Your Guide to Virtual Home Staging as a Physician

If you want to practice in another state and sell your old home, the medical licensure and board certification preparation may not leave you enough time to do real, physical home staging.

That’s where virtual home staging comes in. It saves you time and the hassle of coordinating with stagers, managing rentals, and supervising setup. You only need a few photos and the help of a stager to digitally use furniture, lighting, and decor to change the look and feel of each room.

But what exactly does virtual home staging involve, and how can you use it to create a listing that attracts attention without the time and logistical challenges of traditional staging? Read on to learn.

What Is Virtual Home Staging?

Virtual home staging involves using virtual staging software to digitally place furniture, art, lighting, and other decor elements in photos of empty or sparsely furnished rooms. The result is a realistic room setup that helps buyers imagine themselves in the space.

This type of staging forgoes the hassle of physical staging and provides high-quality, reusable images.

Virtual Home Staging vs. Traditional Staging

Here are three differences between virtual and real staging:

1. Cost

With virtual staging, you don’t need furniture and decor rentals, movers, and physical setups, which makes it budget-friendly. Virtual staging cost is only a one-time investment and you can reuse the photos several times.

That’s not the case with physical staging, which incurs ongoing costs like monthly rentals for furniture, moving fees, and periodic maintenance to make sure the space looks fresh for walkthroughs.  

2. Flexibility

Virtual staging helps you customize room styles and layouts to match buyer preferences or market trends, such as retro, ultra-modern, Spanish, and minimalistic. You can also update your photos at any time without physical rearrangements.

In contrast, real staging is limited by logistical constraints. Once set up, changing styles requires extra rental costs and setup time, making the overall endeavor expensive and time-consuming.

3. Turnaround  

Virtual staging usually takes a few days from the time you submit your photos to getting the final images. This means if you’re a busy physician, virtual staging helps you put your property on the market faster and attract buyers without any delay.

Real staging involves coordinating between staging professionals, delivery schedules, and times for setup—which takes days or even weeks. Plus, if your property is big or you’re looking for a certain look, the staging can take even longer.

Why Is Virtual Home Staging the Right Option for Physicians?

Virtual home staging is easy, low-maintenance, and fits around your demanding schedule as a physician. Here are three reasons why it should be your go-to choice:

1. There’s only a one-time upfront fee. You don’t pay any costs tied to physical rentals, moving fees, or maintenance.
2. You get property photos within days compared to weeks for real staging. This helps you market faster.
3. You can customize your property according to market trends to create interest and attract buyers looking for specific spaces.

But keep in mind that while virtual home staging creates beautiful photos, your potential buyers will find an empty space during in-person viewings, so you need to be upfront about that.

You should also make sure your digital design is accurate—it should represent your room’s dimensions and layout accurately. If the staging is overly stylized or unrealistic, it might hurt your chances of selling the property.

5 Aspects to Consider for Physicians Using Virtual Staging

If you’re busy with ECFMG certification and going for virtual home staging to save time, here are five aspects to consider beforehand:

1. Fine Print  

Whether you’re working with a staging contractor or a company, pay attention to the fine print of the service you’re getting. Here are some good questions to ask:

• Which services are actually listed on the contract?
• How many revisions are covered?
• Are there any extra fees for design styles or quick turnarounds?
• Are there any usage restrictions on the images?

You need to know exactly what you’re getting so there are no unreasonable expectations or unexpected costs down the line.

2. Realistic Renderings  

When you’re going the virtual staging route, realistic renderings are a must. In this case, “realistic” means the photos show your property’s potential without misleading buyers. You can make sure of this by looking at the staging service’s previous projects.

Here are some questions to ask:

• Do the furniture and decor match the actual dimensions of the space? Actual dimensions are usually mentioned in the description; ask for them if they aren’t.
• Are shadows, lighting, and room proportions realistic?

If the renderings look too stylized or don’t fit the actual layout, buyers may feel disappointed when they see your property in person.

3. Customization Options

Not all staging services offer the same level of customization, so ask your service provider if they can add specific design choices that align with buyer needs in your area.

