Zillow today announced the launch of Virtual Staging, an AI-powered feature built directly into Zillow Showcase, the company's premium listing experience. Now, home shoppers viewing listing photos can tap a button, choose from a curated set of design styles and see select rooms fully staged.
"Buying a home is an emotional decision as much as a financial one," said Amanda Pendleton, Zillow's home trends expert. "Too many buyers overlook what could be the perfect home for their family simply because they can't see past the furniture or design choices. Virtual Staging helps people envision themselves living in a space. It's a new way to explore what a home could feel like, and a simple tool for agents to show off a home's true potential."
Zillow's Summer Launch introduced SkyTour, an interactive aerial view of a property, along with other upgrades. Together, SkyTour and Virtual Staging set a new standard by delivering the smart, seamless digital experience buyers, sellers and agents now expect.
Many buyers struggle to picture themselves in a home, especially when it's empty or styled differently from their own. Virtual Staging gives them a quick, interactive way to see how it could look and feel in a style they love. On Showcase listings, a Virtual Staging icon appears on select featured room photos. From there, buyers can tap the icon, choose from curated design styles — including modern, Scandinavian, industrial, midcentury, luxury, coastal and farmhouse — and AI restyles the space, whether the room is empty or already furnished.
Shoppers can also tap the circle arrow icon on the design style card to refresh the room in the same style, generating a new furniture arrangement for fresh inspiration. Once the staged image appears, shoppers can slide between views to see the transformation. Virtual Staging can also remove furniture entirely, helping shoppers see the home as a blank slate.
For agents and sellers, Virtual Staging is a high-impact way to make listings stand out. According to Zillow's 2024 Consumer Housing Trends Report, 71% of sellers are more likely to hire an agent who uses interactive media, such as virtual tours or floor plans — and Virtual Staging builds on that demand. Agents using Showcase on the majority of listings already win 30% more listings than non-Showcase agents, and Showcase listings sell for $7,000 more on average than similar non-Showcase listings.
Virtual Staging is the first major integration of technology from Virtual Staging AI (VSAI), first introduced through Zillow's October 2024 acquisition of that company. "Virtual Staging is the latest example of how we're bringing our AI strategy to life for consumers and agents," said Josh Weisberg, senior vice president of AI at Zillow. "From the Zestimate to personalized search and now to dynamic listing experiences, AI has long been part of Zillow's DNA."
Zillow's AI can quickly create digitally staged images — a capability that's been available to real estate photographers and media companies through Aryeo since March, at no extra cost to Aryeo subscribers. Now, by embedding this same technology directly into Showcase, Zillow introduces a new consumer-facing, interactive staging experience. The integration reflects Zillow's broader AI vision to personalize the experience for buyers and sellers, make the process effortless for agents, and fully integrate AI into Showcase.
