Staging a real estate listing can be time-consuming for real estate agents. You spend time ensuring that everything is perfectly cleaned and choosing the furniture and design elements. Your goal is to make each room look like part of an ideal future home. However, it can also be a chance to let your creativity and attention-to-detail shine. Staging is still one of the best ways to help any listing stand out in the real estate market. In fact, high-quality staging can positively impact the sale price. Understanding the pros and cons of outsourcing your real estate staging can help you decide what is best for you and your potential clients.
Professional Staging Services and Virtual Staging
Professional staging companies can move furniture, paint, and do much more to get your listing ready for photography. These companies often schedule a time with you to review your requirements for staging. Then, they set a time to move the required furniture pieces and other items into the home. They will pay attention to the details for you so that you can spend more time on other tasks. However, if you don’t want to change the furniture or move furniture into the home, you can always invest in virtual staging.
Virtual staging allows you to use some newer technology to create a sense of what a room will look like once a buyer adds in their decor and furniture. The virtual staging process often uses a combination of augmented reality and other virtual staging software. This is similar to software that some furniture and technology companies already use for prospective buyers. With well-lit and precisely angled photos of any given space, the software can add different furniture pieces and even more minor details, such as paintings on the walls.
Benefits of Outsourcing to a Professional Stager
Professional photos are one of the essential aspects of any real estate listing. They allow your potential buyers to envision themselves inside the property and determine whether it feels like home for them. A professional staging service can ensure that every image looks exact and beautiful. This type of service can be efficient and time-saving. You don’t have to purchase furniture or move it in yourself when you hire a professional staging company.
Due to COVID-19, virtual staging has been rising over the last few years. Virtual staging companies have access to a wider variety of software than you probably do. This way, you will not need to purchase these programs yourself. Also, you won’t have to buy any furniture or move items around. It’s all virtual! These companies also have teams dedicated to creating professional photos of well-staged rooms.
Cons of Outsourcing Virtual Staging
Cons of outsourcing virtual staging include that you won’t necessarily have quality assurance. Many virtual staging companies rely on freelancers. This means that you will also be relying on someone who may not always have your project as their top priority. There is also the possibility of miscommunication. You and your client may have a unique perspective on what makes the property a great buy. Getting that across to another staging professional can sometimes be challenging.
However, there are ways to avoid these kinds of cons. Research the company you will be using and ask how their team operates. You can also schedule a meeting with the stager to discuss your ideas and plan how best to implement the vision you have for your real estate listings.
How To Find a Staging Company
The first aspect to consider is previous work. If you can find other real estate listings that the professional stager has worked on, look over the photos and see if they fit your expectations. If you cannot locate any online, ask to see a portfolio. Another good idea is visiting their virtual furniture and design components libraries. An extensive image database means that they will work with many different properties to find the perfect furniture and decor elements.
The other essential aspect to consider is methods of communication. If your stager is only available via email, lengthy delays may arise when discussing ideas. Instead, look for a company with multiple modes of communication such as email, a dedicated phone number, videoconferencing, face-to-face availability, or a live chat service.
Ultimately, whether you choose to stage yourself or outsource to a staging professional is a choice that comes down to how you want to best showcase your real estate listings. If time or access to various staging software is an issue, then a virtual staging company will provide you with exceptional value. If you’d rather have the home staged before your photo shoot, a professional staging company can also provide you with value! It all depends on what works best for you.
