Is Virtual Staging Bait and Switch?
I’m not looking to stir up controversy, but wrote this post to open up a dialogue on how Realtors, buyers and NJ home stagers feel about virtual staging vs. hands on staging. This topic came up when a local Realtor and builder hired us to stage their 3 million dollar new construction luxury property. She explained.jpg)
that the previous listing agent had used virtual staging on MLS and placed large virtually staged posters at the entrance of each room.
She went on to say that when buyers showed up they were disappointed and confused, leaving them with a negative first impression. Moreover, the home sat on the market for 12 months with no respectable offers.
Now that she had the listing, she advised the builder to physically stage it, which he agreed, and hired Elite Staging and Redesign.
While on the walkthrough, I saw the large poster boards showing the virtually staged rooms. They looked good, but in my humble opinion did not translate to the 
actual rooms.
We staged the house, took new MLS photos AND, THIS IS IMPORTANT, the agent reduced the price by $20,000 dollars. This makes it harder to distinguish whether the staging helped sell the home, or the price reduction……………or both? My guess is both, but that’s just my opinion.
My question is what do YOU think of virtual staging, have you used it and does it work in your area? My client said the builder conveyed that when buyers arrived at the home they felt mislead, expecting to see a furnished home.
If you haven’t seen virtual staging you can get a glimpse of the poster boards below in our “before” photos, which is where they were placed prior to us staging the home.
Living Room Before:
Living Room After:
Dining Room Before:
Dining Room After:
Master Bedroom Before:
Master Bedroom After:
Family Room Before:
Family Room After:
Kitchen before:
Kitchen After:
Master Bathroom Before:
Master Bathroom After:
Please keep your comments respectful as this is not an attack on virtual staging, but a platform to voice your opinion and/or experience on virtual staging vs. actual staging.
If you'd like to view more of our work see our NJ Home Staging Portfolio or visit our NJ Home Staging Services and Pricing page to see how we can transform your home to market ready. No home is too big or too small and we work within all budgets! Call us today at 201-602-2562 - we are happy to answer your questions!
Comments(110)