4 Easy Tips to Help You Stage a Home Like a Pro

Today’s homebuyers tend to make a decision about a property before walking through the door. They go online, look at the listing photos, take a virtual tour and know in an instant whether it’s a yes, no or maybe. A first impression can make or break a potential sale, says Scott Fogel, who together with his mother, Jacqueline “Jackie” Fogel, leads the Fogel Team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty in Bonita Springs. They don’t leave it to chance, he says, and will step in to stage a home, to ensure it has sales appeal.

Jacqueline and Scott Fogel

“I’ve staged listings my entire 20 years in the business,” says Jackie Fogel, who came out of retirement to work with her son. She hired a licensed interior designer to teach her the tricks of the trade, and she also reads home design and décor magazines for inspiration.

The Fogels don’t charge clients for their staging services, which could include simply rearranging furniture and adding decorative pillows or time-consuming projects like painting or landscaping. “I have a huge supply of staging materials,” says Jackie Fogel, who spends up to $500 to stage a listing. “My supplies take up an entire bay in our three-car garage. I’m in the midst of staging three new listings and my great room has piles of materials in every corner.”

“My mother loves it, and she’s good at it,” says Scott Fogel. “Besides, it strengthens our relationship with clients.”

Here’s how they do it:

1. Declutter and tidy up

A cluttered home can sabotage a sale and knock thousands off your asking price, says Scott Fogel. Too much “stuff” gives the impression of inadequate living space. “Buyers make assumptions based on the amount of junk people have in their rooms, garage and closets,” says Jackie Fogel. “If things fall out when they open doors, they assume the property hasn’t been maintained.”

Decluttering and rearranging or removing furniture is a large part of their process.

“I’m a gardener and I have two assistants and a landscaper,” she says. “We stage the yard, have the flower beds cut and edged, and I purchase palm trees and accessorize with flowerpots to add curb appeal. The neater it looks, the better.” Scott Fogel adds that people are becoming “more conscious of how clean a home feels because of COVID-19.”

2. Depersonalize it

Family photos and too many personal items are another turnoff. “We encourage buyers to remove anything that’s personal, and especially hygiene items from the bathrooms,” says Jackie Fogel. She places crisp, clean quilts and pillows in the bedrooms and brand-new towels in the bathrooms. “Nobody wants to walk into a room and feel like someone just rolled out of bed.”

3. Add some style

Their niche is gated communities between Naples and Fort Myers, and 75% of their business comes from Pelican Landing where Jackie lives. “In some cases, the owner already has nicely defined taste, but we’re often working with tired, colorless properties that are dated. My goal is to make them appear fresher,” she says, adding that it’s often like working a puzzle. “We have to find other pieces that fit or add character.” Colorful pillows, accessories and a little rearranging often work wonders to update the ambiance, she says. “Lots of people—mostly the husbands—call me the ‘pillow lady’ because they can’t understand why I bring so many pillows, but the ladies get it.”

When a listing is empty, they bring in furniture and stage a seating area. “It’s important for the buyer to be able to sit down and envision living there,” Scott Fogel says.

The lanai is another focal point. “We want people to be drawn out to the lanai when they walk through the door,” he says.

4. Let the light in

Nothing kills a sale in the Sunshine State like a super-dark interior, Scott Fogel says. “People don’t want to buy dark cozy homes; they want sunshine—and to be outdoors.” The Fogels add lamps and take curtains down to bring in the natural light. “I own 40 to 50 lamps for staging, and we want at least three sources of light in a room,” says Jackie Fogel. “Photographers say they love to photograph our listings because they always look attractive.”

Sellers jokingly tell the Fogels they don’t want to sell after they see the results. “They ask to buy what I’ve brought in or they want to duplicate it,” says Jackie Fogel. “Sometimes they ask, ‘Will you come to my new house and help me?’ One client cried when she walked in and saw what I had done. She said it was like an HGTV commercial. That’s where I get all the pleasure. I’m happy to be the ‘pillow lady.’”

SAVE THIS: 7-step staging checklist

1. Make a plan. Walk through your listing with the seller and discuss ways you can improve the home’s listing appeal. Once the owner approves, get busy.
2. Clean everything. Ask the owner to do a thorough cleaning or hire a cleaning service. Have carpets professionally cleaned. Mop floors and wipe down walls (if dirty), kitchen counters and bathroom tub, shower and fixtures.
3. Clear the clutter. Pack all unnecessary items like books, framed photos, tchotchkes and collectibles in boxes and place them neatly out of sight in the garage or storage closet. Don’t cram items into closets or cabinets.
4. Get rid of the old. Remove dingy throw rugs. Replace dirty lampshades (or lamps if they diminish the look of the room).
5. Do small fixes. Repair any cracks and nail holes with spackling compound and repaint the surface. Replace burned out lightbulbs. Reapply caulk around sinks and bathtubs. Repair pet damage.
6. Create curb appeal. Cut the grass, trim overgrown bushes and edge along the driveway. Place colorful potted plants at the entryway. Ensure the pool is clear of debris.
7. Set the stage. Hang fresh towels in the kitchen and bathrooms. Close all toilet lids. Place fresh flowers on the dining room table. Open the drapes to the let the sunlight in. Bake cookies or light scented candles.

Leslie C. Stone is a Vero Beach-based freelance writer.