For the past few years, the concept of AI virtual staging has taken strong roots in real estate marketing. In addition to the ever-increasing prices and the arduous nature of physical staging, when the evil claws of COVID-19 gripped the world tightly in 2019, virtual staging came to the rescue of the real estate industry. It allowed agents and sellers to continue routine real estate activities – albeit in a purely digital manner – while helping house hunters visualize themselves in their dream homes without having to visit the place in person.
We were still counting the benefits of virtual staging when artificial intelligence (AI) suddenly entered the game and changed the rules well beyond our expectations. Now, with virtual staging establishing itself as an already steadily rooted trend in the housing market – and AI gaining a firm foothold in real estate photo editing – it’s time to examine the impact of artificial intelligence on virtual staging and see if AI virtual staging is the way to go.
How Has AI Changed Real Estate Virtual Staging
Saving time all around
This is perhaps the most important benefit of AI virtual staging that no one can overlook. While traditional virtual staging used to take about a day to set up and weeks to present, virtual staging with AI takes a few seconds per photo for generation and a few of to upload on the World Wide Web for everyone around the world.
This is a remarkable change that, more than anyone, matters most to real estate agents who sometimes have to prepare a dozen photos for listing in a single day.
Reducing staging costs
Likewise, AI has tremendously affected virtual staging costs. While some real estate photo editing companies charge up to $75 per photo (not going to name names!), AI-powered platforms have reduced the cost to just a few bucks.
A platform like AI HomeDesign, for example, offers virtual staging for less than $4 per photo while guaranteeing customer satisfaction, which comes with service quality.
Allowing for near-infinite variety
With traditional virtual staging, you could only ask graphic designers or photo editors to include certain items in the photos! That’s all. You had to trust their expertise and respect their taste in design. No offense to our fellow designers! It’s just that AI leaves so much room for variety and allows the user(s) to choose from among hundreds of designs for a single room. Isn’t that amazing?
Accessibility to all
Before AI spread its wings over the landscape of real estate photo editing, the realm of virtual staging was only open to real estate photo editors. It didn’t matter if the homeowner himself or his agent was responsible for listing the property. To have a higher chance of attracting customers, the help of a photo editor was always needed.
Today, AI-powered platforms in the forms of online businesses and phone apps allow agents and homeowners to edit their photos “in the blink of an AI.”
Everyone can now edit real estate photos according to their own preferences. This, on the other hand, might be disconcerting news to said photo editors and, more specifically, to real estate photo editing companies. Yet, it’s a reality from which there is no escape! So, they’d better face the music and find a way to employ AI to their advantage rather than stand against it in vain.
Eliminating the complexities
It takes a professional photo editor anywhere from one to several hours to stage a medium-sized room using any of the well-known photo editing software such as Photoshop or Luminar. This is because, for staging a single room, designers have to adjust the lighting, coordinate the color, add furniture, deal with unwanted shadows, and much more.
AI Virtual staging, on the other hand, involves no such subtleties. The system has been trained to perform everything automatically. All users have to do is “click” to turn a lifeless vacant room into a pleasant and inviting space.
AI Virtual Staging: Implications and Opportunities
With the advancements in artificial intelligence, virtual staging has undergone a true metamorphosis. The technology has opened new doors for real estate agents, developers, and designers to present vacant spaces at their full potential. Certain practices might become obsolete and new opportunities are now much closer at hand. Here are some immediate implications of AI virtual staging that we may want to consider.
Adopting AI: A must for real estate photo editing companies
There are quite a few real estate photo editing companies around the world and, it seems they must immediately incorporate artificial intelligence into their operations. By adopting AI, these companies can enhance their efficiency, accuracy, and productivity in editing and enhancing real estate images, potentially leading to improved customer satisfaction and better business outcomes.
If, for any reason, they choose not to adopt AI, they’ll risk falling behind their competitors and facing various challenges. Without artificial intelligence, their editing processes may be slower and more labor-intensive, leading to decreased efficiency and longer turnaround times.
Independency on the horizon: Real estate agents roam free
Perhaps no one will appreciate the idea of AI virtual staging more than real estate agents. Those who go for it don’t have to hire photo editors anymore, which means extra money in their pockets and faster listing!
Many agents still choose to hire photo editors to prepare the photos for listings because AI virtual staging is still in its infancy and, hence, not fully understood. But its benefits are just too great to ignore. Therefore, it’s only rational to expect that in the near future, the majority of agents will turn to AI with inevitably open arms.
Making peace with AI: Graphic designers come to terms
Much has been said about AI replacing certain jobs, and graphic design has been repeatedly named as one of those occupations. While this matter is still open to debate, one thing is certain: AI is the greatest assistant anyone can wish for.
The fact that AI is capable of doing what graphic designers used to do does not necessarily mean that the former is going to replace the latter. Why not think that graphic designers are now equipped with a phenomenal tool that allows them to discover new territories and push the boundaries of their design capabilities?
With AI as their powerful ally, graphic designers can focus on strategic thinking, conceptualization, and refining their artistic vision while benefiting from the efficiency and precision that AI brings to their workflow.
Summing It Up
The use of AI in virtual staging has not only saved time and resources but has also expanded the possibilities for creativity and customization. As far as we can see, the change has been a fortunate one, and we have every reason to stand in the long line of its advocates. Everyone, in their own way – including property owners, real estate agents, and even graphic designers – can each benefit from this joyful union.
