Most of the time, a home is a person’s largest financial investment. As such, finding the best marketing strategies when selling a home is critical. Staging is an important part of a real estate marketing plan and must be considered in order to sell the house faster and for the most money. Realtors may suggest that a staging consultation is needed for an occupied home, or recommend full staging services with rental furniture and fixtures for all or key rooms in an unoccupied home. A virtual staging consultation saves time and money by discussing staging tips over the phone after analyzing real photos of a property via email. Using virtual staging software can be a lower cost marketing tool for vacant homes, but may not be as effective as actual home staging. There are many differences between these types of staging strategies.

Virtual staging is the process of making computer renderings of an interior design concept from a digital photograph of a room to help potential buyers visualize a space. Builders and investors often use these representations when marketing new-build homes or rehabilitation properties. Illustrations can be used to show flooring, cabinets, finishes, and other material options, especially during the pre-construction or development phase. Virtual photos can also indicate what a future home remodeling project would look like and are useful for showcasing decorating ideas to clients. However, the actual staging of an empty home, or staging a model home for a new community, has proven to be the most effective.

Professional home staging uses property style techniques that appeal to target buyer demographics to make a home look better and stand out from the competition. With staging, furniture and accessories are artistically introduced and placed to highlight aspects of the home. Unlike virtual, real staging helps create an emotional connection with buyers and a sense of welcome that they will find attractive in the home.

Most people first look for real estate listings online when buying a home. Organized images can virtually spark initial interest online, but they often seem misleading and ineffective when viewing an empty house in person. The home may also require more updates than are shown in the photo, which lowers the home’s perceived value. Potential buyers visiting the home may still question the size of the space, as well as the arrangement of the furniture, as there is no benchmark without actual furniture. The staging is effective when the buyer falls in love in person. They need to fall in love with home and develop a sense of “home” to decide that this is home for them.