virtual staging

Can Virtual Staging Replace The Real Thing?

Opinion

3 minute read

October 19, 2018

There’s just no substitute for the real thing in all areas of life, right?

Are you one of those people who can taste the difference between Coke and Diet Coke?

I don’t drink “pop,” (does anybody call it that anymore?), so I certainly wouldn’t know.

What about a real Louis Vuitton bag versus a knock-off?

What about……………love?  Can you fake it for 45 minutes in a motel room by the airport?

Sometimes, there’s just no substitute for the real thing, and when it comes to the art of staging in real estate – and yes, it’s an art, I just don’t believe there’s any way to do it cheaper and easier, and achieve the same end result.

To continue Wednesday’s blog theme, I was reading the newspaper recently, and happened upon an article about virtual staging:

“Done Deals: Virtual Staging Helps Sell Luxury Toronto Penthouse”

The article contains a video which “highlights” the virtual staging, but the irony is, the article also notes that the condo sold for $80,000 under asking, and was on the market for 69 days.

So did virtual staging really “help” sell the penthouse?

Or did it hold the sale back?

I’m being facetious, of course.  The property could have been over-priced; there could have been many reasons why it took 69 days to sell.  But I can’t help wonder if actually staging the condo would have made it show better.

I have long maintained two things with regards to staging:

1) Staging is an absolute must in 2018, and I refuse to even debate the point.
2) Virtual staging leads to disappointment.

Simply put, buyers don’t do well with “bait-and-switch,” and that holds true with every aspect of a listing.

For example, how many of you have gone to see a “1-plus-den” condo only to find that there isn’t really a den?  A small nook off the kitchen?  That is why you came to see the condo?  You were hoping the den would pass as a second bedroom!

Buyers hate walking into a house or condo, and seeing a worse representation in person, than what was promised in the MLS photos.

Take this condo for example:

What do you see?

It shows well, right?

Clean, modern, and well-staged.

However, there’s a catch to this.

And with each successive line I write, I think I’ve strung you along far enough…

….this is virtual staging!

Be honest – did you notice?  Seriously, tell me in the comments section below.  I know that now you can tell the difference, but when I said, “Look at this condo below,” and you scrolled, did you really notice?

Let me put the “empty room” and “virtual staging” photos side by side:

 

 

 

 

I know exactly what you’re thinking: the virtual-staging looks really good, and much better than an empty room.

You’re right.

And I’m not denying that the virtual-staging looks better than the empty room.  I think that speaks for itself.

My problem is twofold:

1) I believe in spending money on my listings, and virtual staging, rather than actual staging, is a cop-out.
2) Buyers will be disappointed when they enter an empty unit.

The second point is the bigger problem, hence why I believe in the first point.

Simply put, when something doesn’t live up to expectations, it disappoints.  Few buyers will get excited enough to buy a unit when they step inside and immediately experience a let-down.  Sure, it’s the same condo inside, but it’s empty.  And it’s less attractive.

Selling real estate often means capitalizing on a buyer’s emotions, and you want to create a comfortable, dream-worthy environment for that buyer.  You don’t want to lure them to an empty condo, and then expect their imagination to close the deal.

So while some of you will be quick to suggest that virtual staging can work, because it’s better than an empty condo, I would argue that’s a half-measure.

And there are no half-measures in our market, with the stakes as high as they are.

At least, I don’t take half-measures.  And neither should you.  Nor should you hire an agent that does.

I’ve always been somewhat binary; black and white, all or nothing.  But I honestly think this is a perfect example of where that ideaology makes sense.

Virtual staging might get people through the door, but it won’t keep them inside.

There are no shortcuts to to the top, folks!

And if you want to sell for top dollar, stick to the kind of staging that looks good both in photos and in person…

Written By David Fleming

David Fleming is the author of Toronto Realty Blog, founded in 2007. He combined his passion for writing and real estate to create a space for honest information and two-way communication in a complex and dynamic market. David is a licensed Broker and the Broker of Record for Bosley – Toronto Realty Group

Find Out More About David Read More Posts

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published.

15 Comments

  1. Marina

    at 9:08 am

    Virtual staging could be fun for showing different ways to use a space (eg for a single buyer vs family). But generally you can’t replace the real thing.

    1. Not Harold

      at 10:49 am

      Yeah it’s a really good tool for room planning and a bunch of tools out there enable this. So you can pick furniture, appliances, cabinetry+++ and get renders of what it will feel like using accurate dimensions.