If they do, you can request multiple styles for the same space to account for different buyer preferences and market shifts. Just make sure to confirm any extra costs tied to custom styles or multiple design options, so you know exactly what’s included in your package.

4. Quick Turnaround Time

As a physician, timing is everything, and virtual staging delivers on that. Before choosing a service, check their turnaround times and see if they offer faster options if you’re on a tight deadline.

You could ask them:

• What’s the usual delivery time once photos are submitted?
• Are faster turnaround times available? What do you charge for this service?

Confirming these in advance will help you block time out from your schedule to finalize and review your photos. That way, your clinical work or studying sessions for medical licensure won’t be impacted.

5. Editing Flexibility

Many services include at least one round of edits, which helps you adjust furniture placement, colors, or decor to better suit your vision. However, it’s always good to check exactly what a company or contractor offers to not set unreasonable expectations.

Here are some questions to ask:

• Are revisions included? If so, how many?  
• What type of changes can we make?  
• What are the different fees for complex edits?  
• How long does it take to get edited images?  

While editing is a typical part of virtual home staging, you can usually avoid this process altogether if you go for a staging provider that offers a preview stage, so you can make adjustments before the full rendering.

How Does Virtual Home Staging Work?

Let’s figure out how to virtually stage your home:

1. Find a Virtual Staging Service

The first step is to find a virtual staging provider, such as a company or a contractor, that creates high-quality renderings that align with your requirements and market goals.

You can do this if you go through the company’s sample portfolio and customer reviews. What do people say about them? Do their photos look realistic or overly stylized? Is every photo similar? Or do the photos have different aesthetics?

Aside from that, check the fee-related fine print, such as service pricing, package cost, editing costs, faster turnaround time costs, etc. This will help you avoid unexpected expenses.

2. Photograph the Areas You Want to Be Staged

If you want your virtual staging photos to attract buyers, they need to be shot with a professional camera and natural lighting. While you can do this yourself if you can block the time, it’s faster and easier on your schedule to call in a photographer.

Once you declutter, clean each room, and remove any existing furniture or personal items (you can get a cleaning company to do this for you if you aren’t in the state), the photographer will come in and capture multiple angles of each room.

Your service provider can give you instructions on the best angles and lighting. Some may also offer photography services as a part of their packages.

3. Share Your Property Photos

Once you have your photos on hand, you need to upload them to your virtual staging service platform or share them via email. Make sure to follow any photo format or size requirements when doing this.

You also need to share your design preferences or target buyer demographics with the staging team.

For instance, if you like a cozy but modern feel, tell that to the team. You should also be clear about any specific features you want to highlight, such as large windows, fireplaces, or built-in shelving. This will save you time asking for adjustments later.

4. Make Adjustments (If Needed)

At this point, you should get a draft version of the virtually staged images. Some providers may send over the final photos. Regardless of what you get, look at each image closely—focus on the setup and make sure the virtual furniture, decor, and style match what you asked for.

If you find that adjustments are needed, provide specific feedback on what you want to be changed and how. For instance, if the lighting is too cold, you can mention that and ask for warmer lighting—and mention how warm you exactly want it to be.  

5. Approve Your Virtually Staged Photos

Once you’re satisfied with the adjustments, approve the final image. Your provider will then send you the high-resolution files, which you can add to your listing.

Just make sure you have the appropriate usage rights for these images because some virtual staging services set limitations on where and how you can post them.

Related: When to Worry about House Not Selling?

Handle All Financial Details With Physicians Thrive

If you’ve started a practice in another state or are working locum tenens in another location, you may be looking to put your other home on the market.

Virtual staging solutions make it easy to show your property’s best features without the hassle of physical staging. However, you still have to pay your home stager and handle all financial details related to selling your home.

That’s where we come in.

At Physicians Thrive, we help you set realistic budgets, manage cash flow for home staging expenses, and make the financial planning process—from start to finish—easier for your virtual home staging.

Our team of advisors takes care of tracking costs, provides advice on tax implications, and ensures that every financial decision aligns with your overall goals. Once the staging is done, we also help you get an idea of where you can invest any capital gains you earn.

Looking to get started? Reach out to our team today to see how we can make selling your home simple and stress-free.