When you’re trying to sell a property, staging the home for viewing can be one of the trickiest parts of your sales strategy — not to mention the cost. However, thanks to modern advances in technology, we are now able to virtually stage homes using a tablet or smartphone. Sotheby’s International Realty® has released a powerful augmented reality app called Curate that allows prospective buyers to visualize their own decorating style choices within the space in real time.
Challenges with Physical Home Staging
When selling home, especially in Atlanta, it’s important to frame that home in the best possible light for prospective buyers. When done properly, staging a home can dramatically decrease the amount of time on the market — and sellers who stage their homes usually get better offers. However, proper staging comes with some challenges:
- It’s highly subjective. Good staging decisions can help the home sell quickly, while bad ones can turn buyers off — and you never really know whether a design choice will affect individual buyers positively or negatively.
- It narrows the visualization options. You cannot stage a home in every conceivable style at once. You have to choose a style, which can limit the appeal to certain buyers who resonate with those styles.
- It can be expensive. Hiring someone to stage a home costs money, and if you try to stage it yourself, you’re likely to make mistakes that could affect the viewing experience.
What Makes Virtual Home Staging Different or Better?
Virtual staging takes an entirely different approach to the home viewing experience. Using Curate, buyers can visualize the space with their own style choices superimposed as they view it through the camera on a mobile device. Agents can load the app and guide buyers through the staging experience room by room. They can change furniture pieces and décor with a tap, and they can even buy pieces they like through the app. The advantages of this approach:
- The home can be empty. In fact, it’s recommended, since the AR works best against a vacant room.
- It’s much less expensive. No need to hire a staging expert.
- It allows for instant visualization in multiple styles.
- It reaches a wider potential audience of buyers with a variety of personal tastes in design.
If you’re planning to list your home for sale, consider virtually staging your home with Curate. To learn more about this exciting new option, call Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty at 404.948.4812.