How Virtual Home Staging Helps Commercial Real Estate to Fast Sell
Virtual staging a digital solution to traditional home staging is the latest buzz in the real estate industry, especially with commercial properties. Compared to residential homes, commercial properties are used for multiple purposes like offices, cafés, shops, storehouses, etc. This is where virtual staging with the ability to create several faces of one space can be a real game-changer.
Physical staging is a time-tested option. But to get it all done, realtors have to rent furniture and decor and hire movers with transport, designers and photographers. The whole endeavor can be too expensive, time- and effort-consuming. Contrary to this, virtual tools help to market properties with little investment.
According to a study, virtual staging can reduce staging costs by up to 97%.
It is easy to use, is cost-effective, offers flexibility, is non-invasive, and can be customized. This robust virtual experience helps buyers visualize the potential of space from the comforts of their homes, saving time and leading to faster transactions.
However, virtual staging requires technology and expertise. Because it is not your core activity, you may lack the expertise and time to look into this important aspect of brand building. Moreover, this requires investment in technology, skills, and infrastructure. Offloading your virtual staging tasks to a professional real estate photo editing company could be a good idea.
Challenges with Physical Staging
Physical staging, though, gives better results and has its own share of challenges too. Some of them are:
· Physical staging costs more: You require a professional stager to declutter and reinvent the space with defined accessories.
· Takes more time: You need the physical visit of the professional to assess your requirement, take measurements and prepare the space with the required infrastructure.
· Limited design options: Compared to virtual staging, physical staging gives you very limited design options.
· Requires physical work: Creating a space to attract potential clients most of the time requires construction work.
· Needs maintenance: The staged space, decor, and furniture must be cleaned and maintained to look as good as they did on staging day.
How Virtual Home Staging Helps Commercial Real Estate to Fast Sell
Real estate has reaped multiple benefits from home staging. A staged property increases the value between 1–10%, apart from making it simpler for buyers to visualize the property. It helps in fast selling of properties.
Customized to meet the taste and preference of the client
Commercial property can have diverse clients and to attract them, you need to stage your property as per their needs and taste. A particular commercial property can be used as a shop, office, saloon, café, warehouse, etc. and virtual staging allows you to customize the décor of your property as per the potential buyer.
Suppose you have two potential buyers required to buy the property for different purposes, say one needs it for café and the other for office. Here you can easily re-create the property’s ambiance according to the client’s requirements and help them visualize the property for their particular need to drive quick buying decisions.
Virtually staged property helps show the full potential of a vacant commercial property, while relating to an empty property is difficult for buyers.
Help sell or lease commercial space faster
When you virtually stage the property image, you show your clients how versatile the property is, helping them make faster decisions.
According to a study, 83% of buyers’ agents found that staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.
Just showcasing empty commercial spaces does not evoke any emotion, nor does it excite your buyers.
Instead, if the buyers can view well-furnished commercial spaces with virtual furniture, décor, etc., it can have a lasting impact on the buyers. A visual representation of the commercial property helps attract buyers as they can see how the property will look when in use. A well-staged property gives the space a very welcoming environment and leaves a good impression on the buyer and your chances of selling or leasing the property increase many folds.
A profitable addition to your listing
To sell fast, your listings need to stand out and the best way to do this is to stage your commercial space. To attract potential buyers for your commercial spaces, your property listings need to be more than just specs and data. Just giving floor plans or pictures is not enough, and this is where virtually staged pictures help.
A well-staged commercial space attracts buyers, and helps lease or sell the property faster apart from increasing the perceived value of the space.
According to the National Association of Realtors, for every $100 invested in staging, the potential return is $400, and therefore virtually staged commercial spaces are a must addition to your listings for fast transactions.
Advantages of using Virtual staging for commercial real estate
· Showcases a unit’s full potential: An empty commercial space looks cold and uninviting. Virtual staging makes the space lived-in, giving the freedom to the buyer to try out multiple options. Every corner of the space can be staged, allowing the buyer to understand the unit’s full potential.
· It’s non-invasive: Since the entire process is digital, it doesn’t require any addition of physical furniture, construction, adding décor, etc. Your space is not invaded in any way.
· Fast, flexible, and cost-effective method: Virtual staging costs much less than traditional staging, as revamping of the space does not require any physical work. Any addition or change of furniture, décor, etc. is done digitally. It allows the flexibility to change settings as per the client’s requirement quickly.
· Variety of designs: You have the option of selecting from a variety of designs that suit your potential client and the commercial space you plan to market.
· Sell or lease properties for a higher price: A virtually staged property has a better appeal, attracting potential clients faster and drawing a better price.
Top 10 Tips on How to Decorate an Empty Room via Virtual Staging (Infographics)
Conclusion
When 90% of real estate buyers start their search online and 81% of those agree that staging helps in better visualization and purchase decisions, then home staging needs serious considerations. Staging a property offers many benefits both to the realtor and the buyer, and this is something the industry must adapt to. Physical home staging has its challenges of high cost, but technology-enabled virtual staging turns out cost-effective with added benefits.
Virtual staging can help you find the right buyer for your commercial space. But this requires technical skills and infrastructure. If, as a realtor, you lack the expertise in virtual staging, there are experts and service providers who can do this for you. So, while you focus on your core activities, the experts can take care of virtual staging for you.
