4 Key Benefits of Virtual Staging You Need to Know

Written by Sandy Paoli Posted On Wednesday, 19 July 2023 00:00

More than ever, real estate professionals today realize the benefits of presenting a strong online presence for a home. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting sheltering-in-place orders, many homebuyers are unable to physically tour homes and must rely on digital solutions. 

Three days after California’s shelter-in-place order was put into effect, I was able to close on a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Half Moon Bay — over the asking price. With the numerous obstacles and restrictions preventing physical tours and open houses, I can say with confidence that my adoption of the Sotheby’s International Realty brand’s virtual technology, and the use of virtual staging, powered by roOomy, were key factors in drawing in the buyer and helped me complete the deal faster. But even as we’re seeing a slight shift to the “new normal” with some restrictions being lifted for physical tours of San Mateo properties, I’m still planning to leverage virtual staging for all of my property listings... here’s why: 

Speed to Market

Consider this: Physical staging takes time (and money), and in today’s real estate market, time is of the essence. When marketing a property, being able to get the listing up and running within days — not weeks — is crucial. With virtual staging solutions, turnaround times are often just a matter of a few business days.

Flexibility 

What’s more, virtual staging allows for an added layer of flexibility that you simply won’t have when staging with physical furniture. For example, with physical staging, you can only choose one static aesthetic such as a specific sectional with furnishings that complement it. However, with virtual staging, you’re able to showcase the home in a number of different ways, providing you the flexibility to tailor your approach to appeal to a wider range of buyers.

One buyer may prefer a warm, family-friendly home (perhaps a family of four with two kids), while another interested buyer may be a single couple that’s drawn to a modern, contemporary look with furnishings to match it. With virtual staging, you can easily present both options, allowing the buyers to better visualize themselves at the property in an aesthetic customized to their taste. 

Cost-Effectiveness 

Physical staging can be costly; oftentimes it is 1-3% of the listing price. On the other hand, virtual staging costs less than 1% of the sale price and comes with a host of added features including the ability to shop the furnishings in the model, along with increased versatility that you don’t have with physical staging. So, you’re essentially paying less but getting so much more — that seems like a no brainer to me! 

Polished Online Presence 

According to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors, 90% of home buyers searched online during their home buying process. In today’s shifting real estate landscape, you really can’t put a dollar amount on the ability to create a polished and professional online presence for a property. 

As we look ahead to the coming months, a lot still remains unknown, including when businesses will reopen and when stay-at-home orders will be lifted. Yet one thing is for sure — as real estate professionals, we can leverage virtual tools and immersive solutions to present the key features of a home to help us continue to sell. At its very core, virtual staging allows us to showcase a home at its greatest potential. 


Sandy Paoli, a real estate professional with Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty, is a lifetime San Mateo County resident. Calling Redwood City home for the past 42 years, Sandy and her husband raised their family while building their own real estate portfolio of residential and commercial income property and operating a local franchise. An innovator in the adoption of real estate technology, Sotheby’s International Realty was the first real estate brand to launch and implement a virtual staging AR app — Curate by Sotheby’s International Realty(sm), powered by roOomy. 

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