The Economics of Everyday Things

15. Home Staging

February 19, 2026

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  • Home staging evolved from a simple tidying up process into an expectation for sellers, largely driven by the advent of online property listings which required visually appealing photos. 
  • The primary goal of home staging is to create an aspirational, depersonalized 'blank slate' that helps buyers imagine themselves living in the space and maximize their perceived return on investment. 
  • Staging costs typically range from 1% to 3% of the home's asking price, but industry surveys suggest this investment can boost the sale price by up to 5% and reduce selling time. 

Segments

Introduction to Home Staging
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(00:01:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Home staging sells buyers on a curated dream lifestyle, often involving temporary, aspirational decor.
  • Summary: Buyers are sold on a dream curated by a home stager, featuring pristine settings like Eames chairs and bowls of perfect lemons. Stagers aim to help buyers imagine maximizing their return on investment in the space. The practice counters the difficulty buyers have visualizing potential in empty rooms.
History and Necessity of Staging
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(00:02:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Barb Schwarz trademarked the term ‘stage’ in real estate, but the practice only took off with online listings.
  • Summary: Barb Schwarz pioneered real estate staging 50 years ago, viewing empty homes as opportunities to set a scene. Before online listings, buyers saw homes without prior browsing, making staging less critical. Online listings forced sellers to up their game, making staging an expectation.
Staging Costs and Value
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(00:04:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Staging investment typically costs 1% to 3% of the asking price, potentially yielding a 5% price boost.
  • Summary: Full staging costs can range from $2,000 to over $25,000, depending on the home’s size. Industry surveys claim staging can increase a home’s price by up to 5% and decrease the time it takes to sell. Stagers focus solely on enchanting the buyer to achieve the best return on investment for the seller.
Staging Inventory and Aesthetics
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(00:05:55)
  • Key Takeaway: Stagers tailor furnishings to the neighborhood vibe, prioritizing lightweight, light-colored, and aesthetically pleasing items over quality.
  • Summary: Furnishings are tailored to reflect the lifestyle suggested by the local neighborhood, such as artisanal coffee shops. Stagers look for lightweight furniture and light-colored couches, even if impractical for long-term living. Optical illusions, like overstuffing bedding or using bed risers, are employed to enhance visual appeal.
Inventory Management and Wear
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(00:08:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Furniture is a depreciating asset requiring stagers to track return on investment, often aiming for a piece to be used at least five times.
  • Summary: Wear and tear from constant moving and rough handling by open house visitors cause furniture to depreciate quickly. Stagers must manage large inventories, sometimes including thousands of pillows and even fake bread that dries nicely. Stagers must balance their design sensibility with the need for ‘vanilla’ inventory appealing to the broadest audience.
Depersonalization Tactics
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(00:09:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Removing personal items, strong odors, and inappropriate murals is crucial for buyers to imagine themselves in the space.
  • Summary: Depersonalization is vital so buyers can envision their own lives in the home, meaning personal photos or religious items must be removed. Stagers prioritize eliminating offensive odors, such as pet smells, immediately upon entry. Highly personal artistic touches, like murals, are asked to be repainted to avoid distracting buyers.
Celebrity Staging Exceptions
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(00:17:30)
  • Key Takeaway: For celebrity clients, stagers may reverse depersonalization by highlighting glamorous items like Academy Awards to excite buyers.
  • Summary: While generally removing personal photos, stagers will showcase glamorous items like awards for famous clients to excite potential buyers. This approach is seen as an extension of the aspirational lifestyle selling point. Reese Witherspoon once tried to buy all the staging furniture after seeing the transformation.
Aspirational Props and Seller Difficulty
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(00:18:38)
  • Key Takeaway: Common props like bowls of lemons and hammocks sell an aspirational lifestyle of health and relaxation to buyers.
  • Summary: Props like bowls of lemons suggest a healthy eating lifestyle, while hammocks promote relaxation, both appealing to buyers seeking a reset. Sellers often find the process unsettling when their belongings are removed, sometimes leading stagers to charge a ‘paying the butt tax’ premium for difficult clients.
Technology Threat to Staging
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(00:19:50)
  • Key Takeaway: Virtual staging poses a threat by offering a fraction of the cost, but it risks creating a reality versus expectation gap for in-person viewers.
  • Summary: Virtual staging superimposes computer-generated furnishings onto empty properties, offering a cheaper alternative for online listings. Skeptics note that virtual staging can lead to disappointment when buyers arrive to find an empty, unadorned space. Some agents are experimenting with VR headsets to let buyers customize fixtures on-site.
Stagers’ Emotional Role
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(00:21:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Stagers often encounter clients at low points, such as during divorces, and their job is to exercise those negative emotions from the property.
  • Summary: Stagers become attuned to the emotional history of homes, especially those involved in divorces where everything feels stripped apart. The stager’s role is to change the narrative of the house to one of romance and desirability. They aim to make the house ‘as sexy as possible’ to ensure an irresistible presentation.