Virtual staging has come a remarkably long way. With artificial intelligence, an empty room can now be transformed into a beautifully furnished interior in seconds, complete with carefully selected furniture, coordinated accessories and sophisticated lighting. The results can be so convincing that distinguishing a digitally furnished room from a photograph of a physically staged property is becoming increasingly difficult.

For years, we have been hearing that virtual staging represents the future of real estate marketing, and the technology certainly seems to support that prediction. Yet I remain unconvinced that it is ready to replace physical staging. In fact, I suspect that the rapid development of AI may eventually make the experience of a genuinely furnished home more valuable, not less.

 

The technology may be ready. Are the buyers?

 

Several years ago, when virtual staging was still gaining recognition, I spoke with some of our real estate clients about whether they would consider using it instead of traditional furniture rentals. Their responses were surprisingly consistent. While they recognized the possibilities offered by digital technology, they were not particularly enthusiastic about replacing physically staged interiors with virtual alternatives. Their answer was essentially, “No, thank you.”

Admittedly, these were conversations with individual clients rather than a scientific survey, and attitudes may have changed since then. Nevertheless, their reluctance stayed with me because it illustrated something that technology enthusiasts occasionally overlook: what makes perfect sense from a technological or operational perspective does not necessarily appeal to the people expected to use it.

Today, virtual staging is infinitely more sophisticated than it was then, but has buyer behaviour changed at the same pace? I have my doubts, particularly when it comes to older generations, who are generally less inclined to be early adopters of unfamiliar technologies. People in their 40s, 50s and 60s may use sophisticated digital tools every day, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are eager to rely on virtual reality or AI-generated interiors when evaluating one of the largest purchases of their lives.

There is some Canadian research that reinforces my reservations. According to Statistics Canada, 57.1 per cent of Ontario’s residential property investors were aged 55 or older in 2020. More recent Statistics Canada research found that generative AI use at work was considerably lower among Canadians aged 55 to 69 than among those aged 25 to 54. Neither finding tells us how these generations feel about virtual staging specifically, but together they raise an interesting question: are we assuming that homebuyers will embrace new technologies simply because the technologies themselves are advancing?

This isn’t a question of technological ability, but rather of habits, expectations and trust. Buying a home involves considerable financial and emotional commitment, and I suspect that many buyers still prefer the reassurance of experiencing a property as it actually exists.

 

A home is more than a picture

 

Much of the discussion surrounding virtual staging focuses on visual presentation. Can digital furniture make an empty room look attractive, demonstrate possible layouts or help buyers understand the potential of an awkward space? Absolutely. But home staging, when done well, is not simply a visual exercise.

Consider the experience of walking into a beautifully furnished living room. You notice the arrangement of the furniture, the proportions of the pieces and the way the colours complement the architecture, but your impression doesn’t end with what you see. There is the softness of a carpet underfoot, the texture of luxurious upholstery, the comfort of a sofa if you choose to sit down, and even the difference in acoustics between a furnished room and an empty one. Lighting, temperature and subtle scents contribute to the atmosphere as well, creating an experience that engages several senses simultaneously.

Not every buyer touches the furniture or sits in an accent chair, of course, but the opportunity to experience a furnished space physically is something virtual staging cannot yet reproduce. A home is more than a collection of rooms with specified dimensions; it is a place where someone hopes to live, entertain, relax and build a future.

Virtual staging can demonstrate what a room could look like, while physical staging allows buyers to experience what it feels like.

 

The AI paradox: Can perfect images undermine trust?

 

There is another development that makes me question the assumption that virtual staging will inevitably replace the real thing. Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing our relationship with photographs, and I suspect its influence on buyer confidence may prove more complicated than the industry anticipates.

Not long ago, photographs were generally accepted as reasonably faithful representations of reality, despite the existence of image-editing software. Today, extraordinarily convincing images of places, objects and events that never existed can be produced with remarkable ease, making us increasingly conscious of how little a digital image necessarily proves.

Real estate marketing is already responding to this concern, with virtually staged photographs increasingly identified as such. This is an important acknowledgment that buyers deserve to know whether the furnishings they see actually exist in the property. Yet disclosure doesn’t eliminate the difference between falling in love with a beautifully furnished room online and arriving at the property to discover an empty space.

As AI-generated interiors become increasingly realistic, I wonder whether buyers will begin placing greater value on what they can personally verify. The easier it becomes to create a flawless digital presentation, the more meaningful an authentic physical experience may become.

There is a certain irony in that possibility: the very technology expected to make physical staging obsolete might ultimately reinforce its value.

 

An exciting future, but are we ready for it?

 

None of this means that I underestimate the potential of AI. On the contrary, I can imagine some fascinating applications that go considerably beyond today’s virtually staged photographs.

Imagine walking into an empty property wearing lightweight augmented reality glasses and asking an AI assistant to furnish the rooms according to their actual dimensions. You could experiment with different furniture arrangements, compare decorating styles or discover whether your existing dining table would fit comfortably into the space, all while walking through the property itself.

I find that prospect genuinely exciting, and I can easily imagine younger generations embracing such experiences as a natural part of purchasing a home. Whether buyers accustomed to more traditional ways of evaluating property will be equally enthusiastic is another matter, and I suspect widespread acceptance will take longer than technology developers anticipate.

We can already visit museums virtually, yet people continue travelling to see original works of art. We can explore destinations through immersive videos, but that doesn’t replace the experience of actually being there. Technology can enrich an experience without necessarily replacing it.

Perhaps the future of real estate marketing will combine physical and virtual staging, with AI offering increasingly sophisticated ways to explore a property’s possibilities. I see considerable potential in that approach, but I question the assumption that technological progress automatically makes physical experience less important.

For years, the conversation has centred on how convincingly virtual staging can imitate reality. I think we may be asking the wrong question.

As artificial reality becomes increasingly convincing, will the experience of the real thing become less valuable, or more?

My money is on the real thing.