Virtual Staging: Ready for Prime Time?

Just Don't Call it 'Doctoring'

What's holding up virtual staging?

Virtual staging is the practice of digitally altering photos to show an empty room as it would look fully furnished and accessorized.

Much faster and cheaper than the real thing, you'd certainly guess that by now the technology isn't rocket science.

And yet virtual staging is just now debuting in housing markets like Manhattan -- and non-existent, at least as far as I'm aware -- in the Twin Cities.

Three guesses as to what's going on (or not, as the case may be):

1. Ethical concerns and lack of guidelines.

What do MLS rules say about virtual staging?

Nothing, beyond proscribing false or misleading advertising.

But is virtual staging false or misleading if the Listing Agent explicitly discloses it?

In fact, that's precisely how Manhattan brokers are handling the issue (see, "Furnished with Pixels").

All such photos are labelled "virtually staged," and juxtaposed with unaltered photos of the raw space.

Works for me -- and I suspect, most Buyers.

2. No Vendors.

I suppose it's possible that I may have missed the flyers and emails from virtual stagers amongst the deluge of other email I already receive.

But I doubt it.

Nor have the professional photographers I regularly work with started offering it.

If no Realtors are demanding virtual staging, and no vendors are pushing it . . . nothing's going to happen (clients don't know enough to ask).

3. Realtor Inertia.

Realtors can be creatures of habit, just like other people.

So, they market listings the way they always have.

They also can be under a great deal of time pressure to get a listing on the market.

Neither of those factors is conducive to trying something new.

It all adds up to a bit of a Catch-22: vendors aren't pitching virtual staging because they aren't sure if there's a market for it.

Meanwhile, Realtors aren't clamoring for it because they don't want to be guinea pigs, possibly incurring MLS' wrath (and fines).

May the (Task) Force Be With You

The solution?

Let the big brokers (Edina Realty, Coldwell Banker Burnet, ReMax) take it up with MLS and the Board of Realtors, and work out some initial guidance (and safe harbors for Realtors operating in good faith).

Consider this post my application for the relevant task force.

And if you're a virtual stager reading this blog, feel free to contact me -- I've got a listing coming up in two weeks that's a perfect candidate.

Glamour Shots -- Housing Market Edition

The Fog-Enveloped House

I'm not sure whether this photo is intended to convey cozy quaintness -- or that the home is enveloped in low-lying fog.

Either way, I don't think the "fuzzy fringes" effect is especially helpful.

While it can connote a sense of nostalgia ("it's Grandma's house!"), my (Realtor's) association is with a dated home that may or may not be functionally obsolete.

How Much is a Blue Sky Worth?

"One Blue Sky, Hold the Clouds"

A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.

--Oscar Wilde

How much is a beautiful sunset worth?

"Priceless," at least according to a certain, ubiquitous ad campaign.

Not so a blue sky.

My photographer will digitally create a blue sky -- instead of today's overcast one -- for $20 (digital clouds cost extra).

I told her to go ahead . . .

Real Estate Photography

"OK" . . . "Better" . . . "Best"

Not all Realtors are created equal (or charge the same).

To give just one example of the difference between a mediocre Realtor and a stellar one, consider the following approaches to photography (I'm leaving off the rung below "OK" -- "Abysmal"):

"OK": takes their own shots with a decent digital camera, crops as needed.

"Better": hires a professional photographer to take the shots and edit them.

"Best": uses one of the best professional photographers in town; meets them at the property to point out high-priority shots; helps the photographer compose various shots by clearing Kitchen counters, re-positioning lamps, etc. as necessary; and even suggests especially flattering angles or perspectives.

Guess which category I'm in?

Halloween House (Post-Thanksgiving)

Dramatic . . . or Spooky?

I know what the listing agent was going for here: a dramatic, twilight photo.

I just don't know if that's the effect they achieved.

To me, it's a bit spooky (could that actually be a fire in the living room?? Or maybe it's just the weird color of the sky) . . .