Virtual Staging and Why you Should Give it a Try
Price, Connivence, Time...
Virtual Staging may be worth a try.
I am beyond excited to now offer Virtual staging and the many pros that come with the opportunity. With our existing military presence, growing industry, and overall healthy South Carolina economy many people pack-up and moving before their homes sell. This is a two fold situation for many REALTORS. Showings will be a breeze, but listing photos may suffer.
As a photographer I often struggle making the most of an empty home. For example, your home has beautifully vaulted ceilings with oversized windows and doors. In the midst of capturing the greatness of the room, without physical items in the room there is no comparison to size. The expansive characteristics are suddenly normalized. However, if we take the same space and incorporate a standard size bed set, we suddenly bring the energy back into the space and photo.
Another prime example is shown above. Many condos and Charleston single style homes share this long, narrow living space. In the top photo you may wonder, how big is this room? Where would I put the table? Or simply assume this space too too tight and move on to another listing. The $25 virtual staging of this room could be what effectively markets and sells this property.
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This is where things get obvious. Staging a home can cost $300-$600 per consultation and an additional fee for each month the home sits staged. Virtually staged, you are looking at roughly $25 per room regardless of the number of items we add or subtract. Here’s the best part… You don’t have to have every photo staged. Maybe the kitchen holds it’s own in the photo, but the living area could use some help… Just have the one photo staged!
Connivence and Time (this is a big one)
I love real estate photography because it is spontaneous. One moment I’m completely idol, the next I’m out the door. A REALTOR needs photos taken as soon as possible and it is scheduled to rain the next day. Luckily, I travel light, but a stager might not be able to do the same… for obvious reasons.
Another common issue is the master bedroom. Face it, we pour a lot of love and “Welcome” into the main living area of our homes, but the master bedroom may be a bit more due for an update. Simply empty the room or eliminate larger items, I will photograph the area, then return all items for everyday living. Once I edit the lighting, we can choose the perfect modern bedroom set virtually to make the most of your listing photos.
Say your clients have already packed their belongings and left you with an empty home. You have a few options here. 1) Photograph the space empty hoping for the best. 2) Accept the expense of hiring a professional stager. 3) Accrue a ton of cute furniture to stage homes yourself and hire a few of your best friends to help you move it all in and later… move it out. Or 4) Photograph the home empty, browse the virtual catalog of endless styles and sets, then choose which rooms you want staged.
Virtual Staging may be worth a try.
My goal is to continue to streamline the real estate marketing process for Realtors. With improving technology, the global pandemic changing the way we interact, and the need for more time in the day; virtual staging could be the solution you’ve been looking for!
Learn more about my real estate photography, FREE 3D Virtual tours and other offers here.
