West Michigan Real Estate Photographer
Virtual Staging
Presenting a home in its best condition is crucial when making a positive impression on a potential buyer. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 20% of 2022 homebuyers increased their offer on a home by 1% to 5% because the home was staged.
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But not everyone has the budget or wants the potential complication of a live staging, so Virtual Staging offers an alternative option to demonstrate what a space can be used for and provide more visual interest as buyers browse your listing. According to a 2019 report, doing virtual home staging (a graphic editor digitally designs a room using virtual furniture and decor) instead of physical home staging can reduce staging costs by up to 97%.
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7 Statistics about the Process of Home Staging
Home staging is not the same as interior design. When you decorate or design a home, you should be customizing the style and functionality to a specific person or family. When you're staging a home, you need to appeal to a wide audience of potential buyers.
The process of traditional home staging is a pretty big undertaking. First, you need to schedule a design consultation. Then, you'll likely need to remove the existing furniture if that hasn't been done already--this is not good news if the sellers were planning on staying in the home while it's on the market!
Finally, you'll need to schedule a time for the stager to bring in all the rest of the furniture and decor before you can photograph and list the property.
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Traditional staging takes approximately 1-2 weeks (The Staging Consultant, Northern Lights Staging)
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Only 31% of listing agents stage all homes before listing them for sale (NAR)
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13% of listing agents said they only stage homes that are difficult to sell (NAR)
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The three most common rooms staged are the living room (90%), kitchen (80%), primary bedroom (78%), and dining room (69%) (NAR)
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According to buyers, the living room is the most important room to be staged (46%), followed by the primary bedroom (43%) and kitchen (35%) (NAR)
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39% of agents staged home offices (NAR)
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Only 22% of agents stage children's bedrooms, making them the least common rooms to stage (NAR)
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Welton Media regularly provides Virtual Staging to agents who are marketing a vacant property or properties with dated furniture. NAR has provided a useful graphic to keep in mind when considering what spaces to Virtually Stage.
