• 5 Virtual Staging Benefits for Real Estate Photographers
• Virtual Staging FAQ
• Leverage PhotoUp’s Affordable Virtual Staging Service

Are you looking into virtual staging and want to learn more about its benefits?

More than 7 in 10 agents find virtual staging, videos, and virtual tours more important since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Professional real estate photographers are always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to showcase their listings and make them stand out in a crowded market. One of the most effective tools in their arsenal is virtual staging. 

Virtual staging allows photographers to create stunning, realistic images of empty or outdated properties that potential buyers can then visualize as furnished and lived-in spaces. 

In this post, we’ll explore the many benefits of virtual staging for professional real estate photographers and how this technology can help take their marketing efforts and business to the next level.

Let’s dive in!

5 Virtual Staging Benefits for Real Estate Photographers

Here are 5 virtual staging benefits for professional real estate photographers that can help them create stunning images and grow their business.

1. Improved Speed and Efficiency

One of the primary benefits of virtual staging is that it improves the speed and efficiency of the photography process. 

Rather than having to spend hours moving furniture and decor items into a space, AI virtual staging software allows photographers to quickly add and remove furniture, decor, and other design elements with just a few clicks of a mouse. 

This means that real estate photographers can photograph more properties in less time, making them much more productive and efficient.

2. Enhanced Visual Appeal

Virtual staging is a great way to add visual appeal to an otherwise sterile or unremarkable property. 

By adding furniture, art, and other design elements to an empty space, real estate photographers can create stunning images that will draw potential buyers in and make them eager to see more. 

This can be especially beneficial for properties that are difficult to market because of their location, layout, style or simply being vacant.

Consider this…

…vacant homes sell for an average of $11,306 less and spend six more days on the market compared to staged and virtually staged homes.

Virtual staging gives vacant homes the visual appeal they need to attract potential buyers and help them see the property’s potential.

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Interiors. Landscapes. Commercial. Virtually transform any space.

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3. More Affordable Than Traditional Staging

Traditional staging can be costly, especially for high-end properties with large rooms or unusual layouts. 

Virtual staging is a much more affordable alternative, allowing photographers to create beautiful, realistic images of a room without the need for expensive rentals or purchases.

In fact, this powerful technology can save sellers up to 97%!

This means that even smaller properties or properties with limited budgets can benefit from the visual impact of staging.

4. Easy to Change and Update

Virtual staging allows photographers to make changes and updates to a property without the need for expensive and time-consuming physical changes. 

For example, if a potential buyer doesn’t like a specific piece of furniture, photographers can easily swap it out for something else. 

PhotoUp offers 5 different design styles to help you cater to any market.

This flexibility and ease of updating mean that properties can remain current and competitive in a fast-paced housing market.

5. Increased ROI

Finally, digital staging can help real estate photographers increase their return on investment (ROI) by showcasing the potential of a property to potential buyers. 

By creating realistic images of a home, photographers can help potential buyers visualize themselves living in a home, which can increase the likelihood of a sale. 

This can lead to higher commissions for agents and more repeat business for photographers, making the investment in virtual staging well worth it.

Overall, virtual staging is an important tool for professional real estate photographers who want to improve their marketing efforts and stand out from the competition. 

With its many benefits, including improved speed and efficiency, enhanced visual appeal, affordability, ease of updating, and increased ROI, it’s no wonder that virtual staging is quickly becoming a popular choice for photographers in the real estate industry. 

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started in the industry, virtual staging can help take your photography to the next level.

Virtual Staging FAQ

Why use virtual staging?

Virtual staging is a game-changer when it comes to showcasing properties. It allows buyers to fully visualize the potential of a home and picture themselves living there.

Imagine being able to add stylish, contemporary furniture and décor to empty or outdated spaces, giving them a modern and fresh feel. 

You can also declutter and depersonalize rooms, or even virtually renovate, landscape, or redecorate. The possibilities are endless with virtual staging!

How does virtual staging work?

Virtual staging is a modern approach to home staging. Instead of physically adding furniture and decor, you digitally furnish the space, saving time and money. 

With virtual staging, you can transform a home in less than 48 hours, compared to the days or weeks it takes for traditional staging. Plus, it costs only a fraction of the price, typically 97% less.

How much does virtual staging cost?

PhotoUp’s virtual staging costs start at just $3 per image, with discounts available when you purchase credits in bulk.

What is the turnaround time?

The turnaround time of virtual staging is generally 48 hours or less.

Can I use my own real estate photos?

