Jul 11, 2026
There’s no reason why a property owner wouldn’t want to maximize the value (and associated profit) they can add to their home before putting it on the market. For most, this may entail some light repairs, maybe some landscaping, or perhaps a fresh coat of paint and some new hardware.
There’s also the task of cleaning and decluttering your space to shine in its most pristine, visually appealing state. For those with the resources, professional staging can not only make a home significantly more aesthetically pleasing, but can attract 28% more inquiries, 1-10% more in sales price and lead to a sale in 73% less time.
Advertisement
At least 21% of realtors in the US now stage every listing they represent and staged homes make up somewhere around 19% of properties sold across the nation each year.
Thanks for subscribing!
The money news that actually matters.
By signing up, you accept Moneywise Terms of Use, Subscription Agreement, and Privacy Policy.
While it’s considered a marketing best practice across the industry, it is understandably especially popular in the luxury market, where prices and stakes are high and buyers are incredibly discerning. And since players are coming in with deep pockets, firms are levelling up their services to meet their every whim.
Staging-turned-full-service design
Beyond bringing in new furniture and textiles to transform a home for the sale process, some stagers have expanded to longer-term furnishing leasing solutions, or comprehensive interior design for buyers seeking move-in ready spaces complete with everything from couches to light fixtures — of which there is a growing proportion.
L.A.-based Vesta Home is among those companies leading the revolution, adding decor rentals and even custom furniture production to its existing staging offerings over recent years.
Founder and CEO Julian Buckner envisions the company — and the future of the industry — as filling a demand for a fully end-to-end real estate service that “blends interior design, merchandising, logistics, manufacturing and consumer psychology,” especially in the luxury segment.
“The person buying a $20 million home doesn’t want to spend the next nine to twelve months furnishing a house, sourcing designers, waiting for custom pieces, and managing installations,” Buckner tells Moneywise. Providers like his serve as a one-stop shop of sorts, acting as stagers, decorators, renters and manufacturers of thousands of products, cutting out the costs, time and overall friction of involving various retailers and wholesalers.
This streamlined process is exactly what luxury clients are looking for, both in the sense of what it offers, but also, how quickly it can offer it. “There’s been a pretty major shift toward immediacy. People want to walk in and start enjoying the home on day one,” explains Buckner.
Advertisement
Must Read
- The ultra-rich use these 5 real estate strategies to build wealth while they sleep — you can start with just $100
- Here’s the average income of Americans by age in 2026. Are you keeping up or falling behind?
- Insurance companies profit most from drivers who auto-renew without shopping around. Comparing 100+ quotes takes 2 minutes and costs nothing
Join 250,000+ readers and get Moneywise’s best stories and exclusive interviews first — clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now.
Decorating to represent — and facilitate — a lifestyle
One of the biggest things Buckner’s team has learned is the fact that customers’ furniture needs are part of a much bigger home-building experience; they aren’t seeking a new bed or coffee table in isolation, but are hoping these pieces will help reflect and create the lifestyle they want.
As Buckner says, “People now view their homes as complete lifestyle environments. It used to be about just buying square footage, but since 2020, buyers are making decisions based on how a home makes them feel, and the furnishings, lighting, artwork and design are all part of that experience… they’re looking to buy the entire lifestyle, and that’s exactly what we’re creating for them.”
A testament to the trend is the $4 billion industry that these firms have helped create, which, in the case of Vesta alone, have contributed to $13.7 billion in real estate transactions.
If you’re looking to stage your home for sale or restyle a new or existing home for yourself, keep in mind that premium services come with a premium price tag; while standard professional staging services in the US cost an average of $1,500 as of 2025, Vesta’s premium packages for full furnishings can easily run into six-figure territory.
You May Also Like
- JP Morgan sees gold hitting $6,000/oz before 2027 — and a Gold IRA lets you hold the physical metal while deferring the tax bill. Get your free guide from Priority Gold
- Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake — here’s what it is and the simple steps to fix it ASAP
- Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how
- Millionaires under 43 are reshaping investing — just 25% of their portfolios are in stocks. Here’s where their money is going
Becky Robertson is a senior staff reporter at Moneywise and a lifelong writer. Along with more than a decade covering news at outlets like blogTO and Quill & Quire, she's attended writing residencies around the world. With 33 countries visited, she finds travel to be among her greatest inspirations.
