How much does home staging cost?

A very common question I receive as a home stager is: How much does home staging cost? The honest answer is home staging prices vary based on a number of factors. I know this isn’t the straightforward answer most clients are looking for but – it’s the truth. Home staging prices can differ by the type of service, number of rooms staged, listing price of home, square footage of home, and location. Each stager offers different services and is competitive depending on the local market and staging prices. Factors like a home being occupied or vacant, offered at an entry-price point or a luxury price point causes staging prices to vary, so request quotes from local home stagers. A home staging professional should be able to ask a few questions and give you a quote.

According to The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), a walk and talk consultation for a 2,501-3000 sq. ft. home can range from $100 in Louisiana to $300 in New York. A consultation with written report can range from $150 in Louisiana to $400 in Virginia or New York. Occupied staging with some rental furniture can range from $475 to $1000 in South Carolina and $1700 to $4800 in California. Vacant staging starts at $975 in Indiana or $1100 in Tennessee and the pricing can go up to $5500 in Massachusetts or California. On average, for a Texas home 2,501-3000 sq. ft. in size, a walk and talk consultation is $200, a consultation with written report is $300, occupied staging with some furniture rental is $1600- $2700, and vacant staging is $2500-$4900.

A very common misconception about home staging is that home staging is very expensive. The median cost spent on staging a home is only $675, according to the National Association of Realtors. For only a few hundred or thousand dollars, depending on the varying factors and your budget, a wide variety of home staging options are available. Home staging is an investment in the home and a marketing tool; the return on investment is selling the home faster and for more money.

Below I will break down different services for different budgets if you are looking to hire a home stager.

Budget: Less than $250

Many home stagers offer consultations for $250 or less. During a consultation the stager will visit the home, assess what changes need to be made prior to listing, and make suggestions to help sell the home. The stager will go room by room and give feedback on the furniture arrangement, paint colors, repairs, updates, clutter, and cleaning. This is a critical review of the home; thus, some stagers offer a walk and talk consultation where the homeowner takes notes and some stagers offer a written consultation report. During the consultation you should be able to ask the stager questions and have a comprehensive plan to prepare the home for listing.

Budget: $250- $ 1000

A homeowner with $250-$1000 should consider occupied home staging or touch-up services provided by stagers. Occupied staging could include some rental pieces of furniture to update the existing furnishings in the home. A touch up service can be as little as 2 hours or last up to a full day. During a touch up, the home stager is hands-on in getting the home ready for listing. The stager may reduce clutter, style accessories, hang artwork, and neutralize the home to prepare for listing photos.

Budget: More than $1000+

If you have more than $1000 dollars to invest in your home for staging you should consider updates, repairs, or vacant home staging. Updates like painting walls or kitchen cabinets, refreshing landscaping, or bathroom modernization could be a good return on investment. Repairing and replacing windows, light fixtures, and floors could be crucial updates to consider. In many states, vacant staging is well over $1,000 and can vary greatly in price by the type of service, number of rooms to be staged, number of days the property will be staged, square feet of home, listing price of home, and location. Vacant staging can be $1800, $2400, or even $5500. However, luxury staging could be $8,500 or more. Each stager offers different services and vacant staging prices are competitive depending on the local market. Choosing a stager should not be solely determined by price but also quality of work, length of contract, photos of the potential stager's work, level of detail, and services included in the price.

“How much does home staging cost?” is not an easy question to answer since there are many variables in play and services offered. My hopes are to dispel the myth that home staging is expensive and should be skipped because of the perceived cost. Home staging at each price point can have a meaningful impact in listing and should be done in each home. Prices vary, but no matter your budget review websites of a few stagers and request quotes. Selling your home faster and for top dollar depends on an investment in home staging!