2017 Profile of
Home Staging
National Association of REALTORS® Research Department
Executive Summary
2017 Profile of Home Staging
Buyers’ Agent Perspective:
Forty-nine percent of buyers’ agents cited that homes staging had an effect on most buyer’s 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 buyer’s 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).
Home Staging Effect on
Buyer’s View of Home
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Has no impact on buyers
Has an effect on some buyers, but not
always
Has an effect on most buyers
4%
48%
49%
Effect on Buyer’s View of Home
2017 Profile of Home Staging
• Forty-nine percent of buyers’ agents cited that homes staging had an
effect on most buyer’s view of the home.
• Only four percent of respondents said that home staging had not
effect on the buyer’s view of the home
Impacts of Buyer Viewing
a Staged Home
2017 Profile of Home Staging
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Easier to
visualize
property as
future home
More willing
to walk
through
home they
saw online
Will
positively
impact
home value
if home
decorated
to buyer's
taste
Overlook
other
property
faults
Will
negatively
impact
home value
if home
decorated
against
buyer's
taste
Are more
suspect of
home
features
77%
40% 38%
27%
9% 4%
Impact of Buyers 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
buyer’s taste (38 percent).
Importance of Staged
Rooms
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Guest bedroom
Children's bedroom
Bathroom
Dining room
Yard/outside space
Kitchen
Master bedroom
Living room
9%
12%
22%
29%
30%
41%
51%
55%
34%
37%
30%
42%
33%
27%
33%
31%
35%
33%
29%
21%
22%
20%
11%
10%
13%
11%
13%
4%
8%
8%
3%
3%
4%
4%
4%
2%
5%
3%
2%
1%
Importance of Rooms Staged for Buyers
Very important Somewhat important Neutral
Not very important Not at all important
2017 Profile of Home Staging
• 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.
Percentage Change in Dollar
Value When Home is Staged
2017 Profile of Home Staging
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Staged
home had
a negative
impact
No impact
on dollar
value
Staged
home has
increase
of 1% to
5%
Staged
home has
increase
of 6% to
10%
Staged
home has
increase
of 11% to
15%
Staged
home has
increase
of 16% to
20%
Not sure
1%
25%
31%
13%
3% 2%
26%
Percent Change in Dollar Value Offer of Staged
Home
• About one-third of buyer’s 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.
Staging Homes Before
Listing for Sale
0% 20% 40%
Do not stage homes
Do not stage, but suggest seller declutter/fix
property faults
Stage only low price bracket homes
Stage only easy homes to sell
Stage only high price bracket homes
Stage only difficult homes to sell
Stage all homes
10%
37%
1%
1%
7%
14%
38%
Stage Sellers' Homes Before Listing
2017 Profile of Home Staging
• 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.
Rooms Typically Staged
When Selling
2017 Profile of Home Staging
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
83%76%
69% 66%
53%
31%25% 21%
Rooms 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.
Paying for Home Staging
2017 Profile of Home Staging
0% 10% 20% 30%
Other arrangement
REALTORS® firm pays for home staging
service
Seller pays after home is sold
REALTOR® hires a professional home
staging service
REALTOR® offers home staging service to
sellers
REALTOR® personally offers to stage home
Seller pays before listing home
27%
1%
4%
8%
14%
21%
25%
Who Pays 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).
Percentage Change in Dollar
Value Sellers Receive
2017 Profile of Home Staging0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Not sure
Staged home had a negative impact
No impact on dollar value
Staged home has increase of 16% to 20%
Staged home has increase of 11% to 15%
Staged home has increase of 6% to 10%
Staged home has increase of 1% to 5%
27%
0%
14%
3%
5%
21%
29%
Percent Change in Dollar Value Offered of Staged
Home
• 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 home’s dollar value.
Impact of Time on Market
2017 Profile of Home Staging
Greatly
increase, 8%
Slightly
increase, 8%
Does not
impact time on
market, 8%
Slightly
decrease, 23%
Greatly
decrease, 39%
Don't know,
14%
Time the Home is on the 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.
Home Improvement
2017 Profile of Home Staging
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Other
Grouting
Professional photos
Paint touch ups
Painting walls
Landscape outdoor area
Depersonalize home
Minor repairs
Remove pets during showings
Carpet cleaning
Entire home cleaning
Declutter home
12%
42%
60%
62%
68%
68%
72%
75%
80%
81%
89%
93%
Home Improvement Items Recommended
• 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).
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 years—51 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
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.
Methodology
©2017 National Association of REALTORS®
All Rights Reserved.
May not be reprinted in whole or in part without permission of the National
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2017 Profile of Home Staging
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is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members, including
NAR’s institutes, societies and councils, involved in all aspects of the real estate
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Working for America’s property owners, the National Association provides a facility for
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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
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and the media in a professional and accessible manner.
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Research Division
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Washington, DC 20001
202-383-1000
2017 Profile of Home Staging