Skip to Content
CityRealty Logo
Future New York

Rendering vs. Reality: Can These Virtually-Staged Photos of Available NYC Apartments Fool You?

We pit some traditionally-staged listings against Hasten's impressive virtually-staged apartments. We pit some traditionally-staged listings against Hasten's impressive virtually-staged apartments.
Gone are the days of physically staging an apartment – well, mostly. Anyone who's been on the hunt for a new home has likely come across hundreds of virtually staged photos, many of which are obviously fake with disproportionate and cartoonish furniture, but some are incredibly realistic – they even fool us real estate professionals! The best we've seen come from Hasten (read our interview with Hasten's CEO Aleksandr Lanin here), an NYC-based company that 84% of top-selling brokers trust to produce life-like listings that sell faster. And if you don't believe us, get ready to put your skills to the test.

Below, we've compiled a mix of listings, some of which have been virtually staged by Hasten and some that use the traditional (and costly) method of physically staging. At the end, take our Rendering or Reality quiz and see if you can decipher what's real and what's not.

In this article:

1010 Park Avenue
1010 Park Avenue Carnegie Hill
Verde Chelsea, 125 West 22nd Street
Verde Chelsea, 125 West 22nd Street Chelsea
634 Washington Street
634 Washington Street West Village
70 Charlton Street
70 Charlton Street SoHo
1 Hanson Place
1 Hanson Place Fort Greene
2 Beds, 1 Bath | West Village
634 washington street (Compass)
4 Beds, 4 Baths | Carnegie Hill
1010 park avenue (Corcoran)
2 Beds, 2.5 Baths | Chelsea
verde chelsea (Stribling)
1 Beds, 1 Bath | Greenwich Village
250 mercer street (Compass)
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
Just complete the info below.
  1. Select which properties are of interest to you:

Or call us at (212) 755-5544
1 Bed, 1 Bath | SoHo
70 charlton street (Compass)
2 Beds, 2 Baths | 1,392 SF | Harlem
380 lenox avenue (Compass)
2 Beds, 2 Baths | 1,323 SF | Fort Greene
one hanson place (Stribling)
5 Beds, 6+ Baths | 5,937 SF | Tribeca
30 park place (Corcoran)
Quiz time!

Enjoyed this Article? Like CityRealty on Facebook and follow @CityRealty on Instagram. You can also tweet us at @CityRealtyNY.

Related Articles

Iconic Addresses

Open House New York: Our Must-See Picks + NYC Listings to Tour This Weekend

Saturday, October 3, 2026
Future New York

When home comes with hotel service: Ritz-Carlton brings NYC’s branded residence boom to Brooklyn Heights

Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Great Listings

Price Cuts: Grand prewar home at 10 Gracie Square now $1.5M off; Half-floor at One57 relists at a loss

Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Get To Know

In honor of National Dog Day, see pet-friendly apartments near dog parks + Rescue dogs in search of a home

Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Get To Know

Triple-mint NYC apartments with ensuite five-fixture baths; Sorin launches sales near Hudson Yards

Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Get To Know

The Ideal Floor Plan: How to tell if a NYC apartment really works + 25 listings with great layouts

Thursday, July 30, 2026
Great Listings

25 NYC residential buildings with acclaimed in-house restaurants as Polo Bar plans move to 625 Madison

Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Get To Know

Mitigating risk when buying in a NYC land-lease building

Saturday, October 10, 2026
Content Specialist Sandra Herrera Sandra Herrera is a writer, editor, and graphic designer based in Brooklyn, NY.