Vesta Home’s Julian Buckner shares strategies for effectively creating a luxury home to increase the price and fees of the average property.
When we launched Vesta Home in 2017, staging was considered a “nice to have” addition, a tool reserved for trophy listings from the most sophisticated brokers. Most agents believed that buyers could imagine a home’s potential with a little help.
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Today, that mindset has completely changed, especially when it comes to luxury properties. High staging is a fundamental element of successful sales, so it should be a key element of your strategy if you want to increase your prices.
Wealthy buyers expect the finished product, not the potential, and often choose to purchase a fully furnished home after seeing a home professionally staged with high-end furniture and art.
This means sellers need to be on board as well, and many top agents are now refusing to list luxury items unless the seller agrees to staging. The cost of not staging is simply too high in terms of time, fees, and reputation.
Show you’re playing in a different league with gorgeous staging
Indoor/outdoor living is a big draw for wealthy buyers. The exterior of this Napa, California Vestastage is as beautiful and alive as the interior, truly an extension of the home. Photography by Lauren Sullivan.
If your marketing materials tout sophistication, but the homes you’re promoting look like they’re equipped with IKEA or Wayfair amenities, cognitive dissonance erodes your credibility and brand.
We will not increase the price by asking for a higher number. We improve it by providing a higher level experience and a higher level product.
High-end buyers expect a curated lifestyle that blurs the line between staging and interior design. A level of detail that was previously reserved for private design clients is now expected during walk-throughs of luxury properties.
Being able to provide such a high-quality experience increases your credibility in this market and makes you a strong choice when they or their agents are looking for real estate.
Why common furniture covers the ceiling
In Barbara Corcoran’s sunroom, Vesta designers removed the large rug that covered the original stone floor and added a smaller, more symmetrical layout with a sofa and amber velvet chairs, creating a more intimate fireplace “moment.” Photo by Melanie Green, GreenHouse NYC.
While some homes can be effectively staged with standard rental furniture, luxury properties require high-end design and craftsmanship. Custom performance-quality furniture designed specifically for the space you’re displaying is presented as a completely turnkey luxury property.
Here’s why customization is important for agents looking to improve their pricing.
Differentiation: Discerning buyers view multiple properties in a short period of time. A unique custom design will make your product stand out and stick around. Emotional connection: Buyers aren’t buying square footage. They are buying a lifestyle that is reflected in the space. Optionality: Marketing your property as “fully furnished and available” attracts second home and time-strapped high-net-worth buyers from around the world.
If you want to go from a $5 million property to a $10 million property, you need to provide space that doesn’t feel fungible.
How to talk to sellers about staging
Luxurious staging isn’t just about selling quickly. It’s about supporting stronger list prices and sticking to them.
According to the National Association of Realtors, home staging can increase sales prices by up to 10% and “significantly” reduce time on market. Then apply that calculation to a $10 million estate.
Only 2% price increase = $200,000 Monthly cost savings = ~100,000 (taxes, maintenance, capital costs) Total value creation: At least ~$300,000
A typical staging investment for a high-end project is $30,000 to $50,000.
This equates to an ROI of 600 to 1,000 percent. During the sale process, you will be hard-pressed to find another investment with that level of return and little risk.
Note that NAR statistics are based on all staging across all price points. For the high-end segment of the markets we serve, our 2025 data shows that Vesta stage properties listed for $2 million or more sold 45% faster than market.
For agents, this reframes the step-by-step conversation with sellers. Selling a home is typically one of the largest financial transactions of your life. Staging is not about aesthetics, it’s about optimizing the ROI of this highly impactful transaction.
Time (and stale inventory) invalidates the deal
Beyond maintenance costs, there are psychological effects of a home sitting on the market longer than it would have been with effective staging. The longer a home sits, the more buyers will think there must be something wrong with it. That leads to a fall in prices and a shift in leverage to potential buyers.
This is why the “list now, stage later” logic doesn’t work. Create appeal and momentum by presenting a fully realized lifestyle space at launch. This helps protect (and increase) prices.
If your goal is to move upmarket, you can’t afford a slumping listing.
5 ways to increase brand awareness and prices with luxury presentations
Learn more about these five points to make luxury staging work for your business.
In your listing presentation, make staging at a higher price point (say $2 million or more) non-negotiable. Position staging as risk mitigation and value creation, not decoration. Instead of a typical rental company, partner with a design-forward staging company that tailors the style to the home’s architecture and target buyer. Selling your property as fully furnished can be an attractive option for some buyers. Ask the staging company if the client can receive a commission and recoup some of their investment if the furniture sells with the home. Start your listing with a fully realized visual rather than an empty room or partial staging.
If you want to get into a higher price range, your listing needs to look like it belongs in that price range. Because at the top of the market, staging is not about filling space. It’s the kind of desirability engineering that drives price.
Julian Buckner is the founder and CEO of Vesta Home. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn.
