The Importance of Professional Home Staging and Why MLS Photos Matter
When it comes to selling a home, first impressions are everything. In today’s digital age, where most homebuyers start their search online, the quality of the MLS photos you use can make or break a sale. It’s not just about snapping a few pictures of the property; it’s about showcasing your home in the best possible light to capture the interest of potential buyers. Enter home staging—a critical component in making your listing stand out in the competitive real estate market.
In this blog, we'll dive into why professional home staging matters, why MLS photos are so important, and why both real and virtual staging need to be handled with care.
The Power of MLS Photos: Why They Matter
It’s no secret that the majority of homebuyers start their search online. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 97% of buyers use the internet to search for homes, and 51% of them find the home they ultimately purchase online. What does that mean for you as a seller? It means your home’s first impression is made before the buyer ever steps foot in the door.
In real estate, the listing photos—especially the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) photos—are your home’s virtual curb appeal. These photos serve as the first glimpse of your home for sale, and they must work hard to attract attention. A blurry, poorly lit, or out-of-focus image can quickly turn buyers away. Likewise, images that show clutter, mismatched furniture, or outdated decor can make a home feel smaller and less appealing than it truly is.
Good MLS photos do more than just show the space—they tell a story of what life could look like in that home. They highlight the home’s best features, make the rooms look spacious, and help potential buyers envision themselves living there. Quality MLS photos can even lead to a faster sale, often fetching a higher price.
How Professional Home Staging Makes a Difference
When it comes to preparing your home for sale, one of the most effective ways to enhance the visual appeal is through professional home staging. Staging a home is the process of strategically arranging furniture and decor to create a welcoming, aesthetically pleasing atmosphere that appeals to the broadest possible audience.
Why is home staging so important? Here’s why:
Showcases the Potential: Buyers can often struggle to see the true potential of a space when it’s filled with the previous owner’s clutter, dated furniture, or personal items. Staging helps highlight the space’s best features and shows how it can be used, whether that’s transforming a small room into an office or making a living room feel larger and more inviting.
Neutralizes the Space: Personal items, such as family photos or bold, quirky furniture, can distract buyers and prevent them from imagining the space as their own. Staging neutralizes the space, making it easier for buyers to visualize their belongings in it.
Enhances Key Spaces: Professional home stagers know how to accentuate the best features of each room, from showcasing a cozy fireplace to optimizing the layout of a kitchen or dining area.
Appeals to a Broad Audience: By using neutral colors, modern furnishings, and a warm, welcoming vibe, staging appeals to a larger range of buyers—particularly those who might struggle to imagine how to use an empty room or how a space could fit their needs.
A well-staged home makes a strong impression, conveys the home’s full potential, and often results in quicker, more profitable sales.
The Risks of Bad MLS Photos
While staging is important, the quality of your photos is just as crucial. Bad MLS photos—whether due to poor lighting, awkward angles, or low resolution—can significantly diminish the appeal of even the most beautifully staged home.
If your MLS photos don’t present the space in its best light, you could be turning away potential buyers before they even consider making an appointment to tour the property. In fact, bad photos can cause buyers to assume that the home itself is in poor condition, even if that’s not the case.
Here’s what bad MLS photos can do:
Mislead Buyers: Poor photos fail to show the true size, layout, and features of the space. Rooms may appear smaller or more cluttered than they are.
Turn Buyers Off: No one wants to look at a listing full of clutter, outdated furniture, or personal items. Buyers want to see a blank canvas—a space they can imagine themselves in.
Cost You Money: Studies show that listings with high-quality images sell faster and for more money. In fact, homes with professional photos can sell up to 32% faster than those with subpar images.
In short, if the photos don’t do justice to your home, buyers will move on to the next listing—without a second thought.
Virtual Staging: Why It Can Be Deceptive
In today’s market, some sellers may consider virtual staging as a cost-effective way to make their listing look more appealing. Virtual staging involves digitally inserting furniture and decor into photos to make the home look more inviting or stylish. While virtual staging can be a tempting shortcut, it often has its drawbacks.
Here’s why virtual staging can backfire:
1. It’s Not Real
While virtual staging may look appealing in photos, it can feel deceiving to buyers who arrive for an in-person tour. Virtual staging often leads to a disconnect between what buyers see online and what they experience in person. For example, if a home appears beautifully furnished in the online photos but is empty when buyers arrive, they may feel misled or even disappointed.
2. It Distorts Scale and Proportions
Virtual staging is often not an accurate representation of how the space will actually look. Furniture may appear out of scale or disproportionate to the room’s dimensions. What looks good on a computer screen may not be realistic in person, leaving buyers questioning the home’s true size or layout.
3. It Lacks Authenticity
Virtual staging is often too “perfect”—everything looks brand new and sleek. Real buyers are looking for authenticity, and they want to see a home that feels lived in, not one that looks like it’s been staged by a computer program.
4. It Can Backfire
If buyers discover that a home was virtually staged, they may feel deceived, especially if they feel the online photos were misleading about the home’s actual condition or layout. Trust is essential in real estate, and once buyers feel they've been tricked, they may be hesitant to move forward with the purchase.
5. Misses the Real Value of Staging
Virtual staging can’t replicate the benefits of real staging. A professional home stager brings in actual furniture and decor that enhances the space. Real staging creates a warm, inviting environment and helps buyers emotionally connect with the home. Virtual staging, on the other hand, is flat and lacks the tactile sense that makes real-world staging so effective.