If you're using Matterport for your listings, there's a problem you've probably already noticed: vacant properties look empty. The 3D tour works, the tech is solid, but buyers click through bare rooms and move on.
Matterport gives buyers a spatial understanding of the property - how rooms connect, how the layout flows, how the space is structured. But it captures what's there. If the home is empty, the tour is empty. And empty rooms, even in a cutting-edge 3D walkthrough, fail to create the emotional connection that drives buyers to act.
In this guide, we'll cover why unstaged Matterport tours underperform, how virtual staging transforms the buyer experience, real examples of staged 3D tours in action, and a practical workflow for combining both into a listing that sells.
Example taken from roOomy, our Matterport Virtual Staging Company
What Matterport Does
Before we talk about what's missing, let's give credit where it's due. Matterport is a genuinely transformative technology for real estate marketing.
A Matterport scan creates a complete 3D digital twin of a property. Buyers can navigate room to room in walkthrough mode, view the entire home from above in dollhouse view, examine accurate floor plans and spatial dimensions, and explore the property remotely from any device, at any time.
The impact on buyer engagement is well-documented. According to Matterport's own platform data, listings with 3D tours receive 300% more engagement than those without (Matterport, 2023). Redfin's internal analysis found that homes with 3D walkthroughs sold for up to $14,000 more and closed 31% faster than comparable listings without them (Redfin, 2020).
For certain buyer segments, Matterport isn't just helpful - it's essential:
Relocation buyers who are purchasing from hundreds or thousands of miles away rely on 3D tours to make confident decisions without repeated in-person visits.
Luxury property buyers expect a premium digital experience. A static photo gallery for a $3 million home feels inadequate. Matterport delivers the level of detail and immersion that high-end buyers demand.
Investors evaluating multi-unit properties need to understand unit layouts, shared spaces, and overall building flow. A Matterport scan of each unit gives them the spatial data they need to run their numbers remotely.
New construction buyers purchasing pre-sale can walk through a model unit from anywhere in the world, evaluate finishes and layouts, and make purchasing decisions with confidence.
Matterport is not the problem. It's a powerful tool. But like any tool, it works best when you use it correctly - and "correctly" means not leaving the tour empty.
The Problem With Empty Matterport Tours
Here's what actually happens when a buyer opens a Matterport tour of a vacant property:
Rooms look smaller than they are. People use furniture to judge how big a room is. Take the furniture away and a 14x16 bedroom that fits a king bed, two nightstands, and a dresser just looks like a medium-sized box. Buyers have nothing to measure the space against.
Nobody can tell what the rooms are for. A 12x14 room off the hallway - is that a bedroom? A home office? A nursery? Without furniture, it's anyone's guess. And buyers who are guessing aren't making offers.
There's no emotional pull. People don't buy homes because of square footage. They buy because they can picture themselves hosting Thanksgiving in the dining room or working from home in that corner office. Empty rooms don't give them anything to latch onto.
Good features get missed. A window seat, a reading nook, a built-in bench by the fireplace - these are selling points, but in an empty tour they just look like leftover space. A chair and a lamp in the right spot tells buyers "hey, look at this."
Outdoor areas look like nothing. A deck or patio with no furniture on it just reads as maintenance. Buyers aren't picturing weekend cookouts - they're picturing pressure washing. The NAR found that outdoor living spaces are among the top features buyers look for, but empty outdoor areas consistently underperform in listing engagement (NAR, 2023 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers).
What ends up happening is buyers click through a few empty rooms, don't connect with anything, and move on. Your Matterport investment - the scan, the hosting, the scheduling - doesn't pay off. Not because the tech is bad, but because the tour was missing half the equation.
What Virtual Staging Adds to a Matterport Tour
Virtual staging solves every problem listed above. When you stage a Matterport tour, you add a layer of realistic 3D furniture, décor, and design elements directly into the digital twin. Buyers walk through the same interactive 3D model, but now every room has context, purpose, and emotional pull.
