Introduction

Virtual home staging, once a novel industry, has become an integral aspect of comprehensive real estate marketing. While the concept is now broadly accepted, the underlying technologies continue to evolve and enhance. As this field rapidly grows, dozens of virtual staging companies have emerged, and it may even be a service available through your photographer. 

This article aims to help you navigate the key aspects to consider when choosing a virtual staging company. Picking the right one can really boost the presentation and appeal of your property listings. We'll go over important factors like pricing, work quality, turnaround time,  revisions policy and customer service. Plus, we'll touch on checking out portfolios and client testimonials to ensure you're teaming up with a reliable and skilled virtual staging provider. By keeping these elements in mind, you can make a smart choice that enhances your property's visual impact and marketability. 

Criteria for Evaluating Virtual Staging Companies

1. Portfolio Quality

• The most important aspect of any virtual staging company is their product - the quality of their work. Every company you’re considering should definitely have a sizable gallery you can browse through to get an idea of their style and work quality.
• Here are things you should be looking for:
• Do the photos look realistic? It’s better to use no virtual staging than to use a company that provides low-quality images. Ideally, it should be pretty tough to tell the difference between virtual and traditional staging in the photography.
• Does the company stage a variety of home styles and in different geographical locations? Do they have a large sample of condos, traditional homes, ranches and mansions all across the US (or in the country you’re in)? Different parts of the world have distinct staging preferences so this is key. If the company only stages condos in Manhattan, they may not be the best choice for a modern coastal rambler in Florida.

2. Technology Used

Depending on the virtual staging company you choose, there are a handful of different softwares and technologies that can be used. It’s not something that’s generally advertised, but you’ll want to make sure your virtual stager is using one or more of the following programs:

• Autodesk 3DS Max - this software is the gold-standard
• Corona Renderer
• Vray for Sketchup
• Adobe Photoshop - this is most often used for final edits and touch-ups, and occasionally revisions. It’s not the standard virtual staging software
• AI Software - we'll go over this in more detail in the “Understanding Your Needs” section below.

If the company you’re considering uses something called “Visual Stager,” we    recommend that you do not hire for your project. Visual Stager is a very (very!) basic DIY virtual staging website, and any legitimate virtual staging company is not going to sell staged photos using Visual Stager. The results with that software are just not on-par with what’s available from legitimate virtual staging software.

3. Turnaround Times

• Most virtual staging companies offer a turnaround time of between 24-72 hours. Be wary of companies offering 6-12 hour turnaround -- fastest is not always best! You want them to have enough time to give your project the time and attention it deserves.
• A competent virtual staging company understands the importance of timely delivery in the fast-paced real estate market. They should clearly state on their website how long to expect to wait for your staged photos, and stand by those times.
• Remember to ask about the revision turnaround time. While revisions are a standard part of the process, consider whether you’ve accounted for an additional 72 hours for each round of changes. A company offering a 24-hour turnaround might be more suitable, especially if you tend to make several tweaks to the staged photos.

4. Pricing Structures

• The most common pricing structure for virtual staging is the “per photo” or “per image” model. It’s important to point out that this is commonly misunderstood as a “per room” model. If you want two views of the great room for example, that’s two images. 
• There are companies out there charging $125+ per photo. We are here to tell you -- that’s a little wild. We have staged $18,000,000.00 homes featured in Luxe Magazine and we charge 1/4th of that. You can get exceptionally high-quality staged photos for luxury homes without getting outright ripped off.
• Less commonly, you may see a monthly membership type of pricing structure. With this model, you’d pay say $250 per month and have access to up to 15 staged photos per month. This could be a good fit if you have regular, specific and predictable virtual staging needs.
• Enterprise Pricing: 
• Most virtual staging companies will offer enterprise pricing if you have a large number of photos to stage every month. There’s usually a minimum required number which can differ between companies, but usually starts around 25- 50 photos per month. The discount can be significant so don’t hesitate to reach out to an account manager to discuss. 

Understanding Your Needs and Market

The virtual staging needs of your business should align with the virtual staging company you choose. If you sell mostly >$500,000 single family homes, you’ll likely be fine with mid-market staging companies like PadStyler or BoxBrownie. The staged photos are not outstanding, but they typically suffice and offer a fair price for a fair product.

If you sell more luxury homes or condos, you might want a more high-touch, high-end virtual staging firm like Luxury Staging Pro. They cost just a bit more, but the final result will please your picky seller. They are more accustomed to complicated and extensive instructions and the final photos will actually wow you.

If you truly do not have high expectations and just want “something” in your listings rather than showcasing a fully vacant home, then one of the AI staging companies might be the right choice for you. You really don’t have any say in the furniture or decor, and you won’t be able to stage multiple views of the same room. But, sometimes its better than nothing.  

Customer Testimonials and Reviews

As with nearly every service provider, virtual staging companies typically have plenty of reviews (if they don't - that’s a red flag). Check Trustpilot and Google Business to read about others’ experiences. Typically one area that virtual staging companies lack is communication, so try and suss out how communicative they are especially if there were issues with the order or if revisions were needed.

Social media is also a great place to check for reviews, testimonials and customer service (or lack thereof). If the company you are thinking of hiring doesn’t have social media, or has little-to-no following, you might think twice about hiring them. 

Look for customer reviews that mention being impressed, good communication, and fair price. Watch out for companies who’s reviews mention not following directions, cheap-looking furniture or lack of follow-up with revisions.

Key Questions to Ask Before Hiring

It’s so important to ask the right questions before choosing which virtual staging company to hire. Some or all of the following may be worth asking before you pay for their service. (As a side note - we do not  recommend hiring your photographer as your virtual stager. Our simple reasoning is this: would you hire your photographer to traditionally stage your listing? It’s no different for virtual staging. Virtual staging is so much more than a “photography add-on.” It’s its own industry and you definitely want someone really experienced to help your listing look its best, vs. a photographer hoping to make a few extra bucks.)

• Years in the business and expertise
• Notable past projects or clients
• Staging Process?
• Walkthrough of their methods and workflow
• Tools and techniques employed during staging
• Types of Properties Staged:
• Familiarity with different styles of properties (single-family homes, condos, commercial)
• Previous work that aligns with your property type
• Policies related to revisions and satisfaction guarantees. Do they revise until you’re fully satisfied or do they limit the number of rounds of revision? 
• What to expect if the staging does not meet stated or advertised standards

Conclusion

As we’ve illustrated, there are so many important factors to consider when choosing a virtual staging company for your business. Above all, make sure the stager you choose is committed to understanding your vision; willing to revise; and has mostly positive reviews. 

Keep in mind, it may take 1-2 staging jobs before the company really has a solid sense of what you like/don’t like. So if they are timely, communicate well, and have a fair price -- we recommend using them for at least a few jobs to see if it will be a good long term fit.

For more information on high-end virtual staging, virtual renovation, exterior renderings and floor plans visit Luxury Staging Pro.