Zillow Launches AI-Powered Virtual Staging to Transform Home Shopping Experience

Zillow has launched Virtual Staging, an AI-powered feature integrated directly into its premium Zillow Showcase listing experience, enabling home shoppers to digitally redecorate rooms in real-time using curated design styles. The technology represents a significant advancement in how buyers visualize properties and marks the first major integration of technology from Virtual Staging AI, which Zillow acquired in October 2024.

According to Amanda Pendleton, Zillow's home trends expert, "Buying a home is an emotional decision as much as a financial one. 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." The feature addresses a fundamental challenge in real estate where many buyers struggle to picture themselves in a home, particularly when properties are empty or styled differently from their preferences.

The functionality allows users viewing Showcase listings to tap a Virtual Staging icon on featured room photos and choose from seven curated design styles including modern, Scandinavian, industrial, midcentury, luxury, coastal, and farmhouse. The AI technology can restyle spaces whether the room is empty or already furnished, and users can refresh furniture arrangements within the same style for additional inspiration. Shoppers can also remove furniture entirely to view the home as a blank canvas.

For real estate professionals, Virtual Staging provides a competitive advantage in a crowded market. The technology meets growing consumer demand for interactive media, with Zillow's 2024 Consumer Housing Trends Report showing that 71% of sellers are more likely to hire an agent who uses interactive media such as virtual tours or floor plans. Agents using Showcase on the majority of their 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.

Josh Weisberg, senior vice president of AI at Zillow, stated that "Virtual Staging is the latest example of how we're bringing our AI strategy to life for consumers and agents. From the Zestimate to personalized search and now to dynamic listing experiences, AI has long been part of Zillow's DNA." The technology applies computer vision AI to restyle listing photos in real-time, creating a seamless, visual way for buyers to explore properties while providing agents with time-saving marketing tools.

The integration reflects Zillow's broader AI vision to personalize experiences for buyers and sellers, make processes effortless for agents, and fully integrate AI into the premium Showcase experience. The same AI capability has been available to real estate photographers and media companies through Aryeo since March 2025 at no extra cost to subscribers, making it easier for photography professionals to stage photos virtually and deliver them to agents.

Virtual Staging represents a practical application of AI in real estate that moves beyond theoretical concepts to deliver tangible benefits. By helping buyers reimagine spaces in styles they love and giving sellers new ways to make their homes stand out, Zillow is advancing toward building what the company describes as "the future of home shopping" through immersive and personalized digital experiences.