Here's what changes:
It showcases scale. A king bed in the primary bedroom shows buyers the room is big. A full dining set shows them their table will fit. A sectional in the living room shows how much space is left over. Buyers stop guessing and start understanding.
It makes room purpose obvious. That spare room is now clearly a home office with a desk, monitor, and bookshelf. The flex space downstairs is a playroom. Buyers know what each room is for and whether it works for them.
It gets buyers emotionally invested. This is where staging really earns its keep. The Real Estate Staging Association found that 85% of staged homes sell for 5-23% more than non-staged homes, and staged homes spend 73% less time on the market (RESA, 2023 Member Survey). Virtual staging gets you much of that benefit at a fraction of the cost.
It keeps the whole listing consistent. When you stage your listing photos but leave the Matterport tour empty, buyers notice. The photos show a furnished living room; the 3D tour shows an empty box. That mismatch feels off, and it can erode trust. Staging the tour directly means everything matches - photos, walkthrough, the whole package.
See It in Action: A Staged Matterport Tour
Here's a live example of a Matterport tour with 3D virtual staging - produced by our team at roOomy, our Matterport virtual staging studio that specializes in furnishing 3D tours with photorealistic furniture and décor:
Example taken from roOomy, our Matterport Virtual Staging Company
Click through the tour and pay attention to how different this feels compared to an empty walkthrough.
Notice how the furniture anchors each room and gives you an immediate sense of scale. You can tell which room is the living area, which is a bedroom, and how the spaces relate to each other - not just spatially (Matterport already handles that), but functionally and emotionally.
Now imagine the same tour with every piece of furniture removed. The walls are the same. The layout is identical. The square footage hasn't changed. But the experience is fundamentally different. The emotional impact drops. The rooms blur together. The sense of "I could live here" evaporates.
That's the gap staging fills - and it's the difference between a Matterport tour that impresses and one that actually sells.
How Staging Works Inside a Matterport Tour
There are two ways to add virtual staging to your Matterport workflow. Both improve results. One is more powerful than the other.
Approach 1: Stage Your Listing Photos
This is the most common starting point. You capture the Matterport scan as usual, take or export still photos of the key rooms, and send those photos to a virtual staging service.
The result: your listing gallery shows beautifully staged rooms, while the Matterport tour provides the interactive 3D walkthrough. Buyers get the emotional hook from the photos and the spatial understanding from the tour.
Services like VirtualStaging.com make this fast and affordable - professionally staged photos returned within 24 hours, typically at $20-$50 per image.
The limitation: The Matterport tour itself is still empty. Buyers who click from your gorgeous staged photos into an empty 3D walkthrough experience a disconnect. It works, but it's not seamless.
Approach 2: Stage the Matterport Tour Directly
This is where things get powerful.
Instead of staging flat photos, 3D furniture models are placed directly inside the Matterport digital twin. Buyers walk through a furnished virtual property where every room is staged, every space has context, and the entire experience is cohesive from start to finish.
This is exactly what our team at roOomy does. roOomy places high-quality, photorealistic 3D furniture and décor into specific scan points throughout the Matterport model. Each piece is scaled accurately to the room dimensions, and the design is tailored to match the property's style, architecture, and target buyer demographic.
The result is the tour you explored above - an immersive, fully furnished 3D walkthrough that gives buyers both spatial understanding and emotional connection in a single experience.
Approach 3: Do Both
For maximum impact - especially on luxury listings, vacant properties in competitive markets, or new construction - stage both the listing photos and the Matterport tour.
The buyer experience becomes seamless:
- Buyer sees the listing and scrolls through beautifully staged photos - immediate emotional engagement
- Buyer clicks the 3D tour link and walks through a furnished, immersive digital twin - the experience matches the photos perfectly
- Buyer shares the tour with their partner, family, or agent
- Every person who views the listing gets the same polished, complete experience
No disconnect. No confusion. No empty rooms killing the momentum.
