them want to buy faster once they get inside!
When done right, virtual staging can save you money and keep you from getting caught unprepared. It doesn’t matter what type of property you own—virtual staging is something every homeowner should consider doing before listing their house for sale! (more…)
Improve Customer Experience: By improving your customer experience, you increase both buyer engagement and conversion rates. The better a consumer feels about your business, the more likely they are to recommend it to others. That means repeat customers and word-of-mouth advertising at its finest!
Saves time and effort
Instead of spending hours of your time fixing up a property, you can make it look like you hired someone to fix it up. In fact, virtual staging is so effective that it’s been known to increase sales by 15% or more.
Instead of taking months or years off your property, you can sell your home faster with less hassle. It also eliminates surprises after an offer is accepted because buyers know exactly what they’re getting into before they move forward with buying a house.
Helps market homes: The value of good marketing has been proven over and over again—especially when it comes to selling a house quickly. If your real estate business is lacking clients and you don’t have enough leads for new properties, then investing in virtual staging could be just what you need to get things going again.
Offers flexibility: While some people prefer working from their own office, others might enjoy being able to work from anywhere. With virtual staging, you can work on a project from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. This offers great flexibility for those who want to travel often or live in multiple places throughout their life.
Unlimited Design Options
One of virtual staging’s most attractive benefits is its flexibility. From your clients’ perspective, each living space can look completely unique without any extra work on your end. Whether they want a sleek and modern feel or something more rustic and traditional, it’s up to you to decide how you want their home or office to look.
This gives you an incredible amount of control over your client’s first impression—and it makes them much more likely to choose you as their realtor if they know that you have a high level of expertise and experience with virtual staging.
It also means that you don’t need to invest thousands of dollars into creating customized furniture for every property; by using stock items from sites like IKEA, Target, or Amazon, you can save yourself both time and money.
Nothing to Hide
One of the most common concerns with virtual real estate staging is its ethics–is virtual staging misleading? Is it legal? These are valid questions, but not all agents see it that way. In fact, many professional stagers see nothing wrong with using images that don’t represent a home’s true condition.
They argue that every house looks better in photos and that showing an empty home would be just as deceptive. If you do decide to go down this route, be sure to disclose your staged photos up front so your clients aren’t surprised by what they see when they arrive at their new home. And if you choose to show un-staged photos, there’s no need to worry about competition from other agents; few people want to move into a messy house!
Just remember: Clients who walk through dirty or cluttered houses may never return to buy again. So don’t use virtual staging as an excuse for lazy sellers, who think a clean room means everything is fine—it doesn’t. Virtual real estate staging isn’t perfect, but it’s more ethical than letting potential buyers fall in love with a fantasy. After all, buyers are going to have plenty of time to fall in love with their own reality once they’ve bought your home! (The power of positive thinking!)
The bottom line: Be honest, but also be realistic. Showing virtual staging on your website can help you close more deals faster because buyers will trust you more. It’s worth noting that some states require agents to show all homes exactly as they appear–with furnishings and clutter included–to ensure equal representation between competing offers.
But even if you live in one of these states, make sure your listings stand out from competitors’ by showing how nice a property will look after renovations or decluttering.
Is Virtual Staging Right for You?
There are a number of benefits that virtual staging can provide you as a real estate professional. It’s easy, affordable and more efficient than traditional staging solutions. But before you dive into virtual staging, it’s important to understand how it works and how it might fit into your business model.
The above nine reasons will help you determine if virtual staging is right for you. If you find yourself nodding along with all or most of these points, then virtual staging may be a good option to consider.
However, if there are any drawbacks that seem like they would impact your business negatively—don’t let them deter you from trying out virtual staging. Virtual staging isn’t for everyone—but everyone should try it at least once! If you don’t think virtual staging is a great fit for your style of home selling, then go back to using tried-and-true methods until you have something else up your sleeve.
A Quick Wrap
Whether you’re a first-time seller or you’ve been around for a while, virtual staging is one tool that should be part of your real estate toolbox. The benefits are numerous and have a positive impact on both your buyers and your bottom line.
If you’re ready to take advantage of these benefits, contact our office today for more information. We can help you incorporate virtual staging into your current business model or develop an entirely new approach that takes full advantage of all its advantages.