I am a reporter for a nationally syndicated real estate section published weekly in newspapers across the country. I’m looking to interview real estate agents, mortgage professionals, and other housing experts for the following article:
GOT A VACANT HOME FOR SALE? TRY VIRTUAL STAGING AND SAVE $. Traditional staging with furniture/decor can be costly, and not all agents have a marketing budget that enables them to invest in staging a listing. Per the National Association of Realtors, the typical cost of staging a home is 1 to 3 percent of the asking price, which is not realistic for many sellers and their agents. Virtual staging may be a better alternative, in which fake furniture/accessories are inserted digitally into listing photos for as little as $75 per photo. This article will explore the pros and cons of virtual staging and alternatives to this option for sellers. For this story, I’m seeking to interview real estate agents, professional home staging companies, and other real estate professionals. Below is a list of questions I’m seeking answers to. I can either conduct a phone or email interview (with the latter, please email me back full-sentence written responses that I can use as quotes). My deadline is noon central time, Tuesday, April 7, 2015.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is the difference between virtual staging and traditional home staging? What are the pros and cons of each?
2. Why is virtual staging popular and often preferred today to traditional staging?
3. Is virtual staging only recommended for truly vacant homes, or can occupied homes for sale be “photoshopped” to appear vacant and thus benefit from virtual staging?
4. What is required for virtual staging to be successful?
5. What is the typical cost for virtual staging (per photo/per session/listing, etc.)?
6. Who provides virtual staging services—the agent/Realtor’s team?
7. Are there any affordable alternatives you’d recommend to virtual staging that home sellers should consider? Why?
8. Any other thoughts, tips or suggestions on this topic?
9. What is your full name, title, company, city/state location, and email address?
Keywords
size, initial, background, sans, arial, family, font, serif, staging, 0pt, virtual, origin, attachment, clip, position, repeat, image, 14pt, estate, home, real, agents, vacant, interview, traditional, email, listing, sellers
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