In January 2021, NAR invited a random sample of 58,300 active REALTORS® to fill out an online survey about their impressions regarding the difference home staging makes to buyers and sellers.
The impact of Home Staging
The survey found that forty-seven percent of buyers’ agents cited that home staging had an effect on most buyers’ view of the home most of the time, and no respondents felt that staging a home had no effect.
Forty-one percent of agents said staging a home increased the dollar value offered by buyers with twenty-three percent reporting an increase of one to five percent and eighteen percent of agents reporting an increase of up to ten percent. Thirty-one percent reported that staging a home decreased its time on the market.
Despite these clear advantages, only thirty-one percent of agents reported staging all sellers’ homes before listing. Homeowners looking to list their properties should be sure to inquire as to whether an agent intends to stage their home.
The most commonly staged rooms were the living room at ninety percent and the kitchen at eighty percent. Seventy-eight percent of agents also staged the master bedroom, and sixty-0nine percent staged the dining room. The least-staged rooms were children’s bedrooms, at twenty-two percent, and home offices at thirty-nine percent.
Other Recommendations
Besides home staging, the survey also found that ninety-three percent of agents recommended decluttering the home, eighty-five percent recommended entire home cleaning, eighty-one percent recommended removing pets during showings, and seventy-eight percent recommended improving curb appeal.
The Influence of Television
Sixty-three percent of agents reported that their buyers expected the homes they toured to look like the homes on real estate and home improvement television shows, and sixty-eight percent of buyers agents reported that their clients were disappointed by how real-life homes looked compared to TV. Seventy-one percent of agents surveyed said that real estate shows which depict the home-buying process set unrealistic or increased expectation for how the process would work.
Thirty-five percent of agents said these television shows influenced the way they staged homes. The survey also found an increase in the number of buyers planning to remodel or flip homes
Opportunities for Consumer Education
The process of selecting and financing a home has always been intimidating to first-time buyers, and this survey found that trend continues. Thirty-eight percent of respondents reported that buyers were less sure how the homebuying process should work, with thirty-seven percent also reporting buyers’ uncertainty on how financing should work.