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At Plume we often see sellers asking what the average cost of staging is.  This article aims to talk in the most general terms when it comes to price and scope.  First let me lay the groundwork on how Plume and other stagers may design a quote.   Every market is different and there are many levels of staging. Most stagers can design a package that will suit your needs; a professional will make suggestions after a preview of the home.  There are two types of staging: Occupied and Vacant.   Within those types there are levels of staging from Full Stage to Partial Stage.  If you know the difference you know the different types of services to request from a stager.  I included a few market prices from Neil Bindelgass, author of Let Me Organize You.

Occupied Staging involves a homeowner living in the home while it is on the market.  The stager may use all the homeowners own furnishings and accessories or bring some in or all in.  Typically it becomes a combination of both.  Many sellers imagine someone coming in to clean sweep their home.  In reality most of the de-cluttering and prep work will be performed by the seller.  The home should be a clean slate for the stager to come in and reorganize and accessorize.   At Plume, a homeowner staging report, or “project punch list” is included in our Occupied services for the homeowner to utilize.  We detail what projects to take on and what furnishings must be removed before the staging.  Many stagers charge a separate fee for a staging report, typically between $300-$500, according to Neil Bindelglass.  Typically the final step is where a professional stager comes in and work typically takes 1 day.  This staging fee  might range from $350-$1500 or more, and will be determined based on size of home and whether or not owner furnishings and accessories will be utilized. Vacant Staging is simply an empty home with no owner furnishings or belongings.  Stagers will bring in furnishings and accessories to warm up the house, show scale, and allow buyers to connect with the home.  Many stagers will quote the client’s stage as a full or partial stage: Full Staging , either Vacant or Occupied, involves the whole home as the scope of work.  Every room is arranged and in the case of   Bindelglass quotes full Vacant staging market prices as between $3000 to $7000 (average home price in his market is $290,000)  Bindelglass reminds homeowners of the benefits of staging:  the cost of staging is typically 1%-3% (National Association of Realtors); if that sounds high, just keep in mind the first price reduction can be around 10% of the home value, and staged homes are shown to sell 7 times faster and for 3%-15% more than the average home that was not staged, saving carrying costs and adding value.  Read More Articles about the Benefits  Some stagers swear by having consistency and flow by fully staging the entire home.  With a fully staged home, buyers should feel like they are walking through a model home –accessories and furnishing demonstrating the exact function and beauty of each room.  For sellers who are unsure of the cost of full staging but still would like some of the benefits of staging often request partial staging. Partial Staging, either Vacant or Occupied, involves focusing on key living spaces.  This type of staging is often what we find the majority of sellers and agents staging are requesting.  Plume creates a staging package that focuses on key spaces in the home and fully furnishes/accessories those spaces.  There is no exact formula what the most important spaces and features of a home are, since each home is unique and the neighborhood has it’s own unique buyer.  It is the job of the stager to highlight the key marketable parts of a home; this is often in coordination with the selling broker/agent.  This price often saves the homeowner some of the cost of staging from a full stage.  This type of partial vacant staging costs between .5%-1%  of the home value (with home of $300K that is $1500-$3000 for vacant partial staging).  Remember the return on investment is often higher selling price and less time on the market, saving carrying costs.  Read More Articles about the Benefits  For an occupied partial stage, the pricing package has more factors to consider. At Plume we price it per room in general but take into account room size and features we need to highlight.   A preview will help us determine how long and how many furnishings and accessories we need to bring in to give it a complete look.

Other Considerations: Another point to consider for any vacant stage where furniture rentals are involved is how long the home is estimated to be on the market.  Plume offers package with both 1 month and 3 month minimums.  Often a very hot market will only need a shorter 1 month term.  Also keep in mind that you may have to keep the home furnished during closing period as well.  Because of this, many of our clients keep the staging just in case, and opt for a 3 month.  By committing to 3 months, usually there is overall cost savings. Last but not least is style.  Every stager has a distinct style.  Usually you can make out what that style might be in their marketing, website etc.   Remember certain styles do have different price tags.  At Plume we offer a variety of levels we call “Basic” and “Signature home.”  Basic will demonstrate space and function and the Model Home will demonstrate the full character of the home and appeal to the market by bringing in more specific designer furnishings and accessories. At Plume, we believe there is a staging package for every budget, but we are also upfront about what the house truly needs to maximize it’s marketability.  Please view Plume services.