As a successful real estate agent, you know that staged homes sell faster – and for more money – than vacant ones do. Maybe you’ve even hired a professional pop-up stager from time to time to come to your clients’ vacant homes… but that’s expensive.
So what can you do to help your clients sell faster?
Virtual staging might be the solution.
What is Virtual Staging?
Virtual staging uses technology to help prospective buyers accurately judge a home’s space and make a decision about whether to see a home (or to keep looking until they find one that’s a better fit).
It involves filling an empty space with virtual (read: only in the pictures) furniture and décor that helps buyers envision their own “stuff” in each room. Some buyers lack imagination and have a tough time seeing spatial relationships in empty rooms, which is why traditional staging is so important when it’s possible.
Virtual staging fills the gaps when agents have to sell an empty property.
The Importance of Real Estate Photography
There are dozens of listings in each market that are properly photographed, so why would a buyer bother looking at iPhone photos of a vacant home?
The answer is that most qualified, discerning buyers won’t.
Homes sell a lot faster when the agent ensures they’re listed with high-resolution, well-lit photos taken from good angles. More than 90 percent of buyers start their real estate searches online – the days of the “drive by” are long gone – and buyers will keep scrolling if a listing’s photos don’t reflect well on a home.
Still, even with the best photos, it’s harder for buyers to envision how big a space is, or how they can decorate it according to their own tastes, when the rooms are cavernously empty and the walls are bare.
People don’t want to buy an empty space. They want to buy a home.
The most important area is the kitchen, and following that are the:
- Master bedroom
- Bathrooms
- Common areas, including the living room and dining room
Professional photography is a must, as are 3D interactive home tours. Consider what buyers and agents say:
- Homes with high-resolution photos sell for $3,400 to $11,200 more than those without
- 83% of buyers say professional real estate photography is “very useful” during the decision-making process
- Listings with professional photography receive 61% more views
- 84% of buyers say they won’t even consider a property that doesn’t have photos
But if those photos show an empty house that looks cold and abandoned rather than warm, welcoming and lived-in, none of it matters. Most qualified buyers won’t stick around long enough to become interested enough to call or email an agent to schedule a personal tour.
Ready to Talk About Virtual Staging?
We can help you sell your vacant listings with virtual staging. We know what buyers want to see, and we can make sure they get what they’re looking for when they click on your listings.
Call us at 224-372-0659 or get in touch with us online to talk about virtual staging of vacant properties. The results speak for themselves.
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