The Best Virtual Staging Software & Tips for 2022

Virtual staging is no longer optional when you have an empty listing to sell. After all, there’s just something sad about an empty house. Buyers want homes, not houses. That’s why we updated our picks for the best virtual staging software of 2022. After our picks, we included 12 virtual staging tips from top listing agents and before and after photos.

The Best Virtual Staging Software & Apps for 2022

roOomy: Great Image Quality & a Useful DIY App

While there are a ton of virtual staging services and software packages available today, there was one specific reason we chose roOomy as the best virtual staging software for 2022. While their image quality might not be quite as photorealistic as Hasten, roOomy offers one killer feature that leaves the others in the dust. Their free DIY app is perfect for helping buyers visualize living in your listing.

Instead of cheesy-looking models of knockoff Eames chairs, roOomy lets you stage your listing with photorealistic models of furniture your customers can actually buy. Even better, if you get to know your buyers well enough, you just might be able to stage an empty room with furniture they already own. So if you know they have a specific couch from say, Pottery Barn, you can show them a staged photo with their couch in it.

Hasten: The Gucci of Virtual Staging?

Here in Manhattan, we have a saying: “If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.” With their high-end and photorealistic staging photos, this definitely applies to Hasten. They also seem to have a great eye for design, which is not always the case with virtual stagers.

So if you’re trying to stage a new development or a high-end listing, then springing for a stager like Hasten might make sense for you. Of course, they might still be affordable for a one-off, but they don’t list their prices, so we can’t say for sure.

BoxBrownie: The Disruptor With a Great Price-to-Quality Ratio

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are you have heard of, or even used, BoxBrownie in the last few years. They seem to be everywhere these days. If you’ve been to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) or Inman Connect, you’ve likely met the friendly Aussies who run BoxBrownie. (Full disclosure: BoxBrownie bought us a very nice dinner at NAR in Manhattan a few years ago.)

There’s a good reason for this. BoxBrownie offers great quality services at an affordable price. Their virtual staging service is no exception. While the image quality might not be quite as striking as Hasten or other high-end services, it does the job and is affordable for most agents.

Spotless Agency: Highly Realistic Images at a Premium Price

Another relative newcomer to the virtual staging space, Spotless Agency offers drop-dead-gorgeous virtual staging, but at a slightly premium price. Coming in at a hefty $79 per image with only one round of edits, Spotless is more than double the price of BoxBrownie. So it’s up to you (and your listing marketing budget) to decide if their image quality is twice as good.

One thing we really like about Spotless is that they show you their models of high-end furniture that you can pick for your staged photos.

VisualStager: The DIY App for Agents on a Tight Budget

If you’re on a very tight budget, want to do the virtual staging yourself, and aren’t too concerned with image quality, then VisualStager will work in a pinch. VisualStager charges agents based on a somewhat outdated credit system. Ten credits will set you back $15, which is enough to stage one photo. Of course, you will also need to pay one credit to remove the VisualStager watermark from the images.

Virtually Staging Properties: Good Quality, OK Pricing & a Solid Reputation

One of the earliest players in the space, Virtually Staging Properties (VSP) has been the go-to for agents looking for virtual staging for years. Their pricing is competitive with BoxBrownie, but for that price, you have to select the furniture you want. This might be great for agents with a flair for interior design, but others will struggle to put together a room. For custom staging, the price jumps to $60 per photo. Not exorbitant, but still more than BoxBrownie or roOomy. That said, they have a long history in the industry, so if reputation matters to you, VSP might be the way to go.

