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When it comes to selling a residential property at a faster pace and a bigger payoff, real estate professionals recommend a professional home staging rather than an empty space.

According to a new survey by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) that polled more than 43,000 active real estate professionals, nearly half of sellers’ agents (48%) said that home staging decreased a property’s time on the market while 20% of both buyers’ and sellers’ agents said home staging increased the dollar value offered by between 1% and 5% compared to similar homes on the market not staged.

Four out of five buyers’ agents (81%) said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property’s potential as their next residence. As for the areas being staged, the survey respondents said staging the living room was most important for buyers (39%), followed by the primary bedroom (36%) and kitchen (30%).

“As days on market has lengthened for home sellers, it is not a surprise to see the return of home staging as a tool to attract potential buyers,” said Jessica Lautz, NAR deputy chief economist and vice president of research. “Buyers want to easily envision themselves within a new home and home staging is a way to showcase the property in its best light.”