Eighty-five percent of staged homes fetched offers between 5 percent and 23 percent over list price, according to 2020 data from the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), and by investing 1 percent of the home’s value in staging, 75 percent of sellers saw a return between 5 percent and 15 percent. Similarly, 23 percent of buyer’s agents in the NAR report indicated staging helped increase offer amounts anywhere from 1 percent to 5 percent.

Eighty-two percent of buyer’s agents report that home staging makes it easier for homebuyers to visualize a property as their future home, according to the National Association of Realtors 2021 Profile of Home Staging. Home staging offers a new outlook on your home. Home staging is usually renting the contents and paying a staging fee.

Especially houses that are vacant should be staged in order to paint the picture of how the house can turn into a buyer’s home. Furniture size and placement can demonstrate the flow of the home and the size of the rooms.

You can work with your stager on determining the best result in staging the most important rooms. The common areas are most commonly rooms staged, such as the living or great room, dining areas, and kitchen. The Master or Primary bedroom is also important to give the potential buyers an idea of size, and placement. Home stagers should advise homeowners on defining ambiguous spaces and how to stage them. Some homes with extra rooms or funky floor plans can be solved by creative staging and furniture placement.

Most stagers will not include decluttering and deep cleaning. Your real estate agent and/or home stager can provide guidance as to what should be put in storage and what can be left to use in staging. If you are living in the home during the selling process, remember, once you make a decision to sell, the home is not longer your home, it is a house for sale.

Usually stagers do not include fresh painting. As a seller, you may get color ideas from the stager, although hiring a painter is your responsibility. Painting yourself can also save you time and money.