The 16 Best Virtual Staging Software and Apps for Real Estate Agents in 2024

Imagine this: You‘re about to list a vacant 3-bed, 2-bath house in a quiet suburban neighborhood. The property has good bones and a great location, but the empty rooms look small and uninviting in photos. You know staging would help, but your sellers are on a tight budget and timeline.

What if you could stage the entire house digitally, swapping in stylish furniture and decor with just a few clicks? That‘s the power of virtual staging.

What is Virtual Staging?

Virtual staging is the process of using software to digitally add furnishings, artwork, and other decorative elements to photos of empty rooms. It allows you to showcase a property‘s potential without the time and expense of physically staging it.

Virtual staging has become an essential tool for listing agents looking to sell homes faster and for more money. Research shows that:

• 82% of buyers‘ agents say staging helps buyers visualize a property as their future home
• Staged homes sell 73% faster than non-staged homes
• 85% of staged homes sell for 6-25% more than unstaged homes

With advancements in 3D rendering and the availability of vast digital furniture libraries, virtual staging can now achieve incredibly lifelike results. In many cases, virtually staged listing photos are indistinguishable from the real thing.

Benefits of Virtual Staging for Real Estate Agents

For busy agents, virtual staging offers several key advantages over traditional home staging:

1. Cost savings: Virtual staging is typically 90-97% cheaper than physically staging a home. Most virtual staging services charge $30-50 per photo, compared to $3,000 or more for traditional staging.

2. Flexibility: With virtual staging, you can show the same room furnished in multiple styles to appeal to different types of buyers. It‘s easy to make quick decor changes without lugging furniture.

3. Convenience: Virtual staging can be completed in a matter of hours, not days. There‘s no need to wait for rental furniture to be delivered and arranged.

4. Storytelling: Virtual staging lets you showcase a home‘s livability and help buyers emotionally connect with the space. Strategic staging choices can highlight a property‘s best features.

5. Marketability: Eye-catching virtually staged photos can make your listings stand out online, attract more buyer interest, and generate extra showings.

As you can see, virtual staging is a fast, affordable way to help properties sell faster and for a higher price. It‘s become an indispensable marketing tool that every modern agent needs in their toolkit.

How to Get Started with Virtual Staging

There are two main ways to virtually stage your listings:

1. Do-it-yourself with virtual staging software: Today‘s virtual staging tools make it easy to digitally design rooms yourself, no special skills required. Apps like Homestyler and RoOomy let you add 3D furniture to your photos with a few taps.

2. Hire a professional virtual staging service: For polished, photorealistic results, you can‘t beat a professional. Companies like Styldod and BoxBrownie have teams of interior designers and 3D artists who can virtually transform your listing photos in 1-2 business days, with prices starting around $20-30 per photo.

Whether you go the DIY route or hire a pro, virtually staging your listings is simple. Just snap photos of your empty rooms (hiring a professional photographer is recommended), upload them to your virtual staging software of choice, and then drag and drop furniture and decor into the shots.

Most virtual staging tools offer a library of predesigned room styles to choose from, or you can customize the look piece by piece. For a professional touch, virtual stagers will color-match furnishings to your walls and floors, layer in realistic shadows and reflections, and add finishing touches like plants and wall art.

The whole process typically takes less than 48 hours from upload to receiving your virtually staged images. Turnaround is even faster with DIY virtual staging apps.

The Future of Real Estate is Virtual

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically accelerated the adoption of virtual tools in real estate as agents and buyers looked for safer, more convenient ways to market and tour homes.

Even as in-person business rebounds, virtual staging and other digital real estate technology are here to stay.

In a November 2021 survey by the National Association of Realtors, 84% of respondents said they see virtual tours continuing beyond the pandemic. What‘s more, 74% of agents said they use virtual staging — with 36% saying they use it for all or a majority of their listings.

Industry experts predict the role of virtual staging will only grow in the coming years.

According to a recent Matterport study, a whopping 92% of buyers search for homes online before ever setting foot in a property. With nearly all buyers now starting their search on real estate sites, virtual staging has become all but essential for making listings stand out.

"Virtually staged photos have become the new norm in real estate marketing," says top Chicago agent Ryan Storck. "Buyers today expect to see beautiful, furnished interiors when browsing listings online. If your photos show empty rooms, you‘ll get scrolled past."

Virtual Staging Statistics 2024

Stat	Value
Staged homes sell	73% faster
Staged homes sell for	6-25% more
Buyers who search for homes online first	92%
Agents who use virtual staging	74%
Virtual staging cost savings vs traditional staging	90-97%

As virtual staging technology continues to advance, look for these capabilities to become the new standard:

• Interactive virtually staged tours where buyers can click to change wall colors and furniture
• Virtual redecorating that swaps out busy wallpaper and dated finishes with on-trend choices
• AR integrations that let buyers virtually "try on" furniture in person as they tour homes
• Instantly virtually staged 3D walkthroughs and dollhouse floor plans powered by computer vision AI

Tomorrow‘s virtual staging won‘t just help sell homes faster — it will let buyers visualize themselves living in a home like never before. Agents who embrace these cutting-edge capabilities will deliver a next-level buyer experience that wins more deals.