Real-World Scenarios Where Staged Matterport Tours Win
Vacant Luxury Listings
A $2.5 million home sitting empty on the market is a problem. At that price point, buyers expect a lifestyle - not a shell. Physical staging for a luxury property can cost $10,000-$30,000+ per month (HomeAdvisor/Angi, 2023). A staged Matterport tour delivers a comparable visual experience for a fraction of that cost, and the tour remains available 24/7 for as long as the listing is active.
Investor and Multi-Family Properties
An investor evaluating a fourplex doesn't just want to see floor plans - they want to see each unit's potential. Staging the Matterport tours of individual units helps investors understand the rental appeal of each space without requiring physical staging across multiple units.
New Construction and Builder Spec Homes
Builders who construct spec homes often list them empty to avoid the cost and logistics of physically staging multiple properties. A staged Matterport tour of each unit gives every listing a fully furnished, move-in-ready feel - without a single piece of furniture ever being delivered.
Relocation and International Buyers
For buyers purchasing from another city, state, or country, the listing's digital presence is the entire experience. A staged Matterport tour gives them the confidence to make an offer without ever visiting in person. According to the NAR, 14% of homebuyers in 2023 purchased from a different state, and that number has been steadily rising since the pandemic (NAR, 2023 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report).
Properties That Photograph Poorly
Some homes are more impressive in person than in photos. Odd room shapes, challenging lighting, or architecturally interesting but visually confusing layouts can all make still photos underwhelming. A staged Matterport tour gives buyers the spatial context that photos can't - and the staging ensures the space reads as warm and livable rather than cold and confusing.
Homes With Dated or Unattractive Existing Furniture
When a seller's furniture is dated, worn, or mismatched, it actively hurts the listing. You can't ask the homeowner to replace their furniture for the sale - but you can stage the Matterport tour with modern, appealing furnishings that help buyers see past the current décor and envision the home's potential. (Note: this approach works with virtual replacement staging on photos as well, but doing it within the 3D tour creates a more immersive effect.)
Outdoor Spaces and Entertaining Areas
Decks, patios, rooftops, and backyards are major selling features - but they almost always go unstaged. Placing outdoor furniture, planters, and lighting into the Matterport scan of an outdoor space transforms it from empty concrete to an inviting entertaining area. The NAR found that outdoor features rank among the top five most desired home features for buyers across nearly all age groups (NAR, 2023 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Leaving the Matterport Tour Unstaged on a Vacant Listing
This is the single most common mistake - and the entire reason this article exists. If you're spending $200-$500+ on a Matterport scan for a vacant property and not staging it, you're getting a fraction of the return on that investment.
Staging Photos but Not the Tour
This creates the disconnect we talked about earlier. Buyers see staged photos, get excited, click the 3D tour, and find empty rooms. Some buyers feel misled. Others just lose interest. If you can only do one, staged photos are still worth it - but staging the tour is what makes the whole thing feel right.
Over-Staging or Unrealistic Furniture Scale
Virtual staging should help buyers see the potential, not create a fantasy. Furniture that's too large for the room, luxury décor in a starter home, or a modern minimalist style in a craftsman bungalow - all of these create a mismatch that makes buyers distrust the listing. This is why working with a professional staging studio like roOomy matters - every piece is scaled to the actual room dimensions captured by the Matterport scan, and the design style is matched to the property.
Staging Only the "Hero" Rooms
Some agents stage the living room and primary bedroom but leave every other room empty. Buyers notice when half the rooms are furnished and the other half aren't. Stage every room that appears in the tour. Consistency builds trust.
Forgetting to Disclose
Most MLS systems require disclosure when photos or tours are virtually staged. Failing to disclose can create legal issues and erode buyer trust. A simple note in your listing description - "3D tour and select photos have been virtually staged to help buyers visualize the space" - is all you need, and it builds credibility rather than hurting it.
