Pros & Cons of Virtual Staging
When I meet with sellers of vacant homes, virtual staging is something that inevitably comes up as a cost-conscious option to make the property shine online. There is no doubt that virtual staging, is eye-catching. Look at the photo above. That is a ChatGPT virtual staging rendering of of the original photo below.
At first glance, why wouldn’t a listing agent or seller want to take a few minutes and have AI dress up a photo? It sure does warm up the home and is sure to get attention in views online. Looking like a home out of a magazine can’t be bad, can it?
When online views turn into in-person tours, the first impression in the home matters. When a buyer’s shoulders slump, their frown lines appear or brow furrows, the emotional process of buying a home has begun to eliminate the choice in front of them. Selling a home is all about creating a positive emotional experience inside the property.
Imagine stepping inside to see the scene above in dining room/living room and seeing this instead.
That romantic image they saw online is not what they are physically viewing. This starts the tour off in a negative manner. There is no furniture present to help them get a sense of whether their own furniture will fit, or to give them true scale of room size. It is a very common problem that buyers standing a vacant room will under-estimate its size almost every time.
Virtual staging is not something done with room dimensions. Who knows if the furniture chosen to slip into any of these pictures actually fits. You may also notice, when compared with the original vacant photos, that ChatGPT is enhancing beyond furnishings and wall hangings that a stager would place. Window shades were changed, drapes added and drapery rods.
Sometimes, AI actually changes the light fixtures as well. Here’s a great before and after below.
When you compare these two photos, it is like playing a game where you must find the differences in the photos. The chandelier has been modernized and the bar height island accentuated to make it more obvious with under-mount trim. The floor color has also been touched up to hide the wear and tear present from years of sun and use. The neighboring property, seen out of the large window has also been replaced with trees.
While the pro of virtual staging is that it provides stunning listing photos and tons of online views, the con is that buyers in vacant homes are left to see every imperfection in front of them. They aren’t going to remember the gorgeous room staged online. They are going to see that worn kitchen floor and they are going to be let down.
What’s the alternative? Actual Staging.
When I listed my own home, I insisted on staging. My home was outdated, had faded hardwood floors and was going to be vacant.
When buyers saw my own home online, they saw what they would see in person. The furnishings above were present. The windows had blinds, but they were pulled up for photos. The floor is clearly faded from the sun.
Buyers got what they saw in the family room too. The drapes were physically there and the stager used furnishings she had to compliment what was already there. The same in our primary bedroom. Actual furniture was used to compliment what was there and give scale to the room in person.
The advice I give all sellers is simple: play to online views AND in-person tours. The decision to tour is made by seeing online photos. The decision to make an offer is made inside the home. If you are playing to both, and avoiding giving buyers any negative emotions when they enter your property, your odds of success are dramatically increased.
Chris Ann Cleland
Associate Broker, Top 100 L&F Agent
VA License #0225089470
Long & Foster Real Estate
Call or Text: 703-402-0037
Email: ChrisAnn@LNF.com
www.UncompromisingValues.com
The opinions expressed in this blog are those of Chris Ann Cleland, not Long & Foster. All written content is authored solely by Chris Ann Cleland without the aid of artificial intelligence.