The sofa in that Ravenswood two-bedroom was 72 inches wide. I know because I measured it after my buyers fell for the living room. Their own sofa, the one in their Lakeview rental, is 90. That's a foot and a half, and in a 1920s courtyard unit off Winnemac, a foot and a half is the difference between a living room and a hallway with a couch in it.
Stagers use apartment-scale furniture on purpose. Loveseats where a sofa would go. Full beds dressed up to read as queens. A round 36-inch dining table in the spot where you'd actually want a rectangle that seats six. None of it is dishonest. It's a photo strategy, and it works, which is exactly why you should know about it before you walk into a vintage unit north of Irving Park.
Here's what I have first-time buyers do. Before we tour, write down the three pieces of furniture you own and won't give up. Measure them. Bring a tape measure to the showing and check the room against your numbers, not the stager's. A queen mattress is 60 by 80. Add walking space on the sides you need to get around, and a real queen bedroom wants about 10 feet in one direction. Plenty of second bedrooms in the brick three-flats on the side streets of Lincoln Square come in at 9 by 10. Nice room. Office, nursery, a guest full. Not a queen with two nightstands.
The other tell is the closet doors. Some stagers take them off so the room reads open in photos. If a bedroom closet has no door, ask why. Then check whether a door would swing right into the spot where the bed goes.
My opinion, and some listing agents won't love it: virtual staging should say so on the first photo, not in the caption of the twelfth. When you're scrolling at 11pm on your phone, you're not reading captions. I've had buyers show up expecting a furnished condo and walk into bare concrete in a River North loft. Not a great first date with a property.
Empty rooms are fine, by the way. I'd rather show you an empty 850-square-foot unit and let you picture your own stuff than a 750 dressed to feel like 900.
My buyers bought the Ravenswood unit. They sold the 90-inch sofa. Best decision they made all year, and the only one I couldn't make for them.
If you're touring vintage units this fall and want a second set of eyes on a layout, zyren@blacklabelrealty.com is the fastest way to reach me.