The Numbers: Why Staged Matterport Tours Are Worth It
Let's put some data behind this.
On Matterport's impact:
- Listings with 3D tours get 300% more engagement than those without (Matterport, 2023)
- Homes with 3D walkthroughs close 31% faster (Redfin, 2020)
- Buyers spend 60% longer on listing pages that include a 3D tour (Matterport, 2023)
On virtual staging's impact:
- Staged homes sell 73% faster than non-staged homes (RESA, 2023 Member Survey)
- 85% of staged homes sell for 5-23% more than non-staged homes (IAHSP, 2023)
- The NAR reports that 81% of buyer's agents say staging makes it easier for buyers to visualize a property as a future home (NAR, 2023 Profile of Home Staging)
- Virtual staging costs roughly $150-$600 for an entire listing, compared to $2,000-$10,000+ per month for physical staging (HomeAdvisor/Angi, 2023)
The combined effect:
No single study has isolated the impact of staged Matterport tours specifically - it's a newer workflow. But the math is straightforward. If 3D tours independently boost engagement by 300%, and staging independently accelerates sales by 73%, combining both gives your listing the benefit of both effects. You're increasing the time buyers spend with your listing (Matterport) and deepening the connection that drives offers (staging).
The agents seeing the strongest results are the ones who've stopped treating Matterport and staging as separate line items and started treating them as one integrated presentation.
A Practical Workflow: From Scan to Staged Tour
Here's the step-by-step process we recommend:
Step 1: Schedule and capture the Matterport scan. Coordinate with your Matterport provider. Make sure the property is clean, well-lit, and free of debris. Even in a vacant home, sweep the floors, wipe the counters, and remove any leftover boxes or cleaning supplies. The scan captures everything.
Step 2: Take professional still photos. Either during or immediately after the scan, photograph every key room. These become your listing gallery images and your source material for photo staging.
Step 3: Submit photos for virtual staging. Send your still photos to VirtualStaging.com for fast, affordable photo staging. Select a design style that matches the home's character and target buyer demographic. Expect turnaround within 24 hours.
Step 4: Submit the Matterport model for 3D staging. Share your Matterport model with roOomy for 3D furniture placement directly inside the tour. roOomy's design team will furnish each room with photorealistic, properly scaled 3D furniture that matches the style of the property.
Step 5: Build and launch the listing. Upload staged photos to the MLS and all listing platforms. Add the staged Matterport tour link prominently. Include a virtual staging disclosure in the listing description.
Step 6: Market the tour actively. Don't just add the tour link and hope buyers find it. Share it on social media, embed it in email campaigns, feature it in your listing description, and mention it in your showing confirmation messages. The more eyes on the tour, the more value you get from your investment.
Step 7: Track and optimize. Matterport provides analytics - tour views, time spent per room, total engagement. Use this data to understand which rooms buyers spend the most time in, identify whether the tour is driving showing requests, and refine your approach for future listings.
The Bottom Line
Matterport is one of the best tools in modern real estate marketing. But a Matterport tour of an empty home is a missed opportunity.
Virtual staging doesn't compete with Matterport. It completes it.
When buyers walk through a staged 3D tour, they don't just understand the layout - they get a feel for what it would be like to live there. That combination of spatial understanding and emotional connection is what moves buyers from "interesting" to "I want to see this in person" to "let's write an offer."
If you're already investing in Matterport, virtual staging is the single most impactful upgrade you can make to your listing presentation.
Ready to Stage Your Matterport Tours?
VirtualStaging.com offers fast, affordable virtual staging for listing photos - with results in as little as 24 hours.
And when you're ready to take it further and stage your Matterport tours directly, roOomy - our Matterport virtual staging studio - places photorealistic 3D furniture into your digital twins, turning empty walkthroughs into fully furnished experiences that sell.
