Fort Worth Developer Pre-Sells 8 Units Before Breaking Ground

The Situation

Hargrove Development Group had broken ground on a 12-unit townhome community in Fort Worth's Near Southside district. Their traditional approach — build a model, stage it, then sell — would have cost $40,000+ and delayed sales by 6 months.

Instead, they submitted architectural floor plans and construction renderings to Listed. and asked for virtual staging of the key floor plan variants: 2-bed/2-bath, 3-bed/2.5-bath, and the penthouse-level unit.

The Outcome

With a full visual library of staged interiors ready before the first wall went up, Hargrove launched a presale campaign. Within 90 days, 8 of 12 units were under contract — entirely off staged visuals. No model home. No open house. Just compelling photography that let buyers see themselves in the finished product.

“We've built model homes our whole career. This was the first time we didn't need one. The virtual staging was indistinguishable from real photography to most buyers.”

— T. Hargrove, Managing Partner

The Financial Case

• ✦Physical model home: $38,000–$65,000 in furniture, staging, and carrying costs
• ✦Virtual staging for 3 floor plan variants: $480 total
• ✦Pre-sold units avoid the carrying cost risk of finished-but-unsold inventory
• ✦Buyers who commit off renderings tend to have higher conviction — fewer fallouts

Why This Works for Builders

Buyers don't buy blueprints. They buy feelings — the sense of morning light in the kitchen, the scale of the living room, the way a bedroom can fit their furniture. Virtual staging gives developers that emotional selling tool at a fraction of the cost, available before a single unit is finished.