It’s no secret that staging a home can help it sell faster and for a better price. However, it can be expensive — plus, it can also be a hassle for homeowners still living in the home. Fortunately, you can now offer your clients virtual home staging — an easier and much more affordable solution that still shows buyers the potential of a home. To learn more about adding value to a home before your client sells, get in touch with Century 21 Peak.
According to CNN, virtual home staging involves providing a photo of an empty room or the exterior of a home to a service that then digitally enhances it according to your specifications. For example, you can add high-end furniture and strategically placed artwork to give each room a unique look. That way, prospective buyers get a better impression of what the home will actually look like once it’s lived in.
There are several advantages to virtual staging. It has an immediate impact on the internet, which is where most buyers first see a home nowadays. In addition, you can present a range of different staging options, as Forbes points out. This is particularly helpful for sellers who are marketing multifamily properties with a variety of unit layouts. And finally, it’s far less costly than actual staging. Engaging a professional home stager can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000, while virtual staging can cost as little as $32 per photo.
Hubspot lists a number of virtual staging providers. Virtual Staging Solutions enhances four photos for $300 — with two revisions included — in one to two days. It also offers virtual restyling and remodeling options. BoxBrownie has a two-day turnaround time and charges $32 per photo. It also provides other services, such as day to dusk image retouching and floor plan redraws.
VisualStager is a DIY app that lets you upload photos, erase the furniture from them and drag and drop new items from a library of more than 4,000 pieces of furniture. It works on a prepaid credit system where you pay $15 for 10 credits and need 10 credits to stage one image. And starting at $119 per image, IBD Luxury Home Staging offers a range of virtual staging options based on a combination of high-end design and top of the line home staging expertise.
It’s important to make sure that virtual staging doesn’t misrepresent a property. For example, you shouldn’t erase things like roads or utility poles — or make a barren yard look perfectly landscaped. In short, virtual staging is simply a tool you can use to help show prospective buyers the potential of a piece of real estate — but all things considered, it’s a powerful one.
Century 21 Peak is your Los Angeles real estate partner. Whether you are helping a client buy or sell a home, we remain in your corner when the going gets tough.