VIRTUALLY STAGED ROOMS: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE FROM STAGED PHOTOS

Since every real estate agent and broker has their smartphones with cams, taking property pictures seems easy — no photographer is needed. But the problem is that not all houses look welcoming and cozy in their current state, especially the empty ones. According to Statista, more than 80% of prospects find it easier to visualize the properties that look lived-in. So, if realtors want to draw attention to the listings, they simply have to use images of physically or virtually staged rooms.

Physical furniture arrangement, however, could be extremely expensive and effort-consuming. Realtors have to hire a staging agency and a photographer, pay for furniture rental and transport. Most stagers charge between $150 to $600 for an initial consultation and an additional $500 to $600/month per room for decor rental. All in all, the physical staging of the rooms may come to more than $2000 a month.

Working on a project with a virtual staging studio is a different story, though – it doesn’t require hiring staff and renting furniture. So let’s find out what are the benefits of pictures of virtually staged homes over staged photos.

#1. Virtual Furniture Arrangements is a Cost-Saving Solution

First and foremost, opting for virtually staged rooms, realtors free themselves from the whole furniture rent hassle. They don’t need to hunt for decent pieces trying to figure out which ones go well together. Neither do they have to hire a professional staging agency that does all the job and charges hundreds of dollars per room.

To digitally stage homes, CG artists use 3D models and pre-made furniture sets from their library — ours has more than 50 000 individual objects and 6500 ready sets. Our CG experts are trained in interior design and art, so they both stage rooms tastefully and take impressive pictures. In other words, they manage the whole project from start to finish. Our average price is $126 per photo depending on the number of pictures needed. Feel free to contact our managers for precise project estimation.

#2. The Entire CG Staging Project is Done in Just 48 Hours

Ordering virtually staged rooms, a realtor no longer has to spend time selecting and arranging furniture, as well as searching for a professional photographer. To get digital staging, they simply send us the scope of work (SoW) where they indicate all the data on the project, style suggestions, and the deadline. After CG artists get the SoW, they create a virtual room design using ready-made furniture sets, set up lighting and cameras, and immediately proceed to render.

After experts staged a house in 3D software, a realtor receives a notification so they can check the project, approve the result or make changes. Since a CG team is constantly in touch with a client, making adjustments doesn’t take much time. As a result, CG specialists can virtually stage all the rooms in just 2 business days, which is simply impossible to achieve using a combination of actual furniture arrangement + photography.

#3. Digitally Staged Rooms are Adjustable

Using photo editing, realtors pay extra but the editing itself has limited options. One of the biggest downsides to real estate photography is that it’s nearly impossible to make big changes to a finished photo and make it look realistic at the same time.

With 3D, one can make edits at any time even with ready virtually staged rooms. To make adjustments, CG artists just need to re-open a ready project in 3D software. Then, they can replace any element in the scene, move objects around, change the lighting scheme, and much more before they re-render it. In 3D software, all changes can be done easily, fast, and look like actual photos in the end.

#4. CGI Helps to Create a Fresh “After-Renovation” Look for Real Estate

CGI technology allows making changes not only to furniture arrangements but also to interior finishings — 3D artists can change wall paint, floorings, and literally, any architectural element of the room. Needless to say, doing an actual renovation of any scale requires hiring the construction team and buying materials. Digital renovations don’t cost as much because, again, the whole process is done in 3D software.

To virtually renovate the rooms, CG artists use their database of materials and texture maps. This library contains all the most common interior materials such as stone, wood, metal, wallpaper, etc. In total, digital renovation takes the same amount of time as room staging and freshens up the home look effortlessly.

#5. Ordering a Digital Tour with Virtual Staging Saves Realtors’ Efforts

NAR Realtor claims that 50% of adults find virtual tours useful in making their decision about booking property viewings. However, one can’t create 360° view tours around the house using the same photos they used for the listing. To get a digital house tour, a realtor has to stage a property again and hire a photographer to re-shoots rooms with special 360° cameras. Naturally, the whole process costs a pretty penny.

On the other hand, with CGI, one can use previously virtually staged rooms to create an interactive virtual tour. To do this, CG artists open the scene in 3D software, install 360° cameras and render them one by one. After that, they stitch the images and add navigation using a special CG program. The final result is a life-like 3D house with handy markers that allow prospects to “move around” and examine every corner of the room.

The reason many realtors choose virtually staged rooms over staged photography is that CGI provides them with different types of solutions for real estate marketing including digital renovation, restyling, and 360° view tours. Thanks to the fact that virtual room staging is based on ready-made 3D scenes, the whole project can be delivered in just 48 hours and come at a reasonable price.

Can’t wait to try CGI for your real estate listings and marketing? Reach out to us for virtual staging services and get your property images improved in no time!