What is Virtual Staging?

Selling a home, or selling the potential of a space, do you need virtual staging? Maybe you do not want to schlep in a bunch of furniture, to use outdated pieces of furniture. Maybe you just want to save the time, and don’t want the hassle and the problems of dealing with it. Not when there are other options available that do not come with the same headaches and complications. Virtual staging is a quick, cost effective, and pointed way of properly staging a home, so it can look its very best to potential buyers.

Virtual staging, regardless of if it’s being used on still two-dimensional images or 360-degree panoramic images, is the process of using computer image editing software. The photographer will place various pieces of furniture or other structural fixes into the space. While I can take an hour or so to haul the furniture into a room, set it up and clean up so that it is finally ready for viewing. This same process is completed virtually in relatively the same amount of time. This leads with a few notable benefits that do not come with physical staging.

Next steps

I’m going to be talking about virtual staging, and how it can be used by real estate agents and property marketers to greatly increase the engagement. A potential buyer has with the space, and how we can shape their thoughts, feelings, and emotions about an area.

Will be covering some of the core aspects of property marketing, as well as why one should consider. Also, about what types of properties can be virtually staged, and what types of virtual staging are even possible. We are going to touch base on how to prepare for virtual staging including day of preparations. We’ll also talk a little bit about the post-production. The behind the scenes of what makes it work. Lastly we will also talk about how to implement virtually staged assets. So you’re able to utilize them to the best possible outcome.

Property Marketing 101

In 2022, the housing market will be in a very odd and weird head space. Some call it imbalanced, some call it the new reality. It’s hard to ignore that coming out of 2021, house would sell over asking with poorly taken cell phone pictures. That there are realities to human buying and spending habit psychology that simply cannot be ignored.

Is it possible to still sell a house with just cell phone pictures? Technically, yes of course it is. Is it possible to sell that same house over asking with those pictures in this market? Likely so. Does that mean that this is the best possible solution when you do finally get a listing in your hands that you’re able to sell? Absolutely not.

Expectations

Your clients are going to come to you with the expectation that you can sell in a few days. It’s your job as the real estate agent, as the professional in the room to emphasize to them. That if you just spend a few more days, if you put away the cell phone and utilize regular channels of property marketing, that you are going to see the house sell quickly relative to historical timelines. But you’re also going to see and even further still increase in offers over asking.

And hey, who doesn’t like more money? It really is important to stress and utilize to the seller that sourcing and implementing virtual staging assets can be a critical step in really filling out a listing.

Why Should I Virtually Stage?

Virtual staging can cover a lot of headaches that might otherwise present themselves when it comes to marketing a property. Let us say for example there is a small issue somewhere on the property that will be fixed after the photographer leaves. This can be anything from a blemish on a wall to a scratch on a floor.

A good real estate content photographer is going to be able to utilize this asset to take care of minor details for you. While it is important to keep in mind that we must not misrepresent how the property or its surrounding areas look. It is within our ability to, say for example, make the grass look a little brighter during the colder months. It’s also possible for us to implement things like sunset scenes in the background for exterior photos. If kitchen appliances or other fixtures are not being sold with the house, those can be removed. This helps to ease any miscommunication and overall increases the experience of the potential buyer looking over the seller’s assets.

What Types Of Properties Can Be Virtually Staged?

It’s important to disregard any pre-existing assumptions you had about which properties can and which properties cannot be done. It’s important to keep in mind that with the advent of technology as it is today, things that were previously outside the reach of traditional home sales are now applicable, if not soon to be standard practice for all listings.

Let’s go into some examples. virtual tours for example used to be exclusively for seven-figure listings, now virtual tours are commonplace in everything from Airbnb rentals to condo sales. When virtual tours were first released there was a large attitude in the real estate industry. A potential buyer would need strict supervision by the agent in order to walk through the property appropriately. This removed the agency from a lot of buyers themselves. and gave the wrong type of feel and didn’t utilize the ability of a virtual tour to sell a listing itself.

Spotting Staging

Likewise, we find similar attitudes about staging. When it’s done properly is extremely difficult to tell from furniture that has placed into the space itself. In fact, most seasoned real estate agents are able to pick out virtual staging in just a few seconds. But this should not be taken as an indicator that the virtual staging itself is no good. It’s important to remember that virtual staging is used for the consumer of the photos. In these scenarios the virtual staging looks real and it helps impart a sense of place and belonging. They provides context, looking at different spaces.

