Is Virtual Staging Effective?

TorontoRealtyBlog

I can't tell you how often I'm sitting at my desk wondering, "What should I blog about?" when all of a sudden, an idea is handed to me.

That was exactly the case for this blog post, as a client had emailed me some "digital staging" and asked for my two cents.

I'm not sure what to make of all this, so let me set the scene, and turn it over to you guys for some feedback.

Quite often on MLS, you'll see a property being sold where the feature image on MLS is an artist's rendering of a home that could be built on the lot, but the property offered for sale is actually land value, be it an empty piece of land, or a piece of land with a dilapidated bungalow upon it.

So is there any issue with putting this photo on MLS…

…when the house actually looks like this?

Folks, this isn't just "virtual staging," as I have come to know it, but rather something the listing defines as, "digital enhancement."

And while I understand the concept of virtual staging, I wonder how effective it is.

Some people would consider this a "bait and switch," and others would just be disappointed when they get to the home.  It's like when you see a 2-bedroom condo listed for sale on MLS, only to arrive and find out it's really a 1-plus-den.

Here's the excerpt from the MLS listing that "explains" the images:

Gotcha.

But what I don't understand is the strategy here.

For example, here is the photo of the living room:

And then further in the photo array is this photo of the actual living room:

The listing agent and the seller aren't cheating here.  They've given the "actual" as well as the "digitally enhanced" to the consumer.

And the photo array on MLS shows everything:

But I ask you, the consumer, what you think of seeing this kitchen photo…

…only to see this photo later on:

Is it effective?

Is this about showing what the house could be, with some TLC?

Take this bedroom for example:

If we installed hardwood flooring, new window coverings, and a new light fixture, it could look like this:

So I ask: effective, or not?

Now let me show you one more example.

This time around, we see a condo that was first listed with actual staging, and then after languishing on the market, the seller re-listed with a different brokerage, and an agent who decided that virtual staging would be more effective……..and a hell of a lot cheaper, but we'll come back to that.

So you tell me – can you pick the virtually staged property from these two photos?

Yes, I made them smaller, and thus it's more difficult.

But I also needed the side-by-side shot to fit my screen!

Here are the two photos, full size:

 

The second photo contains the virtual staging, and while I can't say that it looks bad, I can say that it's so far out of scale that it's going to leave buyers disappointed.

Look at the books on the shelf – they're about 1/3 of what an actual book would look like.

The room also looks twice as large because, well, you can do that with virtual staging and fake furniture!

What about the kitchen and eat-in area?

Here's the staged photo:

Here's the virtually-staged photo:

Well the first thing you'll notice is that the shades are drawn in the virtual staging photo, since the light affects the stager (graphic artist) and their ability to super-impose the furniture.

And once again, the issue of scale arises.  Not to mention those ugly gold bar stools.

But above all, the issue I have with the virtual staging is that they seem to have no idea how staging actually works.

Notice in the first photo, you have a dining area by the window, which is where most people would want it, and you have a small couch and coffee table in the foreground.  This is not only how a buyer would set up the space, but also how it shoots well in a photo.

In the second photo, you have a big, clunky table and four chairs in the foreground, and then you can barely see the couch by the window in the background.

Well, whaddya expect?

How about the living room?

Staged:

Virtually-staged:

Once again, it's not just the crappy virtual staging that's the issue.

It's the angles at which the photos were taken too!  Note that the first photo captures more of the room, and the second photo shows the doorways on the left for some reason.  The lighting is better in the first photo, and the shades are closed in the second photo.

How about one of the master bedroom, just to say we did?

Actual:

Staged:

You be the judge, and again, consider scale, not just the colour scheme and throw pillows.

But the most egregious example exists on the roof.

First, we have the actual unit as it is:

Then we have the rooftop with a super-imposed hot tub!

That hot tub would never actually fit in this space, but with virtual staging, you can do whatever you want!

At the end of the day, you can say what you want about the photos of these two properties, both staged and virtually-staged.  But the biggest issue with virtual staging, or "digital enhancement," is that the buyer is going to see something entirely different when he or she visits the property.

Getting the buyers into the property is the #1 job, no question.  But if you have to lie to get them there, then aren't you setting them up for disappointment?

I stage every single property I list for sale, no matter what.

I'm currently arguing with a prospective seller who doesn't believe in the value of staging, and in explaining it to him, I asked: "How would you rank the look and feel of your space right now, out of ten?"  He answered, "At least a seven."

I asked him, "Why in the world would you settle for a seven out of ten?" and then explained, "Anything less than a ten out of ten means you're leaving money on the table."

Anything worth doing, is worth doing well.

There is no corner cutting in real estate, in my opinion.

And while the folks in the first example were looking to "digitally enhance" the property, and perhaps this could add value to some buyers, the people who decide to leave their house or condo empty (or messy, or cluttered) are leaving money on the table.

I welcome your thoughts on the two examples above.  Something tells me the opinions are going to vary…

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