Virtual Staging 101: The Complete Beginner's Guide

Virtual staging is the process of digitally adding furniture and decor to photos of empty rooms. Using AI or manual editing, professional-quality furniture is placed in your photos to help buyers visualize the potential of a space. Unlike traditional staging, which costs $2,000-5,000 and takes days to set up, virtual staging is instant and costs around $5 per image.

Modern AI virtual staging analyzes your room photo to understand the 3D space—where the floor is, the perspective, and the lighting conditions. It then renders furniture that matches this analysis, placing sofas, tables, and decor in realistic positions with proper shadows and lighting. The result is a photorealistic image that looks like a professionally staged room.

Staged homes sell 73% faster than empty homes. Virtual staging provides this benefit at a fraction of the cost of traditional staging. Key benefits include: instant turnaround, multiple style options, ability to stage occupied or renovation properties, unlimited re-renders, and dramatic cost savings.

Traditional staging involves renting real furniture and placing it in the home. It costs $2,000-5,000 per property and takes 3-7 days to set up. Virtual staging costs $5-20 per image and delivers in seconds to minutes. While traditional staging means showings match photos exactly, virtual staging is more practical for the vast majority of listings.

All major MLS boards require disclosure that photos are virtually staged. This is typically done with a watermark on the image such as "Virtually Staged" and/or a note in the listing description. RoomStage automatically adds MLS-compliant watermarks so you're always in compliance.

To get started: 1) Sign up for a free trial with 5 images for $1, 2) Upload a photo of an empty room, 3) Select your preferred furniture style, 4) Download your staged image in about 30 seconds. Try different styles and regenerate as many times as you want at no extra cost.