The Best Virtual Staging Software: In-Depth Reviews

With so many virtual staging solutions now on the market, how do you choose the right one? We tested and ranked today‘s leading virtual staging software to help you decide.

Here are our in-depth reviews of the top 16 virtual staging software tools for agents in 2024:

1. Styldod

Overview: Styldod is a full-service virtual staging studio that transforms empty rooms into photorealistic staged spaces using 3D furniture and decor. With a team of seasoned interior designers, Styldod delivers ultra-polished results at DIY prices.

Key features:

• 16 interior design styles to choose from, including Farmhouse, Scandinavian, Bohemian, and more
• All virtually staged photos include 4K resolution, shadows, and reflections for a "straight out of a magazine" look
• Easy ordering and free revisions via Styldod‘s web dashboard
• Virtually staged photos are ready in 1-2 business days
• Styldod‘s team can also handle virtual renovations, object removal, and more

Pricing: $29 per photo for 1-3 photos, $25 per photo for 4-8 photos, $22 per photo for 9+ photos

Customer quote: "I‘ve worked with Styldod on multiple properties and have been blown away every time. Their virtual staging is head and shoulders above the competition in terms of quality and realism." – Creig Northrop, Northrop Realty

Our take: Styldod is the best of the best for photorealistic virtual staging. Their team of designers consistently delivers stunning, true-to-life results. We love the range of decor styles and the streamlined ordering process. While not the cheapest option, Styldod is well worth the cost for agents who want virtually staged photos that will stop scrollers in their tracks.

2. BoxBrownie

Overview: BoxBrownie is a leading virtual staging service trusted by major brokerages like RE/MAX and Keller Williams. Their global team of designers and 3D artists specialize in crafting virtual staging that sells homes faster and for more money.

Key features:

• 16 interior styles, from Modern to Rustic
• Realistic virtual staging with accurate shadows and lighting
• Virtual renovations, 360° staging, and object removal available
• Free revisions to get the look just right
• 24-hour average turnaround time

Pricing: $32 per photo

Our take: BoxBrownie is another excellent choice for agents who want top-tier virtual staging without the designer price tag. Their team delivers stunning results on par with luxury staging. The user-friendly ordering process and fast turnaround seal the deal. We also like that BoxBrownie offers additional services like virtual tours and floor plans to help agents showcase listings.

3. Virtual Staging Solutions

Overview: Virtual Staging Solutions is a leading provider of virtual interior design for real estate marketing. Their work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and more.

Key features:

• 5 decor styles, including Contemporary, Traditional, and Transitional
• Highly realistic virtual staging with 3D lighting and shadows
• Virtual paint, declutter, redecorate, and renovation services
• Virtually staged photos delivered in 2 business days
• 2 free photo revisions, money-back guarantee

Pricing: $225 for 3 photos, $280 for 4 photos, $325 for 5 photos, $70 per additional photo

Customer quote: "Virtual Staging Solutions transformed my vacant listings into designer magazine spreads. The realism and quality exceeded my expectations. This will be my go-to virtual staging company from now on!" – Sandy Scheinman, Pinnacle Estate Properties

Our take: While one of the pricier services we reviewed, Virtual Staging Solutions delivers premium results. If you want virtually staged photos that look ready for Architectural Digest, they‘re worth the investment. We were especially impressed with their virtual renovation service for reimagining dated spaces.

Getting Started with Virtual Staging

Ready to wow buyers and sell your listings faster with virtual staging? Here are 4 easy steps to take your listing photos from empty to enticing:

1. Pick your virtual staging partner. Choose a reputable virtual staging company like our top picks above. For DIY types, apps like iStaging and RoOomy make it easy to virtually stage photos yourself.

2. Photograph the space. For best results, hire a professional real estate photographer to capture clear, well-lit photos of your empty rooms. Most virtual stagers also accept iPhone photos.

3. Choose your style. Work with your virtual stager to decide on design styles that will appeal to your target buyer. Consider sharing sample listing photos for inspiration.

4. Review and post. Give your virtually staged photos a final review and request any tweaks. Then, download the high-res staged photos and add them to your MLS listing, website, and social media.

That‘s it! In less than 48 hours, you can take your vacant listing from stale to sold with the power of virtual staging.

The Bottom Line

In a digital-first real estate market, virtual staging has become a must-have tool for listing agents. It‘s a fast, affordable way to help vacant homes make a great first impression online and attract more buyers.

As virtual staging technology continues to advance, agents who embrace these tools will be positioned to deliver a cutting-edge buyer experience. From interactive virtual design to virtually staged 3D tours, the bar for property marketing will only get higher.

If you haven‘t tried virtual staging yet, now is the time to start. We hope our guide to the best virtual staging software for 2024 helps you find the perfect tool to elevate your listing photos and edge out the competition.