To stage or not to stage? That is the question. In today’s housing market, first impressions can make a big difference. Home staging, whether physical or virtual, has become an important tool for sellers to attract buyers and maximize sale prices. Is it worth the investment? How does it compare to an empty house? You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers.

What Is Home Staging?

Home staging is the art of preparing and decorating a home to appeal to the widest range of potential buyers. A potential buyer may look at an empty space and have trouble visualizing the potential. A staged house can involve placing furniture, decor, repainting or even renting furnishings to highlight a home’s best features. The potential buyers can see a staged home as an example of a beautiful living space and perhaps more easily picture themselves in it.

Staged vs. Empty: Which Sells Better?

According to real estate professionals, staged homes tend to sell faster and often for more money than empty ones. A well-staged home helps buyers visualize how they may live in the space. By contrast, an empty home may give an off-putting vibe and feel uninviting – like a ghost town. Empty homes may feel cold, and flaws may stand out. Staging gives the space an emotional appeal, helping buyers connect with the property.

What is Virtual Home Staging?

Virtual staging uses digital technology to add furniture and decor to photos of empty rooms. It’s a cost-effective alternative to traditional staging and is particularly useful for online listings, where most buyers begin their home search.

The upside is that it’s a lower cost and quick turnaround with the ability to change the staging easily, and requires no physical labor.

The downside is that if buyers visit the home in person, the virtual staging will not be there. It could also feel misleading to the buyer if the virtual staging looks very different from how the space appears in real life.

How Much Does Home Staging Cost?

Costs vary widely depending on the size of the home, the market, the level of service and whether you rent materials to be staged. There could also be consulting fees by a person or agency that provides staging services.

An initial consultation could come with a one-time fee ranging from $300 to $600. Experts at Realtor.com estimate the average per-room cost of staging a home for sale to be between $400 and $600. Professional home stagers may charge this fee monthly for as long as your property remains for sale on the market. This means a standard, single-family home could cost roughly $2,000 per month on average to professionally stage. Market conditions could vary widely, meaning your actual costs may be very different.

Is Home Staging Worth It?

In 2023, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) revealed results from data that show staging can increase a home’s sale value by anywhere from 1% to 20%. Additionally, staging can reduce the time a home spends on the market by 33% to 50%, according to their reports. Only you can decide if it makes sense for your budget and time constraints or other needs.

Whether you choose traditional staging, virtual staging or an empty home, it’s important to present your property in the best possible light. Home staging might be an important strategic advantage in your selling toolkit.

Are you moving and putting your home on the market? Don’t want to worry about delays in getting your mortgage statements each month? Access your statements and other home loan information 24/7 by signing up for eStatements today.

Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwalkup/2025/03/31/real-estate-staging-can-slash-days-on-market-and-boost-sale-price-in-new-york
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/well-staged-home-massively-boost-154500467.html
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-experts-shouldn-t-hire-210046690.html

This article is provided as a free service to you and is for general informational purposes only. Cadence Bank makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of the content in the article. The article is not intended to provide legal, accounting or tax advice and should not be relied upon for such purposes.