Home Staging Statistics (2023)

Home staging is the preparation and presentation of a home to make it look and feel move-in-ready to potential buyers. Along with professional real estate photography, it is one of the cornerstones of marketing homes.

Most often, the term 'staging' refers to furnishing a home. However, decluttering and other minor improvements are usually part of the mix.

Home staging benefits both buyers and sellers. It helps potential buyers to see themselves living in the home. For sellers, staged homes sell faster and for more money.

In this article, we’ve gathered the most recent home staging statistics and trends.

Here’s a summary of staging statistics we’ve researched:

• How Many Homes are Staged?
• Home Staging Benefits
• Best Rooms to Stage
• How Much Does Home Staging Cost?
• Home Staging ROI

Key Home Staging Stats

• Staged homes can sell for more money: 38% of buyers' agents said staging increased their clients offer over similar non-staged homes. 41% of sellers' agents reported an increase in dollar value offered by buyers for staged homes compared to similar non-staged homes.
• Staged homes can sell faster: 52% of sellers' agents report a decrease in days on market (DOM) for staged homes.
• The ROI for staged homes can range from 102% to 909%.

• More than 50% of listing agents recommend that their clients stage a home.
• The average cost of staging a home is $1,719/month.
• The average cost of staging a vacant luxury home is $6,800/month.
• The living room is the most important area for staging, and the guest bedroom is the least important.

How Many Homes are Staged?

Of the 6.9 million homes sold in 2021, 1.3 million of them were staged, according to the International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP).

• Staged homes were 19% of the total home sales.
• Said another way, nearly 1 in 5 homes sold in the U.S. last year were staged.

The share of staged homes sold in 2021 increased compared to the previous regular (non-Covid) year. In 2019, the number of staged homes sold was approximately 1 million, or 17% of the total home sales.

Historically, home staging was used for difficult-to-sell homes in the lower price brackets. But this is no longer the case, as evidenced by the fact that over 40% of staged homes sold in 2021 were valued at $750K or more.

Here’s a table showing the distribution of staged homes sold in 2021 per price range.

Selling Price	% of Homes Staged
$1M+	20.9%
$750K-$1M	20.8%
$500K-$749K	27.0%
$350K-$500K	25.0%
$100K-$350K	6.3%

Source: IAHSP

Home Staging Benefits

Is it worth it to stage a home? The statistics below suggest that staged homes are more likely to appeal to buyers, sell faster, and sell at a higher price.

Staged Homes are Perceived More Favorably

Data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) suggests that prospective home buyers strongly appreciate staged homes.

• 47% of agents stated that home staging has a positive effect on some buyers.
• 44% said staging has an effect on most buyers.
• 7% said it has no impact on buyers.

Staged homes help buyers visualize living in them. Moreover, buyers who view staged property photos online (where 97% of them start their home search) are more willing to visit the house in person. The perceived value of a home can also get a boost if it is decorated in a style that appeals to a prospective buyer's taste.

Buyers’ agents report the following:

• 82% said home staging helped their clients visualize the property as a future home.
• 41% said buyers were more willing to walk through staged homes they first saw online.
• 39% stated that staging impacted their buyers' perceived value of the home if it matched the client's taste.

Source: NAR

Staged Homes Sell for More Money

Buyers’ agents report increased offer amounts from their clients for staged homes compared to similar non-staged homes. Here is a table of what buyers' agents report:

Offer Value Increase	% of Buyers' Agents Reporting
0%	26%
1-5%	23%
6-10%	15%
16-20%	3%
Over 20%	2%

On the other side of transactions, sellers' agents (listing agents) report a similar lift in value. Here is a table of reported increases in offer value:

Offer Value Increase	% of Sellers' Agents Reporting
1-5%	23%
6-10%	18%
11-15%	6%
16-20%	3%
Over 20%	2%

Source: NAR

Staged Homes Sell Faster

According to NAR, staging helps shorten the home's days on market (DOM) and often generates a higher offer. 53% of all sellers' agents reported a decrease in the days on market for staged homes. Here is a table of all the responses:

Days on Market	% of Sellers' Agents Reporting
Greatly decreased	31%
Slightly decreased	22%
No impact	17%
Greatly increased	10%
Slightly increased	7%

Given staging's track record for increasing offer prices for listed properties and a shorter time frame to sell them, it's easy to see why listing agents recommend it. Here's a table showing the types of recommendations and the percentage of each:

Agent's Recommendation	% of Sellers' Agents Reporting
Don't stage, but improve faults	42%
Stage all homes	31%
Stage difficult homes	13%
Stage high-priced	8%

Source: NAR

Best Rooms to Stage

Professional stagers often recommend staging a few strategic rooms instead of the entire home to save money.

According to NAR, 46% of home buyers view staging the living room as the most important, followed by the primary bedroom (43%) and the kitchen (35%). Staging the guest bedroom is the least important, with only 9% of home buyers favoring this option.

Here’s a table showing buyers’ staging preferences for rooms from high to low.

Room	Strong Buyer's Preference
Living Room	46%
Primary Bedroom	43%
Kitchen	35%
Dining Room	27%
Yard/Outside	23%
Bathroom	20%
Children's Bedroom	11%
Guest Bedroom	9%

Source: NAR

How Much Does Home Staging Cost?

Who Pays for staging?

The seller usually pays home staging costs.

Some listing agents pay for staging to help their clients with the upfront costs and get reimbursed at closing when the home sells.

Other agents offer complimentary staging services or agree to carry the staging costs - if they believe the home will sell at a higher price and their commissions will cover the expenses.

Average Cost to Stage a Home

According to HomeAdvisor, the national average staging cost is $1,719 (including home decoration and furniture rental), and the typical range of spending is between $749-$2,823.

Home staging costs vary widely depending on the size and scope of the project, location of the home, property price (luxury or non-luxury), and who performs the service (DIY, seller's agent, or professional stager).

Costs can compound when staging luxury properties because of higher rental prices for luxury furniture and suitable décor. Moreover, many rental companies require a 3-month contract on luxury properties, even if the home sells within days.

Here’s a breakdown of average staging costs for different property types. Where applicable, the calculations are based on a 30-day furniture and décor rental term.

Home Staging Type	30-Day Cost
Vacant luxury home	$6,800
Vacant non-luxury home	$3,350
Occupied, with furniture & décor rental	$1,845
Occupied w/o furniture & décor rental	$1,242

Sources: HomeAdvisor, IAHSP

Home Staging ROI

Let's do some math and figure it out based on the data covered so far.

According to NAR statistics, 23% of sellers who staged their homes received an offer of 1-5% over the asking price.

In 2021, the national median home price was $346,900.

A seller who stages can expect an increase of 1-5% from the median listing price, a range of $3,469-$17,345.

Per HomeAdvisor, the national average staging cost is $1,719. Using this number as the seller's staging spend, we can now calculate the return on investment.

In dollar value, the seller’s ROI was $1,750-$15,626, which translates to a 102%-909% gain.

Staging has the potential for very high returns.