Yes! With PhotoUp, you can use your own photos taken from professional or consumer cameras as long as the resolution is sufficiently high.

Quick & Easy

AI Virtual Staging

Interiors. Landscapes. Commercial. Virtually transform any space.

Try AI Virtual Staging Learn More

Leverage PhotoUp’s Affordable AI Virtual Staging Service

In today’s market, where interest rates are on the rise and demand is cooling down, it’s crucial to provide top-quality real estate photography.

Virtual staging is not only a cost-effective alternative to traditional home staging, but it can also make your listing truly outstanding — leading to faster sales and higher profits.

With more than ten years of experience in the real estate industry, PhotoUp offers AI virtual staging services at affordable rates, starting at $3 per image!

Our virtual staging services include:

• Adding furniture and decor to vacant rooms
• Decluttering, depersonalizing or redecorating outdated spaces
• Performing virtual renovations
• Also, doing virtual landscaping, grass greening, and sky replacements
• And more.

How to Get Started?

Placing your first virtual staging order with PhotoUp is super easy! 

All you need to do is sign up for a free PhotoUp account, and you’re all set to upload your images, choose furniture sets, and add editing instructions.

In as little as a day or two, you’ll be able to access your high-resolution images to start marketing your property or forwarding them to your clients.

PhotoUp AI Virtual Staging Demo

To see how fast and easy it is to get started with PhotoUp, check out our brief virtual staging demo:

It’s really as easy as 1-2-3!

PhotoUp – Your Real Estate Marketing Partner

PhotoUp is a full-service real estate marketing company offering the following powerful marketing solutions:

• Real estate photo editing
• Virtual house tours
• Single property websites
• Property flyers
• And more!

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for a free PhotoUp today, and let our expert designers virtually stage your images and deliver them back to you in less than 48 hours! 

We hope this blog post helped you see the benefits of virtual staging and how it can help your real estate photography stand out and attract new clients. If you enjoyed this post, make sure to check out the following resources as well:

• Best Virtual Staging Companies of 2026 (Rated & Compared)
• How to Virtually Stage a Room in Less Than 5 Minutes
• What Is Virtual Staging in Real Estate? (Examples Included)
• Virtual Staging for Real Estate Listings (Fast & Affordable Service)
• Virtual Staging for Real Estate Photos 101: How & Why?

More than ever, real estate professionals today realize the benefits of virtual staging for presenting a strong online presence for a listing.

Virtual staging saves real estate agents and their clients, time, money, and resources while helping sell homes above the asking price.

In this post, you’ll learn 10 benefits of virtual staging for real estate agents. We’ll also cover what virtual staging is and when you can use it.

What Is Virtual Staging?

Staging a home means rearranging, decorating, and helping it look its best to sell it quickly and for a high price. Home staging became popular in real estate sales in the mid-1970s. 

Fast forward to today and technology is empowering an easier, more cost-effective way to achieve the same results more quickly and less expensively.

Virtual staging creates highly realistic images of a given space by changing such things as:

• Flooring and carpeting
• Paint colors and wallpaper
• Window treatments
• Furniture, decor, and wall hangings 

Similarly, virtual staging is excellent for interior design for home renovations, as it allows homeowners to examine a wide range of decorating and style options, all from the comfort of a computer.

Quick & Easy

AI Virtual Staging

Interiors. Landscapes. Commercial. Virtually transform any space.

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When Can You Use Virtual Staging?

The speed, diversity, and convenience of virtual staging have many uses:

• Home Sales – making a vacant home look inviting or refreshing the look of one already furnished.
• Renovations – giving clients a chance to preview their design ideas.
• Redecorating – allowing clients to see how their furniture or a new style will look in their space.
• Exteriors and Landscaping – exploring sophisticated and pleasant looks with new exterior styles, flowers, trees, and shrubbery. 

Whether you are preparing a home for sale, redecorating a room, or renovating an entire house, virtual staging has become a safe, cost-effective, convenient, and high-quality alternative to traditional staging. 

10 Main Benefits of Virtual Staging

Let’s dive in and talk about the proven 10 benefits of virtual staging for real estate agents:

1. Speed to Market

Physical staging takes time for furniture delivery, renovations, and setting it all up.

However, today’s real estate market is fast-paced.

When selling a property, getting the listing up and running within days — not weeks — is crucial. And the turnaround times for virtual staging are typically just a few days.

2. Flexibility 

Virtual staging allows for added flexibility that simply isn’t possible when physically staging. 

