There is a perception paradox that sometimes exists within real estate: the idea that an empty minimalist home offers a blank slate for potential buyers to imagine their perfect home. While a small slice of the general population may have the unique vision to picture a space with cascading light features, warm and inviting furniture arrangements, or eye-catching objets d’art, the majority of buyers look to experts in interior design for help. The truth is, the benefits of staging your home are extensive. Properly staged homes spend substantially less time on the market, routinely sell for more money, and frequently end up on must-see lists.

Your home is an oasis, a place perfectly appointed to suit your personal tastes. Which is exactly as it should be—until it becomes time to list your home and move on to the next dream.

Buyers aren’t looking for a home that appears too lived-in. They’re looking for a space they can customize to their own styles and preferences, with enough of a starting point in place that they can envision their future life. Selling your home is about showing its potential without too much of anything distracting the eye—and the solution is staging. Before you show your home to prospective buyers, you have to take steps to depersonalize it, without draining it of all personality. It’s a balancing act; and if done properly, it can be the difference between closing a beneficial deal or having your home languish on the market unnecessarily.

Have you ever heard a buyer complain about the wall color in your listing or wonder if the living room could accommodate their furniture? How many times have you had a listing that desperately needed staging, but lacked the time or budget to get the job done?

It would be fantastic if every buyer had the vision to overlook a property’s shortcomings, and every listing agent could physically stage each home in their catalogue. But where this combination is unlikely, tools like augmented reality (AR) and 3D virtual tours can help navigate challenges and clear the way for sales.