Biyra guide
Is virtual staging worth it? Cost, evidence and when to skip it
For most vacant listings, yes. AI virtual staging costs from about $0.25 to a few dollars a photo, and an empty room is hard to read online. It is not worth it for rooms that already look good, and it is never worth it to hide a problem. The best research measures staging in general rather than virtual staging, so treat the numbers below as a guide and not a promise.
What the research shows
The National Association of Realtors’ 2025 Profile of Home Staging surveyed agents about staging as a whole:
- 83% of buyers’ agents said staging made it easier for a buyer to picture the property as a future home.
- 29% of sellers’ agents reported a 1% to 10% increase in the dollar value offered, and 17% of buyers’ agents reported a 1% to 5% increase.
- 49% of sellers’ agents said staging reduced time on the market.
- Buyers’ agents ranked the living room (37%), primary bedroom (34%) and kitchen (23%) as the most important rooms to stage.
What that research does not show
These are agents’ reports about staging in general, not measured sale prices, and they do not separate virtual staging from real furniture. We did not find comparable independent research on virtual staging alone, so be careful with any vendor that quotes a precise sale-price lift for it.
The cost comparison
The price gap is what makes virtual staging an easy test. For four empty rooms:
- AI per photo on Biyra: 4 × $0.25 = $1.
- Human-edited virtual staging at about $30 an image: about $120.
- Physical staging: NAR reports a median spend of about $1,500.
When it is worth it
- The home is vacant and the photos show bare rooms.
- A room’s purpose is unclear when empty, such as a small second bedroom or an open corner.
- The budget or timeline rules out physical staging.
- A listing is being refreshed and the empty-room photos are not drawing interest.
When to skip it
- The room is already well furnished and clean. Better photos will help more.
- The furniture would cover damage or make a room look larger than it is.
- You need a room type your tool does not handle. Biyra currently stages living rooms and bedrooms.
The costs that are not on the price list
Budget time to review every result. Buyers will also see the empty room in person, so a staged photo should set up that visit honestly. Showing the original next to the staged version helps.
Test it on one listing
Stage the main living area and the primary bedroom first, since those are the rooms buyers’ agents rank highest. Compare each result with the original, and check that walls, windows and floors have not changed.
On Biyra, staging costs 0.25 credits, or $0.25, per photo with no subscription, and the original stays next to each result in your project.
See it in practice.
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Sources
Figures change. Check the current version at the source before relying on them.
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