For example, with physical staging, you’re limited to selecting only one aesthetic or design style.

Yet with virtual staging, you’re able to showcase the home in several different styles and designs, finding ways to appeal to different buyer target audiences.

3. Virtual Staging Is Cost-Effective 

Virtual staging is cost-efficient. You don’t waste time, energy, and money having a home staged traditionally.

Usually, the price for one virtually staged room is about 95% cheaper than actual staging.

4. An Impressive Online Presence 

According to the National Association of Realtors, 97% of home buyers searched online during their home buying process.

Virtual staging creates the most polished, appealing, and professional online presence for any property. 

5. Virtual Staging Allows Buyers to Experiment With a Space

Another benefit of virtual staging is that it allows buyers to explore various style options for the same room, thereby allowing you a chance to sell the versatility of the home. 

For example:  

• Will that sofa you have your eye on will fit in your great room? 
• How will new window treatments look in a room? 

Buyers can experiment with various colors, styles, and moods, without the time and expense of moving furniture, hanging drapes, or making purchases.

Try doing that with traditional staging!

6. Virtual Staging Is a Way to Declutter Space 

Sometimes, a house you are putting up for sale is packed with lots of clutter.

A strong benefit of virtual staging is you can easily remove unsightly furniture, decor, or clutter.

It’s the easiest way to declutter the space to be able to quickly show it to potential buyers. 

7. Allows for Social Distancing

COVID-19 has left many individuals and families socially distancing and not interested in entering another’s home or having unnecessary guests enter their own home. 

Virtual staging allows both buyers and sellers:

• The freedom to socially distance
• Reduce the need for in-person showings.

With virtual staging, buyers who are social-distancing have the benefit of still being able to visualize a home and the future possibilities of the space.

8. Exteriors and Landscaping

Exterior staging can be expensive and time-consuming.

Painting or residing a home, adding or removing shutters, or adding beautiful, appealing landscaping all can take weeks.

Today’s virtual staging allows you to experiment with different styles, colors, and options to refresh the exterior of the home with minimal work and cost.

9. Virtual Stating Is Easier on Sellers

Virtual staging is non-disruptive to the seller while offering multiple style options for the same property. 

Your sellers will appreciate not having contract workers all through the house, making noise, and leaving dust behind. 

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10. Virtual Staging Helps You Stand Out From Other Agents

Having high-quality virtual staging in your real estate marketing toolkit can give you an edge over other agents.

Even better, go into listing presentations ready to show the sellers examples of virtually staged rooms and be ready to explain to them all the benefits!

The Bottom Line – Let PhotoUp Help!

Now that you’ve learned the 10 benefits of virtual staging for real estate agents, let us here at PhotoUp help!

PhotoUp specializes in photorealist, affordable AI virtual staging with fast turn-around times. 

Here’s how it works:

• Upload the photos of the spaces you want to be staged. 
• Select a design style set from our professionally designed digital style and furniture library. You can even customize each set, adding more pieces or opting for less.
• We’ll send you proofs of each virtually staged room for you to approve and download.

It’s that easy. 

Learn how PhotoUp’s AI virtual staging can make you stand out as a real estate pro.

Sign up for a free account today!

We hope this blog post helped you see the benefits of virtual staging. If you enjoyed this post, make sure to check out the following resources as well:

• How to Virtually Stage a Room in Less Than 5 Minutes
• Can You Do Your Own Virtual Staging?
• Virtual Staging – Everything Real Estate Agents Need To Know
• Make More & Spend Less with Real Estate Virtual Staging
• 6 Advantages of Virtual Staging

Are you trying to decide if virtual staging for your real estate business is for you?

Real estate agents often have questions about whether to stage a vacant home or not. In nearly all cases, this comes down to the price point of the listing.

For starters, traditional home staging easily costs $500-800+ per month on the low end. And this can be much higher in larger markets or for luxury homes. 

While physically staging a property will likely provide a return on investment (ROI) for high-end homes in the luxury market (defined as having a listing price over $1,000,000), virtual staging is a smarter move for the average home listing.

But what’s virtual staging, you may ask? Let’s clear that out first.

What Is Virtual Staging?

Virtual staging is the process of adding digital (‘virtual’) furniture to photos taken of a vacant or partially vacant home or commercial space.

Typically, this is done by a professional virtual staging company (see our list below) wherein you upload a few photos of a vacant home, select a style, and volià.

Best of all, you’ll have your photos virtually staged within 24-48 hours, ready to market your property listing.

