Virtual staging elevates the look of vacant spaces

There’s no more starting a home search in a real estate agent’s office or car. Real estate listings are presented to us everywhere online—that’s your first showing. And that makes listing photos more important than ever. If the house is vacant or a little sparse, virtual staging is a necessity to attract qualified eyeballs.

A real photo from a real listing, if you can believe it.

My heart absolutely breaks for sellers whose listing agent relegates the photography to just a depressing inventory of their home when they could be merchandizing the features and showing it in its very best light. Every day we see dismal photos like this bathroom vanity with a partial roll of toilet paper, unmade beds, terrible lighting, even reflections of the “photographer” (using their phones, believe it or not) in the mirror taking the photo. This is not the way a true professional should be marketing listings, dear friends and neighbors.

Some very savvy agents utilize high-quality professional photography in every listing, regardless of the price point. A $100,000 house is just as important to that owner—and to the eventual new owner as a $1Million house is to another owner.

And in vacant homes, many times I also employ a first-rate company to virtually stage some empty spaces with superior results. The sophisticated technology of virtual staging has transformed our industry. It’s one of the hottest tools surprisingly few agents are using right now.

NAR’s 2025 Generational Trends report shows that 43% of buyers say their first step is looking online for properties. Remember, that’s your first showing.

In the same report, 83% of buyers who used the internet ranked photos as a “very useful” website feature. If the photos fall flat, buyers often move on before ever scheduling a visit.

Vacant homes are especially vulnerable. Empty rooms lack the visual pull that motivates buyers to take the next step. Instead of seeing possibilities, they see boxy walls, odd proportions, and sometimes design choices left behind by a previous owner that distract from the home itself.

It’s no surprise that 88% of sellers’ agents say having strong photos is “much more” or “more” important to their clients. In today’s market, great photos are not optional. They are foundational.

Virtual staging fixes the first-showing problem

When a home is vacant, buyers struggle to judge scale, layout, and function from photos alone. Virtual staging solves that by showing how rooms actually live. Furniture placement defines purpose, highlights flow, and helps buyers emotionally connect before they ever step through the door.

Instead of scrolling past an empty room, buyers pause. They imagine their life there. And that makes them far more likely to schedule a showing.

Drag the arrows ↔ across the images below from some of my recent listings where virtual staging gave vacant rooms dramatic new life.