Virtual staging is increasingly popular among real estate professionals who understand the importance of online marketing.
It’s an easy way to highlight a home for sale with attractive, impressive photos that will get noticed and motivate buyers to take a longer look.
Virtually staging rooms is now a common marketing tool that helps sell homes quickly and above the asking price.
But should you virtually stage every room or just some? In this post, you’ll learn which rooms are the best and most important to virtually stage and some tips on how to successfully do so.
The Best Rooms to Virtually Stage
Recognizing the power of virtual staging is only the first step to using this tool effectively.
When thinking about virtual staging a common question is this — “Do I need to stage every room in my house, or should I just focus on a few areas?”
While there is nothing wrong with virtually staging the entire home, this isn’t always necessary.
And, thankfully there’s ample research into which rooms are the most important to stage to sell your home and how to stage them.
For more details, you can read further on virtual staging for real estate photos 101: how and why?
Now, let’s take a look at the stats for various rooms.
1. The Most Important Room – The Living Room
A 2017 survey on home staging, conducted by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) found that 86% of buyers feel a staged living room is “important” or “very important” — more so than any other room in the house.
This makes sense since the living room is the most used space in many homes.
Virtual staging can make a small living look bigger by reducing furnishings and brightening the space with natural-looking light.
Also, an outdated, dull living room can be given a stylish update with the hottest furnishings and decor. The options are almost limitless.
A few tips for virtually staging a living room:
- Declutter and open up the room making it feel spacious
- Use neutral tones like cream, beige, and gray that most buyers prefer
- Don’t forget to add greenery, flowers, and matching artwork for that finished look
One last thing to keep in mind when virtually staging a living room — many people like to entertain.
When buyers are viewing homes, they’re looking at how functional the space is for parties and family gatherings. Make it easy for them to see the living room’s potential by highlighting seating and open spaces.
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2. The Second Most Important Room to Virtually Stage – The Master Bedroom
The same 2017 NAR survey found that 84% of buyers also thought that the master bedroom was important or very important to virtually stage — making it the second most critical room.
Most buyers associate the master bedroom with sanctuary and luxury, so virtually stage accordingly:
- Make the room look lush and inviting
- Don’t over decorate the room — simpler design styles tend to be more peaceful looking
- Highlight modern en-suite bathrooms, if the bedroom has one
- And by all means, show off spacious walk-in closets and storage areas
If the master bedroom is smaller, focus on making the space seem cozy. You can do this by adding a soft comforter to the bed and matching bedside tables.
3. Don’t Forget About the Kitchen!
68% of buyers claim that the kitchen is a room they want to see virtually staged.
In many open floor plan homes, the kitchen is the heart of the home where most people gather.
Buyers want to see a bright, modern, and well-kept kitchen, Decluttering and cleaning are the two most critical things to consider when virtually staging a kitchen.
Here are some additional considerations when virtually staging a kitchen:
- Add solid surface countertops and sleek, modern cabinetry
- Stainless steel appliances are still popular
- Buyers love kitchen islands with seating
- Simple is better, clear the counters of unnecessary items
- Add a vase of flowers, a bowl of fruit, or other, attractive but minimal decor items
Prospective buyers want to see a bright, sparkling, dazzling kitchen. Don’t disappoint them — show them the kitchen’s fullest potential.
4. In Fourth Place – The Dining Room
Most buyers want to imagine a space perfect for dining and entertaining.
You want to virtually stage the home to envision family gatherings, dinner parties, and having warm home-cooked meals — so the dining room is on our list of rooms to virtually stage.
Here are some tips for staging the ideal dining room:
- The table and chairs should be simple
- Place flowers or a centerpiece on the table
- An area rug beneath the table and chairs helps define the space
- A sideboard or hutch can add character to the room as well
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5. Last, but Not Least – A Home Office
The COVID pandemic caused more people to work from home — and many are going to keep doing so, going forward.
Therefore, a home office is necessary for many potential buyers and is an important room to virtually stage.
When virtually staging the home office, keep in mind the following:
- Don’t overload the space with office furniture — show the room’s other possible uses, too
- Keep the desk neat and simple, no one likes a cluttered workspace
- Bright is better — make the space look inviting and pleasant
Even if some buyers don’t need a home office, they can still appreciate this space as it helps them to envision an area in the home that they can use for their computer or even as a guest room instead.
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Well-staged homes sell quickly in any market, but we know that finding and selecting the right virtual staging service can be confusing.
That’s where we come in.
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PhotoUp makes virtual staging easy and affordable. We offer the full range of virtually staging services, including:
- Virtually staging for vacant or furnished rooms
- Kitchen redesigns and full makeovers
- A wide range of furnishing and decor style options
- Color changes for walls, furnishings, and flooring
- Digital decluttering and repairs and updates
- Blue sky and green grass enhancements
- And much, much more!
And unlike some of our competitors, our virtual staging services are extremely simple to use. In just 3 easy steps, you’ll get stunning, virtually staged rooms.
This is how to get started:
1) Upload your selected photos.
2) Chose from our large library of design styles and furnishings.
3) A day or two later, we’ll send you proofs for approval and to download.
For more details, check out our virtual staging uploader video tutorial:
And that’s it!
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We hope this blog post helped you learn more about virtual home staging and what rooms are the best and most important to virtually stage.
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