One Simple Trick Helps Your Home Sell Faster

Looking to sell your home faster? Home staging might be your secret weapon.

A new report finds that roughly half of staged properties — meaning ones that have been furnished and decorated to show off their best features — spend less time on the market than the typical home. About 30% of the time, staged homes sell for more money, as well.

According to the National Association of Realtors' 2025 Profile of Home Staging, released Tuesday, 30% of real estate agents representing sellers reported that staged homes sold slightly faster, while 19% reported “significantly” faster sales of staged homes.

The ubiquity of home-decor and renovation reality shows clearly plays a role in driving homebuyer expectations. Nearly half of the buyers’ agents NAR surveyed said buyers expect homes to look the way they do on TV. A mere 12% of agents said that staging had no impact on buyers’ behavior.

Staging a home is an effective sales tactic because it allows a prospective buyer to more easily imagine their own family living there.

How much does home staging cost?

Costs to stage a home vary based on the location and how all-out you want to go. Generally, the cost includes the consulting fees the seller or their agent pays the staging professionals and the monthly cost to rent furniture and decor.

Better Homes & Gardens reported last year that a home stager in Bismarck, North Dakota, quoted a range of $600 to $1,800 per month to stage a home, while a New York City-based stager said the cost to stage a two-bedroom apartment could cost anywhere from $9,000 to $16,000 a month.

If you want to stage your entire home, prepare to pay up: According to the Real Estate Staging Association, a trade group, the average price to stage an entire home in 2024 was $7,351. This figure reflects homes that had an average of eight rooms staged. When the trade association surveyed members, it found that staging costs start at $600.

That’s similar to the NAR report’s findings. At the median, staging a home costs $1,500 when a professional staging company is used. The median cost when agents do the staging themselves is $500.

This certainly isn’t pocket change, but an investment in staging your home before you sell could pay off in a big way. According to the RESA, occupied homes (as opposed to vacant properties) that were staged sold for an average of almost $70,000 above their listing prices.

The National Association of Realtors also documented a bump in the sales prices of staged homes, albeit a more modest one. It found that 35% of buyers’ agents reported an increase in the dollar value of staged homes versus comparable homes that weren't staged. About half of those agents said the value increases were small — up to 5% — but nearly 1 in 5 agents reported that home values appreciated by 6% or more after being staged.

To put that in perspective, the nationwide median sale price of a home in March was $407,300. So even a 1% increase in price comes out to an additional $4,073, and a 5% jump means an extra $20,365 in sellers’ pockets.

If you’re on a tight budget, you still have options. For starters, it’s a good idea to declutter and pack away tchotchkes and collectibles, Robert Washington, a broker at Savvy Buyers Realty in St. Petersburg, Florida, told Money earlier this year.

“Furniture and family photos are fine, but potential buyers can be turned off by things like porcelain clown collections,” he said.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t need to give your entire house a makeover. Living rooms are far and away the most popular rooms to stage, with 91% of sellers' agents who stage doing so. The runner-up was the primary bedroom, which 83% said they stage. Those areas were followed by dining rooms and kitchens. Least popular? Kids’ rooms and guest bedrooms.

More from Money:

5 Affordable Ways to Boost Your Home's Curb Appeal Before You Sell

4 Ways to Sell Your Home for More Money in 2025

Home Sellers: If You're Only Going to Stage One Room, Make It This One