Using software, a designer will create a likeness of each room in your home then place furniture…and fixtures…to help prospective buyers envision what the home could look like.
Average costs
The average cost of a physical home staging is anywhere from $2,000 to $2,400 and up, depending upon the size of your home.
On the other hand, to hire someone to create a virtual staging of your home averages around $100 to $200 per room.
Pros
As you can see, the cost for virtual staging is much less, which can be helpful if you’re on a tight budget yet still want prospective buyers to view your home.
If your home is empty it can make it look warm and inviting instead of cold and sterile.
Virtual staging is more convenient for sellers who are still living in the home because they don’t have to deal with the hassle of having furniture and other items moved in and out of the home.
If you’re in the process of moving and boxes are everywhere, you won’t need to hide everything for the camera…it can be digitally wiped away to present a clean, fresh image for your listing.
A room with busy wallpaper can often look smaller than it is to the camera’s eye. By virtually painting it with a soft white or gray the room is transformed.
Another benefit is the versatility of virtual staging. By just making a few adjustments, a virtual home stager can create a variety of home decor styles to suit many different buyers’ tastes.
Virtual home staging isn’t limited to interior’s either.
Using virtual image technology, buyers can view what the home looks like at night, under a soft blanket of snow or surrounded by lush greenery.
Cons
Even if you or your realtor put the term “virtually staged” on each photo – and you should – prospective buyers may feel as if they’ve been tricked when what they see in person differs greatly from the images they saw online.
Some kinds of virtual software can make images look unrealistic.
Virtual home staging companies
There are many virtual home staging companies offering their services to sellers, developers and others who need their services.
Following are a few of the top rated companies who can provide this service:
You simply send your images to Box Brownie, and they’ll create virtually staged images for you.
Price: Starting at $32 per image
You get unlimited revisions and furniture arrangements, and get your pictures back in three to five days.
Price: Ranges from $69 to $89 per photo
Very realistic images using CAD drawings.
Prices: Starts at $85 per picture, but you can save money with their packages
Finally, virtual home staging can be a great option for sellers, but for it to be really effective you need to have great, realistic images and to avoid any misconceptions or confusion by making prospective buyers aware that the images are virtual.