Let’s explore when to physically vs virtually stage a home, what rooms to stage, what styles to select, and how much virtual staging costs next. 

When to Physically Stage vs Virtually Stage a Home

First and foremost, staging a home (physical or virtual) is indisputably a good idea.

Not only does it make you look good to your current and prospective buyers, but it’ll likely help your listings sell for more money and faster.

For instance, according to a 2018 survey of over 4,200 homes by Home Staging Resource, 85% of staged homes sold for 6-25% more than comparable non-staged homes in any given US location.

That’s real money! 

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Given the median listing price of a home in the US in October of 2021 was $380,000, this could help a home seller rake in an extra $20,000-90,000.

Not bad!

As good as this sounds, don’t go calling your local staging company quite yet.

Physical home staging is almost always reserved for higher-end homes, so the data from the survey above is likely skewed.

In fact, the gains will likely be more moderate (even nonexistent) when physically staging a more average home.

And since it can be difficult to know if physical staging for a home will ultimately pay off, a good rule of thumb is if your listing is under $1,000,000, virtual staging is likely the best option for staging.

Now, let’s take a quick look at some examples.

Virtual Staging Real Estate Examples

Here are some before and after examples of virtually staged images we’ve completed here at PhotoUp.

Can you imagine yourself living in any of these rooms? We bet you can!

To sell a home, you need to convey a feeling of a stylish and “homey” place, where people can see themselves living.

What Are the Benefits of Virtual Staging?

Let’s elaborate on this further, and present the main benefits of virtual staging:

• Virtual staging is much more cost effective than traditional staging (as in, 60-90% less expensive).
• Realistic virtual staging can generate more online interest.
• All else equal, staged homes often sell for more money.
• A majority of agents say virtual staging helped them sell a vacant home faster.
• It takes less coordination and brain power: upload photos and you’re done.
• The vast majority of buyers find it easier to visualize a staged space vs a vacant one. For instance, in 2017 nearly 1 in 3 home buyers bid on a home they hadn’t physically seen.
• Lastly, you can choose an interior design style that best fits your space.

Is There DIY Virtual Staging Software?

The answer to this is both yes and… no. 

To start with the yes, DIY (Do It Yourself) virtual staging software exist. And you can do it yourself…

However, between the time, cost, and lower quality output that you get from DIY apps vs a professional virtual staging company, it’s an easy choice.

We recommend that you hire a professional!

Why?

First of all, when hiring a professional virtual staging company, you’ll save tons of time (as in TONS, all caps) and get much better results.

Second, often you can get your photos virtually staged at or near the same cost.

However, if you find yourself with plenty of free time, the more popular DIY staging apps are:

• Visual Stager – web app, credit based ($16 per image)
• Room Planner – iOS, in-app purchases
• iStaging – iOS or Android, monthly subscription

Virtual Staging Is More Complicated Than You May Think

One of the major reasons why DIY virtual staging apps haven’t really taken off is that virtual staging is actually rather complicated.

For instance, even with a great eye for interior design, it takes a lot of time to select, rotate, scale, and place virtual furniture one-by-one.

Additionally, professional virtual staging companies use much more advanced technology that’s more expensive and complicated, namely 3DMax by autodesk.

This software allows for better digital lighting and rendering, which is one of the major factors in making virtual staging look realistic.

Also, a lot of people ask us if it’s possible to virtually stage with Adobe Photoshop?

And the simple answer is no.

For starters, it’s a photo editing program that can’t do professional virtual staging at the adequate level needed in professional real estate marketing.

Second, beyond just the technical side, professional virtual staging companies often build their own proprietary furniture libraries, which are more stylish than DIY apps.

So, what we’re trying to say is…

When downloading one of these apps, you’ll quickly find out that you should probably stick to what you are good at, selling real estate.

Where Virtual Staging Fits Into the Agent’s Sales Funnel

Whether from the buyer side or the seller side, virtual staging for real estate can play a critical role in an agent’s marketing strategy for vacant spaces. 

Let’s start with the buyer’s perspective.

Buyer Perspective

It’s a well known fact that over 90% of home buyers search online for their next home, which is the beginning of the sales funnel for a real estate agent:

1. A prospective home buyer searches for homes online
2. He/she contacts their agent for a viewing
3. Buyer writes an offer on a property

And the key tool to convert online buyer eyeballs into more physical viewings, faster sales, and higher closing prices are amazing photos.