12 Virtual Staging Tips From Top Listing Agents

At the end of the day, which software or service you choose is far less important than learning the best practices of virtual staging for 2022. That’s why we reached out to our friends at Douglas Elliman to get their take on how to get the best bang for your buck from virtual staging in 2022. Here’s what they told us:

1. Always Include Unstaged Listing Pictures After Virtually Staged Pictures

Laura Copersino, Douglas Elliman, New York City

In order to help buyers understand just how much the right furnishings can improve a home, New York City Associate Broker Laura Copersino recommends including a picture showing the room vacant right after the staged picture. This can also help manage the buyer’s expectations and avoid having to overcome the inevitable disappointment that comes with seeing beautifully staged pictures online and then walking into a vacant home. Want to help remind buyers how great your vacant listing can look with the right furnishings? Laura has a brilliant solution: Print out the virtually staged picture on a nice canvas and hang it in the empty room.

 

2. Keep the Furnishings Neutral

Nancy Strong, Douglas Elliman, Westchester

Nancy Strong, a listing agent with Douglas Elliman in Westchester, New York, recommends keeping the furnishings neutral in order to help prospective buyers get a better sense of perspective and room size.

Here are a few more tips from Nancy:

• You have to take the time to go through the options; don’t rush it or assign it to an assistant unless you trust their taste fully.
• Don’t assume that what you choose will be sized correctly or in the manner you were hoping for on the first try. Make sure they allow for changes (one or two rounds should work), even if you have to pay extra for them.

 

3. Always Stage for Your Buyer Profile & Property Lifestyle

Jared Bonasera, Douglas Elliman, Texas

Jared Bonasera, Managing Director for the Development Marketing arm of Douglas Elliman, Texas, said that agents should always keep their buyer profile and property lifestyle in mind when virtually staging a listing. Even if you think you have an eye for interior design, don’t make the mistake of staging for yourself rather than your potential buyers. For example, you might love mid-century industrial design, but if you’re trying to virtually stage a beachfront condo in a senior community in Key West, a large number of your potential buyers might hate it.

 

4. Use Earth Tones to Make the Space More Inviting

Lauren Spiegel, Douglas Elliman, Hamptons

Lauren Spiegel, an agent in The Hamptons in New York, reminded us that choosing the right color theme for your virtually staged listing is crucial. She recommends using earth tones or soft beach colors to make a listing feel more inviting. She also pointed out that plants can help warm up a space and make it feel more inviting.

 

5. Make Sure the Images You Choose to Stage Have Great Lighting

Marci Williams, Douglas Elliman, New York City

Marci Williams, an agent in New York City, offered great advice that many newer agents might not think of: Always make sure that the pictures you choose to virtually stage have great lighting.

 

6. Add a Pop of Color to Make the Room Feel Alive

Ron Saltarrelli, Douglas Elliman, New York City

Ron Saltarrelli, an Associate Broker in Brooklyn, definitely agrees that muted colors like earth tones offer a clean, neutral palette that will help buyers imagine themselves in the home. However, he advises agents to add a subtle pop of color to the staged images in order to make the room feel more alive. He mentioned art specifically, but you could easily add a pop of color with a small rug, vases, flowers, or even children’s toys.

 

7. Use Virtual Staging to Compensate for What the Home Is Missing

Rebecca Orbach, Douglas Elliman, New York City

While you should never fake views out windows or make a listing sunnier than it is in reality, you can and should stage strategically to compensate for problems the listing might have. Here’s New York City Associate Broker Jessica Orbach with a few clever strategies:

“If the apartment is small or lacks closet space, have the virtual stager add furniture that offers storage. Instead of an L-shaped couch and chairs that take up more depth, opt for a standard couch and put the television on top of a deeper console that offers storage. Instead of night side tables, add nightstand-height dressers; the top still functions as a table while offering storage.”

 

8. Stage Using Current Design Trends, but Always Keep Your Audience in Mind

Cynthia Jacinta Keskinkaya, Douglas Elliman, New York City

Since today’s buyers are more design-savvy than ever, New York City Broker Cynthia Jacinta Keskinkaya recommends incorporating current design trends in your staging. Even if they don’t love the styling, it helps show buyers and your seller that you’re aware of the latest trends.

