Does Home Staging Actually Work? The Data Says Yes

Every seller asks the same question when we bring up staging: 'Is it really worth it?' We understand the skepticism. Paying to furnish a home you are leaving feels counterintuitive. But the data on staging is not ambiguous. It is one of the most consistently profitable investments a seller can make.

Here is what the research actually shows, stripped of marketing spin.

The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) conducted a study across 4,200 staged homes and found that staged properties spent 73% less time on the market compared to unstaged homes. Time on market matters because every week a home sits unsold, it becomes harder to sell. Buyers start to wonder what is wrong with it.

The National Association of Realtors reports that 81% of buyer agents say staging makes it easier for buyers to visualize the property as their future home. This is the mechanism behind the ROI: staging does not change the bones of the house, it changes the buyer's emotional response.

A 2021 study by the International Association of Home Staging Professionals found that professionally staged homes sold for an average of 5% to 23% above the list price of comparable unstaged homes. On a $700,000 Durham Region home, even the conservative end of that range, 5%, represents $35,000 in additional sale price. Professional staging costs $3,000 to $7,000 depending on the size of the home and the duration. The ROI is between 5x and 10x.

Most buyers cannot visualize an empty room. They walk into a vacant living room and see a box. They walk into a staged living room and see their life: the couch where they will watch movies, the dining table where they will host Thanksgiving, the reading nook by the window. Staging turns square footage into lifestyle.

Staging also solves a subtle problem: it tells buyers how to use the space. A small bedroom that looks awkward empty looks perfect when it is staged as a home office. A long, narrow living room that confuses buyers becomes intuitive when the furniture shows how it flows. In older Durham Region homes with non-standard layouts, this function is especially valuable.

Not every room needs to be staged. The rooms that matter most are the ones buyers see in photos and the ones that create the strongest emotional response. In order of priority: the living room, the kitchen (styling, not furniture), the primary bedroom, and the main bathroom.

We skip basements unless they are finished and central to the home's value proposition. We skip secondary bedrooms in most cases, using simple styling instead of full staging. And we never stage a cluttered home. Decluttering comes first, always.

For Durham Region homes in the $500,000 to $900,000 range, which is the bulk of the market, a typical staging investment is $3,500 to $5,500. This covers furniture rental, styling, delivery, setup, and removal after the home sells.

Staging alone does not sell a home. It is one piece of a larger preparation strategy that includes decluttering, cleaning, minor repairs, paint, professional photography, video, and marketing. Think of it as the presentation layer on top of a well-prepared home.

The sellers who get the best results are the ones who invest in the full preparation, not just one piece of it. A staged home with bad photos will underperform. A beautifully photographed home that smells like cat litter will underperform. Everything works together.

If staging feels like a stretch financially, talk to us about our Renos for Revenue program. Staging costs are included in the program alongside any renovation work, with zero upfront cost to the seller. You only pay at closing from the proceeds of the sale.