Types Of Virtual Staging

A very broad overview will suggest that there are actually five different types of virtual staging that can be employed by a photographer or a real estate agent to help sell a space. They are interior virtual staging, exterior staging, virtual tour staging, drone virtual staging, and lastly repair virtual staging. We are going to touch base on each one, and how virtual staging can apply.

Interior staging is easily the biggest and most common type of virtual staging experienced out in the wild. Interior virtual staging is anything from covering up old furniture with new furniture. As well as putting new furniture into empty spaces. This is easily the most cost-saving type of virtual staging, and also the easiest to implement. This is because we’re not really covering anything up per se, it’s more just filling out a room and implementing a vibe.

Other Methods And Applications

Exterior virtual staging is remarkably similar to Interior virtual staging. Exterior can focuses on fixing and adjusting different aspects of the outside of a listing in order to increase overall curb appeal, or to implement soon-to-be made changes. They can also be used to highlight different ideas and aspects of a listing that might be popular or attractive to potential buyers.

Virtual tour virtual staging is a complex yet rewarding methodology of staging a home for sale. Tour staging is something that needs to be undertaken by professionals with true experience production, for one large glaring reason. The real estate agent is going to want the virtual staging done in still images and, in other areas of the house, to be identical to the virtual staging done in the virtual tour.

This is vital because it will allow the potential buyer to help and maintain that established familiarity with the space, which is ultimately the point of a virtual tour to begin with. Staging a virtual tour is easily the most rewarding type of virtual staging, because it really allows a full and defined idea to be put onto a space allowing a true and wholesome image to be utilized.

Other Extensions

Fourth in line we have drone virtual staging. Drone virtual staging is largely applicable only to drone still images or 360-degree panoramic images that have been captured by drone. drone virtual staging is fantastic for removing any sort of blight that might be around your listing that you may want to remove. This can be anything from Landscaping operations, construction Crews, other inconvenient artifacts that may have been in the way during the time of shoot – such as garbage trucks or mail trucks.

Drone is also a very popular place to add Twilight backgrounds to photos. This can be a very attractive and very fetching way of initially gaining attention to a listing. A classic shot, using Twilight virtual tour staging in drone photography is without a doubt the best way to generate the first picture that should be used on any home listing.

Lastly we have virtual staging for repairing and maintaining different spaces. This is largely applicable to listings that are for rent say for example through Airbnb. There are rules and regulations regarding misrepresentation in the marketing of real estate. Using virtual staging to repair different assets can be tricky and should be used very judiciously. It should never be used to mislead a potential buyer as to what the reality of the listing is.

But there are some great opportunities for repairing solutions that make it important to note for anyone considering utilizing these methods to increase the attractiveness of their listing. The best example likely in this category would be to remove pieces of furniture such as washers and dryers or refrigerators that are not included in the sale of the listing.

Get Virtual Staging

Virtual staging is offered like any other service from a reputable property content marketing agency. while it’s always a good idea to let your agency know ahead of time if you’re considering virtual staging or not even if you’re not one hundred percent certain that it’ll be an option you utilize. While there are no major differences between capturing a home that will use it and capturing a home that will not use it. It’s always important to communicate with your photographer about your needs and wishes for your listing. Preparing for staging can be as easy as leaving things exactly where they are! The beauty of using virtual staging is that we are able to use software programs like Photoshop. This gives us a lot of Liberty and freedom in removing and taking away certain items.

An Example At Hand

This is not an ultimate fix for problems that might exist in a listing. For example, I am were taking a picture of a kid’s playroom. The playroom itself would need to be moderately cleaned up, or at the very least toys picked up off the floor. Every artifact that needs to be either removed or added takes time and will dramatically affect the cost. The difference between a $50 cost to Stage a photo and a $100 cost to Stage is simple. Often as little as running the vacuum through a space or and spending 5 minutes tidying can help. Loose items on countertops and arranging things so they are as neat and organized as they can possibly be.

A Conclusion On Virtual Staging

Now it looks better or: How I learned to stop worrying and love virtual staging. While it is a funny joke it is true, a lot of people are put off by the idea of doing this! It is a cost-effective meaningful way of increasing awareness in a space. And helping to implore a sense of belonging and relevancy to any potential buyer who is looking at your listing. Staging is cost-effective and reliable, and the deploying is easy. virtual staging is increasing every month. Even if you think you have a relatively comprehensive understanding of how your local content marketing provider is producing content, It’s always important to check back in and see what’s available these days. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you find.