22 Feb 26 – The Wall Street Journal released statistics regarding all types of investors who purchase homes. Only 17% of the buyers in today’s housing market are investors. That means roughly 83% of home buyers are really interested in viewing homes in person where possible. A buyer should see the same home online as when they walk in the front door. Virtual staging is deceptive. Buyers are disappointed because the house is empty and does not look or feel the same as what they saw online so they will start to pick apart the house and notice all the flaws.
According to Jennie Norris, chairwoman of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals, a property recently staged in the Denver region sat on the market for 140 days with no offers. One week after REAL staging, the house was under contract and closed within 30 days! REAL STAGING WORKS! It creates the emotional appeal that compels buyers to make an offer.
Virtual Staging does not provide the results Sellers want. It’s a cheap alternative to real staging, and when done right (which is iffy at best), does not do anything except make photos more interesting. That may help for those scanning available properties online and may even help get a buyer in the door but that is where the positives end.
If selling a property were only about photos, Real Estate agents wouldn’t be needed, and neither would stagers because it would be all about the photographer. A home purchase is very personal. It is a huge investment and the largest asset most people own. They don’t leave a decision like that up to photos. They go in person.
The reality is when people walk in the door they shouldn’t be surprised. They shouldn’t notice a carpet stain in a room that was virtually staged with a large rug over the carpet or where an architectural element was added. Deceptive marketing such as using doctored photos or omitting photos altogether as a bait and switch strategy is a practice that can land a Realtor in hot water. Virtual staging is closely monitored and even requires photos to be labeled as such with vacant room photos also required. Any type of false advertising leads to distrust between Realtors and certainly amongst home buyers who trust their Realtor to deliver on travel-worthy homes to visit…as advertised.
Furthermore, buying a house is an emotional decision and when there’s nothing in the house to grab a buyer emotionally, they move on. Real staging helps grab their attention with very specific décor groupings that can’t be replicated with a potted plant used in virtual staging. Real staging helps create a warm and inviting appearance, it triggers emotions in ways that a photograph cannot.
Why would a Realtor take a marketing shortcut such as virtual staging when the vast majority of their buyers are viewing homes in person and need to emotionally connect with those homes to make a top dollar offer? Be sure to ask them.