The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) recently released its biennial report, the “2021 Profile of Home Staging,” which includes insights from buyers’ and sellers’ agents.
“Staging a home helps consumers see the full potential of a given space or property,” said Jessica Lautz, NAR’s vice president of Demographics and Behavioral Insights, in the report. “It features the home in its best light and helps would-be buyers envision its various possibilities.”
According to the findings, 82% of buyers’ agents agreed that staging a home makes it easier for a purchaser to envision themselves living in the home.
But staging is not enough when it comes to visuals. Eighty-three percent of buyers’ agents said having a property photographed has become increasingly important since the pandemic, and 74% said the same about videos.
“At the start of the pandemic, in-person open house tours either diminished or were halted altogether, so buyers had to rely on photos and virtual tours in search of their dream home,” said Lautz. “These features become even more important as housing inventory is limited and buyers need to plan their in-person tours strategically.”
Staging a home can even have an impact on price. Of the surveyed buyers’ agents, 23% said that a staged home saw an increase of between 1% to 5% in dollar value compared to similar homes on the market that were not staged. From a sellers’ agent perspective, 18% said home staging increased the dollar value of a home by 6% to 10%. And 31% said home staging decreased the amount of time a home spent on the market.
Which areas are most commonly staged? According to the report, living rooms rank at the top at 90%, followed by kitchens (80%), master bedrooms (78%) and dining rooms (69%). Since the pandemic, 39% also staged a home office.
To read the entire report, click here.
For more information, please visit www.nar.realtor.
