Staging a home can speed the sales process and often increase the final transaction price, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2025 Profile of Home Staging.
The new report found nearly three out of 10 (29%) real estate agents reported that staging their sellers’ homes led to a 1% to 10% increase in the dollar value offered, while nearly half (49%) of home sellers’ agents said the home staging reduced the time homes spent on the market.
Most buyers’ agents (83%) said staging a home made it easier for the buyer to envision the property as their future home – especially if it was decorated to match buyers’ tastes (32%) – nearly one-third (31%) of buyers were more willing to walk through a home they saw online if it was properly staged. For buyers, staging the living room was considered the most important (37%), followed by the primary bedroom (34%) and the kitchen (23%); staging the guest bedroom (7%) was the least important.
Home buyers’ agents emphasized that including photos (73%), traditional physical staging (57%), videos (48%) and virtual tours (43%) in their listings were highly important to their clients.
However, this did not impact the decision making of all buyers – 60% of buyers’ agents cited that home staging had an effect on some home buyers but not always, while 26% of agents said home staging had an effect on most buyers’ view of the home and only 12% indicated that home staging had no effect on home buyers’ views.
The report also found the impact of home design television shows on homebuyers, with 48% of real estate professionals reporting that buyers expected homes to look like they were staged on TV shows, and 58% said that buyers were disappointed by how homes looked compared to those portrayed on TV shows. And 77% of respondents indicated that TV shows set unrealistic or increased expectations, although 60% said they set higher expectations of how homes should look and 14% said they result in more educated home buyers and sellers.
“The typical home seller resides in their home for 10 years before selling,” said Jessica Lautz, NAR deputy chief economist and vice president of research. “During that time, homeowners might overlook certain aspects that could be less appealing to potential buyers. By staging a home, agents who are realtors strategically highlight the best features, ensuring sellers receive the most-competitive offers.”
As for the sellers’ agents, only 21% of this group reported staging all their sellers’ homes prior to listing them for sale, while 10% only staged homes that were difficult to sell. More than half (51%) of home sellers’ agents did not stage homes before listing them for sale but recommended that sellers declutter or correct property faults. The most common home improvement recommendations from real estate agents for home sellers were decluttering the home (91%), cleaning the entire home (88%) and improving curb appeal (77%).
When it comes to staging compensation, 26% of home sellers’ agents said it depends on the situation and another 23% reported that they personally offer to stage the home, with 17% reporting that that the seller pays to stage the home before listing. The median cost for using a staging service was $1,500, compared to $500 when the home sellers’ agent handled the staging themselves.