      Horrible idea for selling, since most people will actually visit the property and have a WTF moment.

      The big issue is that so many people will misuse the tool and stage using inaccurate dimensions for the furniture. You see this in condo floor plans all the time and even some stagers using double beds instead of queens. Whether through incompetence or fraudulent intent (or both) you’ll see virtual staging with tiny furniture.

      I’m guessing that this will be used mostly in the low end investor condo market where everyone’s trying to cut corners and lots of buyers will never step foot in the unit.

      1. Izzy Bedibida

        at 11:15 am

        Great point about having a WTF moment-especially with small condo’s. Developers are already doing this with renderings and floor plans where regular sized furniture is scaled to fit the existing plans. Virtual staging opens this up for abuse.
        Those virtually staged photo’s in the article make the condo look much bigger then it really is.
        Marina’s comment on using virtual staging to visualize different layouts and furniture is dead on.

  2. Geoff

    at 9:25 am

    I like Marina’s comment that you could use virtual staging to show 3 or 4 different ways to stage a room, cheaply and competently. Truthfully those staged photos look far nicer than I thought they would. I also think you’re underestimating people in terms of being disappointed – they’re likely holding their phones anyway. And an empty room looks really big too. So it might be win win. (Personally, I think staging is really about 85% decluttering and 15% staging anyway). But I’m not a realtor.

  3. HVAC Mike

    at 12:08 pm

    I thought the pictures were real, damn you got me.

  4. Sandra

    at 1:20 pm

    As a professional stager I can tell you that the virtual staging is created for the drafting phase of the project (pre- sales), not when it’s already built. That is the only time it should be used. If you are using it to sell already built unit that buyers can see in person, you are doing yourself a disservice. Virtual looks fake to me and often makes no sense. Photographes are offering virtual staging to agents and that is why we are seeing this now, but they can’t replace the real thing!

  5. steve

    at 6:09 pm

    I wonder if virtual staging would be helpful in situations where the sellers are not inclined, or are unable, to move out their furniture and possessions.

  6. Appraiser

    at 11:17 am

    “The number of Canadian millionaires will jump by more than half in the next five years: Credit Suisse” https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/millionaires-wealth-credit-suisse-canada-1.4870248

    “High property values will continue to be an important driver of household wealth in Canada, despite recent cooling in the real estate market, the report said.

    “One of the assumptions behind the increase in the number of millionaires is that Canadians’ housing wealth will continue to rise — no collapse in that market,” said Jim Davies, an author of the study and economics professor at Western University.”

  7. Condodweller

    at 8:34 am

    A bit late to the party. I didn’t notice it as I wasn’t aware this was being used yet, therefore, I wasn’t expecting it. This example does look good as it seems to have “fooled” us.

    I think it’s a niche for special situations as stated by others. The most obvious is for yet to be built units and I also see value in it for high-end units marketed to international buyers where they can’t visit the place.

    In terms of the let down as you walk into an empty place it depends. If I was looking for a specific location and a unit was done this way that I really wanted I would still make an offer even after the initial let down.

    Yes, I would have to use my imagination and do some measuring to make sure the space would work for me, but as long as it did, it would not deter me from buying.

  8. Chris George

    at 3:00 am

    Virtual staging is never a substitute for getting the property in the best shape it can be. If a property needs repairs, needs a paint job or begs for decluttering, it makes all the sense to take care of those things. Virtual staging is not a substitute for effort and at least some maintenance/repairs. https://www.bellastaging.ca

  9. Lori

    at 3:25 pm

    I completely disagree with you. Virtual staging is for the great number of buyers that cannot imagine furniture in the room, that get a cold, empty feeling when they walk into an empty space, and can’t ever imagine it as “home”. I ALWAYS put the empty room photo along side of the virtually staged one, and mark the staged photo as a rendition so there is never any disappointment.
    Most buyers start their home buying journey online. You get about three seconds to impress them enough to stop and look at your property closer. Virtual staging does that, and I have NEVER had someone said they felt cheated by the renditions. And my sellers are happy I have gone the extra distance for them.

  10. Juliet

    at 1:04 am

    Yes! I saw the difference right away. That’s because I’m Professional Home Stager. I totally agree with all said above. There’s nothing like the real thing.

Pick5 is a weekly series comparing and analyzing five residential properties based on price, style, location, and neighbourhood.

Search Posts