However, she also warned that knowing your audience is crucial, so don’t go overboard with whatever’s cool on Pinterest this week if the majority of your potential buyers aren’t quite as hip as you are.

 

9. Collaborate With Your Virtual Stager

Carol Staab, Douglas Elliman, New York City

Carol Staab reminded us that collaboration is key to working with any marketing freelancer. Make sure to take the time to talk with your virtual stager to make sure they understand the look you’re going for, your audience, and any other tips that will help make your virtually staged pictures get your phone to ring.

 

10. If the Listing Is Already Furnished, Include Pictures With the Current Decor

Tina Newman, Douglas Elliman, New York City

Contrary to popular belief, virtual staging is not just for empty homes. Today, stagers can remove outdated or ugly furniture and replace it with anything you want.

However, don’t think you can get away with not including images of how the home is currently furnished. Like with an empty home, always include pictures of what the home actually looks like with the current furnishings. Full disclosure and honesty will always pay off in the long run.

 

11. Label Each Picture With the Name of the Room

Lorna Leibowitz, Douglas Elliman, New York City

Sometimes virtually staged listing pictures can look so good that your buyers may become confused as to which room they’re looking at online.

This problem becomes 10 times worse if you stage the same room multiple ways.

In order to keep your buyer’s confusion to a minimum, always clearly label each picture with the room it’s showing.

 

12. Make Sure You Know the Company’s Revision Policy Before Hiring Them

Samantha Curry, Douglas Elliman, Florida

Unless you have total confidence in your virtual staging company, you should always ask about their revision policy before hiring them.

After all, even if you take the time to brief them well about the listing and your audience, they may not quite understand what you want. Most companies will offer one or more free revisions, so make sure to ask before you hire someone.

 

6 Before & After Images of Amazing Virtual Staging Transformations

If you want to persuade your seller that virtual staging is no longer optional for selling empty listings, then you need to show them, not tell them. Here are six before and after images that show the dramatic difference virtual staging can make in how your listing is presented online.

1. 100 Barclay Street, 21B, New York, NY

Listing agent: Tara King Brown, Corcoran Group

Virtual staging isn’t just for empty rooms—it also works amazingly well to show off the potential of outdoor spaces. These dramatic before and after pictures of an outdoor private terrace at 100 Barclay Street in Manhattan help turn an otherwise empty concrete space into a luxurious outdoor urban oasis.

2. 340 Guard Hill Road, Bedford, NY

Listing agent: Nancy Strong, Douglas Elliman

Dealing with empty rooms with busy details like this bedroom in a listing in Bedford, New York, can be tricky. Avoiding bold patterns and sticking to warm, neutral tones can make a visually busy room a bit more welcoming.

3. 196 East 75th Street, 17B, New York, NY

Listing agent: Rachel Lustbader, Warburg Realty

Probably the most dramatic transformation we’ve seen, Andrea Wernick of Warburg Realty in Manhattan basically created a luxurious living room from whole cloth here, uber-trendy fiddle leaf fig tree included!

4. 235 East 87th Street, 11B, New York, NY

Listing agent: Rachel Lustbader, Warburg Realty

Another dramatic transformation that uses warm earth tones to help make what would otherwise be a cold white room into a welcoming bedroom. Love that lamp!

5. 242 East 19th Street, 2FG, New York, NY

Listing agent: Rachel Lustbader, Warburg Realty

What good are built-in shelves when they have nothing on them? Virtual staging isn’t just for furniture. You can add books, knick-knacks, tchotchkes, plants, toys, or pretty much anything else that makes it look more like a home.

6. 400 East 56th Street, 26K, New York, NY

Listing agent: Warburg Realty

Sometimes you won’t have an empty room to deal with, but instead furniture that doesn’t quite fit the space or feels out of date. Why not swap out ugly carpet and add a divider screen to help separate an open space?

Over to You

Have great virtual staging software you swear by or a tip for our readers? Let us know in the comments.

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