How Much Does Home Staging Cost and Is It Worth It?

When watching remodeling shows on television, people constantly see a plain room transformed into a gloriously designed showplace quickly. It’s called home staging. But is the home staging cost worth it when it’s time to sell your home?

“Home staging is an invaluable marketing tool used by real estate agents and home sellers to make a property more visually pleasing,” said Nieves Caballero, then a content manager at Fixr. Fixr is a professional referral network that also offers home remodeling cost guides.

“It helps prospective buyers better visualize themselves living in the house. Correctly staging a home can transform it from a mundane residence to a highly desirable property.”

But each homeowner has to consider the costs, time and effort it will take. They also need to weigh how much they could yield from the process.

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The initial cost and things to do

Home interior designers and other design professionals typically offer home staging services. NAR’s 2025 Profile of Home Staging found a median cost of $1,500 when a staging service was used. When the seller’s agent staged the home, the median was $500.

Ideally, you should meet with several home stagers to look over their various portfolios and discuss pricing.

Stagers charge by the hour or with a flat fee. Your cost depends on where you live, and the size and condition of your house.

If you are on a budget, you can pay the consultation fee, she said. Then gather friends and family to help implement the ideas that can help you get more money and a quicker contract.

After your consultation, you’ll probably have to do thorough cleaning, decluttering, repairs and possibly painting before any staging can happen.

Types of home staging and prices

Here are three types of home staging, Caballero explained:

• Vacant Home Staging: Staging a vacant home costs more than staging an occupied one. The price depends on the size of the home and your market. Once decorated, the home stager then charges a monthly fee until the home sells.
• Occupied Staging: A home that is occupied and already has furnishings costs less than a house that is empty. Typically, a home stager will charge a one-time fee to go into a fully furnished home. The stager then organizes and declutters the house, staging it with the occupant’s personal belongings in a visually appealing way. Services include decluttering, moving furniture, and hanging artwork that belongs to the occupant.
• Staging Only Main Rooms: Many home sellers decide to only stage the main rooms of the home in an effort to save money. They often focus on the living room, primary bedroom, dining room, and kitchen. If you stage only a room or two, expect the cost to be lower than staging the whole home.

Monthly home staging cost until the house sells

If your home doesn’t sell right away, you have to continue paying the home stager for any rented items. Many stagers charge by the month for them. The price varies with the size of your home and your market.

If you stage every room of your home, expect to pay the monthly fee until the home sells. Even if a home sells in a few days, a stager may still expect the full month’s payment. Prices vary, and they tend to run higher when a multi-story home requires additional workers to move and arrange furniture.

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Full-service home staging includes:

• Window dressings
• Furniture, throw rugs, knick-knacks, and wall hangings
• Displaying all accessories in a visually pleasing fashion
• Props such as plants, books, baskets, pillows, bedding, throws, and lighting fixtures

Is staging a house worth it?

“Marketing a staged home is far easier than a vacant house,” Caballero said. “When tastefully decorated, each room can be photographed with a wide angle lens and the photos used to effectively advertise the home on the MLS and other real estate publications and sites.”

NAR’s 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that 52% of buyers found the home they bought online. In addition, 70% used a mobile device or tablet during their search. Colorful photos of a tastefully staged house can help attract those buyers.

In NAR’s 2025 survey, 29% of seller agents said staging raised the dollar value offered by 1% to 10%.

NAR’s 2025 survey also found that 49% of seller agents said staging shortened time on market.

Overall, she said, home staging can help a house sell more quickly and for more money.

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