In a similar way that an agent helps buyers visualize themselves in their future home by having their sellers take down personal photos from the walls, adding photo-realistic virtual furniture to a vacant space can help online home buyers visualize a space. 

Seller Perspective

On the flip side, when you’re interviewing with a new prospective home seller, having a few examples of your virtual staging offerings can really leave an impact and help you win new listings.

This is best presented as part of your comprehensive media marketing strategy, which for most listings should include professional photos and a single property website.

Also, a combination of virtual or 3D tours, AI virtual staging, and a video walk through are common marketing tools.

Anyway, the point is that most real estate agents know how to put a sign in the yard and print some flyers.

But a strong, comprehensive digital marketing strategy will undoubtedly stand out and help you start winning more listings.

Virtual Staging: Only for Vacant Homes?

What’s that you say? Your seller’s home isn’t vacant?

While it’s true that not all homes need virtual staging, virtual staging isn’t just for vacant homes.

Unlike photos, where you need up to 20-30 photos of a property, virtual staging often only requires 2-4 photos to showcase a home.

As such, for spaces that are overly cluttered and where the furniture is dated, or the space is downright poorly decorated, virtual staging can save the day.

In addition, most virtual staging companies, including PhotoUp, offer real estate photo editing services that include major object removal.

Have too many family portraits in the bedroom? See yah later!

A 70s retro orange couch? Bye bye!

While you need to take care not to remove any permanent fixtures in a home while marketing, US real estate law does allow for agents to edit photos.

For instance, they can remove and add “personal property” such as wall hangings, rugs, and furniture of all sorts.

But what rooms are most important to stage?

We’re so glad you asked…

Which Rooms Should Be Virtually Staged?

Since 2011, PhotoUp has done real estate photo editing for nearly 10 million photos and virtually staged many thousands more.

Pulling from our historical data, we find that real estate agents order virtual staging for living rooms 33% of the time and bedrooms 31%.

Additionally, dining rooms are coming in at third place at 16%.

Here’s a full breakdown:

So when in doubt, virtual staging a living room and the master bedroom is your best bet. Also, adding a dining room and patio is the icing on the cake.

What Furniture Styles Are Available With Virtual Staging?

Most virtual staging companies have at least a handful of popular interior design styles to choose from.

That said, the most common styles are American, Scandinavian, Modern, Farmhouse, and some variety of east coast Hamptons or Coastal.

Our internal data at PhotoUp largely shows that these styles are indeed the most popular.

Even better, because PhotoUp is a US-based company, unlike BoxBrownie and others, we also offer more regional styles that are specific to the US, including Mid-Century Modern, Luxury, and Southwestern styles.

Quick & Easy

AI Virtual Staging

Interiors. Landscapes. Commercial. Virtually transform any space.

Try AI Virtual Staging Learn More

How Much Does Virtual Staging Cost?

Like any professional service, you get what you pay for.

Increasingly, there are many good virtual staging options in the $20-40 per image range.

Yes, you can find virtual staging companies that charge hundreds of dollars (if you have a luxury property, this might make sense), which isn’t needed in most cases.

Besides, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the number of service providers in the virtual staging space, which has had a good market effect of pushing pricing lower and quality higher.

In addition, only two or three years ago, the staging wasn’t nearly as realistic looking and pricing was often $40-$60+ per image.

In our experience (and we’ve tried every major provider), providers in the $25-35 per image price point often offer the best quality to price tradeoff. 

Who Are the Best Virtual Staging Companies?

To be certain, we’re a bit biased on this topic given PhotoUp offers our own virtual staging service, starting at $3 per image.

We’ve worked very hard for the past five years to build one of the most comprehensive furniture libraries.

And we’re proud to say we offer more furniture styles, room types, and have a better online furniture library and order process than any of our competitors.

As part of our commitment to being the market leader in real estate marketing, our team reviews every major virtual staging company in-depth every year, so you can see for yourself who is the best. 

Beyond Virtual Stagings

If you are a US-based customer, there’s a good chance PhotoUp is the right choice for your virtual staging needs.

PhotoUp is the only real estate marketing company to offer not just virtual stating, but also real estate photo editing services, single property websites, and property flyers.

In short, we’re your one-stop real estate marketing agency for real estate agents and media professionals.

So, why don’t you try us out?

Sign up for a free PhotoUp account today!

Don’t forget to mention this blog to receive 5 free credits to test out any of our real estate marketing products and services.

We hope you enjoyed this post on virtual staging 101 for real estate. If you did, you may also want to check out our reviews of other virtual staging companies: