2017 Profile of

Home Staging

National Association of REALTORS Research Department

 Executive Summary
Buyers Agent Perspective:
Forty-nine percent of buyers agents cited that homes staging had an effect
on most buyers view of the home.
Seventy-seven percent of buyers agents said staging a home made it easier
for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.
Staging the living room for buyers was found to be most important (55
percent), followed by staging the master bedroom (51 percent), and staging
the kitchen (41 percent).
About one-third of buyers agents said that staging a home increased the
dollar value offered between one and five percent compared to other similar
homes on the market that are not staged.

Sellers Agent Perspective:

Thirty-eight percent of sellers agents said they stage all sellers homes prior
to listing them for sale. Fourteen percent noted that they only stage homes
that are difficult to sell.
The most common rooms that are staged include the living room (83
percent), kitchen (76 percent), master bedroom (69 percent), and the dining
room (66 percent).
The costs of staging a home were typically paid by the seller before the
home is listed (25 percent).
When staging a home, 29 percent of sellers agents reported an increase of
one percent to five percent of the dollar value offered by buyers, in
comparison to similar homes. Twenty-one percent of respondents stated that
staging a home increased the dollar value of the home between six and 10
percent.
Thirty-nine percent of sellers agents stated that staging a home greatly
decreases the amount of time the home is on the market.
The most common home improvement items agents recommended to
sellers were decluttering the home (93 percent), entire home cleaning (89
percent), carpet cleaning (81 percent), and removing pets during showings
(80 percent).

2017 Profile of Home Staging

 Home Staging Effect on
Buyers View of Home
Forty-nine percent of buyers agents cited that homes staging had an
effect on most buyers view of the home.
Only four percent of respondents said that home staging had not
effect on the buyers view of the home

Effect on Buyers View of Home

49%
Has an effect on most buyers

Has an effect on some buyers, but not 48%

always

4%
Has no impact on buyers

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

2017 Profile of Home Staging

 Impacts of Buyer Viewing
a Staged Home
Seventy-seven percent of buyers agents said staging a home made it
easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.
Buyers were more willing to walk through a home they saw online
(40 percent), and buyers agents identified that staging would
positively impact the home value if the home was decorated to a
buyers taste (38 percent).

Impact of Buyers Viewing a Staged Home

80%

60%

40% 77%

20% 40% 38%

27%

9% 4%
0%
Easier to More willing Will Overlook Will Are more
visualize to walk positively other negatively suspect of
property as through impact property impact home
future home home they home value faults home value features
saw online if home if home
decorated decorated
to buyer's against
taste buyer's
taste
2017 Profile of Home Staging
 Importance of Staged
Rooms
Staging the living room for buyers was found to be most important
(55 percent), followed by staging the master bedroom (51 percent),
and staging the kitchen (41 percent).
Buyers agents cited staging the guest bedroom as the least
important room, with just nine percent saying that it was very
important to stage.

Importance of Rooms Staged for Buyers

Living room 55% 31% 10% 3% 1%

Master bedroom 51% 33% 11% 3% 2%

Kitchen 41% 27% 20% 8% 3%

Yard/outside space 30% 33% 22% 8% 5%

Dining room 29% 42% 21% 4% 2%

Bathroom 22% 30% 29% 13% 4%

Children's bedroom 12% 37% 33% 11% 4%

Guest bedroom 9% 34% 35% 13% 4%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Very important Somewhat important Neutral
Not very important Not at all important

2017 Profile of Home Staging

 Percentage Change in Dollar
Value When Home is Staged
About one-third of buyers agents said that staging a home increased
the dollar value offered between one and five percent compared to
other similar homes on the market that are not staged.
Twenty-five percent of buyers agents indicated staging a home had
no impact on the dollar value that was offered.

Percent Change in Dollar Value Offer of Staged

Home

35%

30%

25%

20%

31%
15%
25% 26%

10%
13%
5%
1%
3% 2%
0%
Staged No impact Staged Staged Staged Staged Not sure
home had on dollar home has home has home has home has
a negative value increase increase increase increase
impact of 1% to of 6% to of 11% to of 16% to
5% 10% 15% 20%

2017 Profile of Home Staging

 Staging Homes Before
Listing for Sale
Thirty-eight percent of sellers agents said they stage all sellers
homes prior to listing them for sale. Fourteen percent noted that
they only stage homes that are difficult to sell.
Thirty-seven percent of sellers agents stated that they do not stage
homes before listing them for sale, but suggest that the seller
declutter or fix property faults.

Stage Sellers' Homes Before Listing

Stage all homes 38%

Stage only difficult homes to sell 14%

Stage only high price bracket homes 7%

Stage only easy homes to sell 1%

Stage only low price bracket homes 1%

Do not stage, but suggest seller declutter/fix 37%

property faults

Do not stage homes 10%

0% 20% 40%

2017 Profile of Home Staging

 Rooms Typically Staged
When Selling
The most common rooms that are staged include the living room
(83 percent), kitchen (76 percent), master bedroom (69 percent),
and the dining room (66 percent).
The least common room to stage was a guest bedroom, at 21
percent.

Rooms Staged When Selling

100%

80%

60%

83%
40% 76%
69% 66%
53%
20%
31%
25% 21%

0%

2017 Profile of Home Staging

 Paying for Home Staging
The costs of staging a home were typically paid by the seller before
the home is listed (25 percent). Sellers agents commonly personally
offered to stage the home (21 percent), and offered a home staging
service to sellers (14 percent).

Who Pays for Home Staging

Seller pays before listing home 25%

REALTOR personally offers to stage home 21%

REALTOR offers home staging service to 14%

sellers

REALTOR hires a professional home 8%

staging service

Seller pays after home is sold 4%

REALTORS firm pays for home staging 1%

service

Other arrangement 27%

0% 10% 20% 30%

2017 Profile of Home Staging

 Percentage Change in Dollar
Value Sellers Receive
When staging a home, 29 percent of sellers agents reported an
increase of one percent to five percent of the dollar value offered by
buyers, in comparison to similar homes. Twenty-one percent of
respondents stated that staging a home increased the dollar value of
the home between six and 10 percent.
None of the respondents reported that staging a home had a
negative impact on the homes dollar value.

Percent Change in Dollar Value Offered of Staged

Home

Staged home has increase of 1% to 5% 29%

Staged home has increase of 6% to 10% 21%

Staged home has increase of 11% to 15% 5%

Staged home has increase of 16% to 20% 3%

No impact on dollar value 14%

0%
Staged home had a negative impact

Not sure 27%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

2017 Profile of Home Staging
Impact of Time on Market
Thirty-nine percent of sellers agents stated that staging a home
greatly decreases the amount of time the home is on the market.
Twenty-three percent reported slight decreases in the time on the
market, while eight percent stated that staging a home did not affect
the time on the market.
Only eight percent of respondents reported that staging a home
greatly increased the time a home was on the market.

Time the Home is on the Market

Greatly
increase, 8%
Don't know,
14% Slightly
increase, 8%

Does not
impact time on
market, 8%

Greatly
decrease, 39%

Slightly
decrease, 23%

2017 Profile of Home Staging

 Home Improvement
The most common home improvement items agents recommended
to sellers were decluttering the home (93 percent), entire home
cleaning (89 percent), carpet cleaning (81 percent), and removing
pets during showings (80 percent).

Home Improvement Items Recommended

Declutter home 93%

Entire home cleaning 89%

Carpet cleaning 81%

Remove pets during showings 80%

Minor repairs 75%

Depersonalize home 72%

Landscape outdoor area 68%

Painting walls 68%

Paint touch ups 62%

Professional photos 60%

Grouting 42%

Other 12%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2017 Profile of Home Staging

NAR Survey Respondents
Respondents most often worked with buyers as clients, at 56 percent. Forty-one
percent of respondents worked with sellers as clients.
Of the real estate agents surveyed, the median age was 54 years51 percent
falling into the age bracket between 50 to 64 years, 17 percent aged 65 years or
over, and 11 percent between 45 to 49 years.
Seventy-one percent of respondents were female, and 72 percent were married.
The primary functions of survey respondents was a sales agent at 65 percent,
followed by a associate broker at 15 percent.
Respondents have typically been active as a real estate professional for a median of
11 years.
Nearly six in 10 (56 percent) survey respondents worked suburban/subdivision
areas, followed by 34 percent in urban and central city areas, and 24 percent in
small towns.

2017 Profile of Home Staging

 Methodology
In March 2017, NAR invited a random sample of 53,760 active REALTORS to fill out
an online survey. A total of 1,894 useable responses were received for an overall
response rate of 3.5 percent. At the 95 percent confidence level the margin of error is
plus-or-minus 2.25 percent.

The primary measure of central tendency used throughout this report is the median
the middle point in the distribution of responses to a particular question or,
equivalently, the point at which half of the responses are above and below a particular
value.

2017 National Association of REALTORS

All Rights Reserved.
May not be reprinted in whole or in part without permission of the National
Association of REALTORS.
For reprint information, contact data@realtors.org.

2017 Profile of Home Staging

 The National Association of REALTORS, The Voice for Real Estate,
is Americas largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members, including
NARs institutes, societies and councils, involved in all aspects of the real estate
industry. NAR membership includes brokers, salespeople, property managers,
appraisers, counselors and others engaged in both residential and commercial
real estate.

The term REALTOR is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a

real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS
and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Working for Americas property owners, the National Association provides a facility for
professional development, research and exchange of information among its members
and to the public and government for the purpose of preserving the free enterprise
system and the right to own real property.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

RESEARCH DIVISION
The Mission of the National Association of REALTORS Research Division is to collect
and disseminate timely, accurate and comprehensive real estate data and to conduct
economic analysis in order to inform and engage members, consumers, and policymakers
and the media in a professional and accessible manner.

To find out about other products from NARs Research Division, visit
www.REALTOR.org/research-and-statistics.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

Research Division
500 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-383-1000
data@realtors.org

2017 Profile of Home Staging