As a home stager for over 15 years, I have seen the industry grow. I have witnessed the hefty return on investment that staging brings to a homeowner and the transformations that ultimately sell the property. I understand the psychology of environment and the effects that it has on a potential buyer. Walking into a staged home creates the desire to buy… staging homes sell.
Virtual home staging is the latest trend and has certain advantages. By using computer technology to place furniture and accessories into listing photos that will be posted online definitely curbs the staging budget in these trying times. Decor can be changed with a few keystrokes, and homeowners can expect traffic to increase by using virtual staging.
Yet, I wonder if virtual staging will garner the same positive end results as real staging…a committed buyer. After all, the “virtual” visit to these properties is quite different than the “actual” visit.
I can’t help to think that virtual staging is somehow akin to online dating. It’s easy to find a perfect match online who posted a terrific picture and enticing copy, however, coming face to face with the subject may lead to certain disappointment.
“Love long walks on the beach” might translate into ….everyone on the beach took a long walk through this living room. “Thirty-something Gemini who loves cuddling by the fireplace and pets”…conjures a vision of a split ranch that housed 3 dozen felines and a chimney that hasn’t been cleaned in years.
I believe buying a house and meeting a special someone, both require a certain amount of “actual reality”. When you are “actually” with someone, you learn to understand them, become attached, and want to invest in them. So too, with a home.
Will buyers be disappointed when they arrive at the property with the “virtual” vision in their head and are met by an empty property …or will they take one look at the home and think “the photo I saw online must have been taken 20 years ago”, excuse themselves to take a pretend call, and high tail it out the back door?
Ultimately, online dating success occurs in reality. When the person you met on the dating site arrives at the corner coffee shop at 12:27p.m., is recognizable from the photo they posted, and uses multi-syllabic words in conversation, there may be hope for a relationship. And so it stands to reason …that when you meet your match at 29 Pleasant St., based on a profile claiming “trendy, in great shape, and new appliances”, that is exactly what you should find! Only then will you be able to plan a happy future together.
Maureen Reddy is the owner of DaVinc Designer Gallery, a full service interior design/ home staging firm, operating out of the Boston, MA area for over 15 years.
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