Definition · Prices and rules checked 3 November 2026
What is virtual staging?
Virtual staging is a photograph of an empty room with furniture added digitally, so a buyer can read the size and layout of a space that is standing empty. The photograph is real; the furniture is not; the disclosure is what keeps the two honest.
The definition, in one paragraph
A photographer shoots the empty room. A tool or an editor adds a sofa, a table and a rug into that photograph, keeping the walls, windows, floor and camera angle exactly as photographed. The result goes into the listing alongside the original frame, labelled according to the MLS rule that applies. Nothing is delivered physically: there is no furniture, no van and no removal at the end of the tenancy.
What it costs
| Route | Published price | Per image | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tool, high-volume plan | $99 a month for 300 images | $0.33 | 2026-11-03 |
| Tool, small plan | $15 a month for 20 images | $0.75 | 2026-11-03 |
| Subscription tool | $16–$39 a month (annual billing) | $0.65–$2.67 | 2026-11-03 |
| Per-photo seller | $35 for 8 images | $4.38 | 2026-11-03 |
| Human service | US$24 a staged photo | $24.00 | 2026-11-03 |
Figures from the vendors’ own pricing pages on the date shown; the full list is in the seven-tool comparison.
What it may not change
The structural list
- Walls, doors, windows, ceilings, cabinetry and fixtures.
- Flooring, paint colour, the view and anything visible outside the property.
- Damage or a defect a buyer would see at the showing.
- The dimensions of the room, by shrinking the furniture.
That list is not our house style: it is what the board rules require. CRMLS, Stellar and ARMLS each spell it out, and California’s AB 723 turns part of it into statute. The rule hub quotes each one.
Is it allowed?
Three boards, three mechanics
Yes, at every board we have read, with conditions that differ more than most guides admit. CRMLS wants a label in the photo description field and the original frame displayed next to the staged image. Stellar wants the words in three places, including the first words of the public remarks. ARMLS wants a “Digitally Altered” watermark burned into the photograph. Doorify states in writing that it requires no disclosure at all, and the OneKey rulebook does not mention staging.
Start with the board you are publishing to, and use the wording library rather than retyping the sentence.
Does it help a listing sell?
The honest answer is that most of the numbers quoted around this question are published by companies that sell staging, and we do not repeat them. What can be said without a study: a photograph of an empty room asks a buyer to imagine the furniture, and some buyers cannot. Staging removes that step. Whether that shows up in days on market depends on the price, the market and the property, and any vendor promising a percentage is guessing.
Questions
Is virtual staging the same as real staging?
No. Real staging puts furniture in the property; virtual staging puts it in the photograph. Real staging costs furniture rental and labour; virtual staging costs an image.
Do I have to disclose it?
It depends on the board, not on the country. Three of the five boards we read require a label, one requires nothing, and one has no rule at all.
Can I stage a room that already has furniture?
That is a different job: the existing furniture has to be removed first, and most staging tools, including ours, do not do that.