I cannot recommend Sizzle Staging enough! Sizzle transformed my 100+ year old condo into a stunning and inviting space that attracted multiple offers above list price. Their attention to detail and eye for design completely changed the feel of the rooms, making them appear larger and more functional. SN: As an empty unit, many loved it but commented the rooms were too small. So after a month as an empty unit, it was staged. When I saw it, I seriously contemplated moving back in. The team at Sizzle Staging was incredibly responsive, organized, punctual, and professional throughout the entire process. Their pricing was competitive and the results were worth every penny. I was so impressed with the final product that I actually wanted to move back into my own condo! I highly recommend Phil and I would not hesitate to work with them again in the future. read more

I can't thank Sizzle enough for the beautiful job they did on our home. We had people want to buy items. We have a 4200 sq ft. and they were incredible. They did an amazing job. They made me want to move back into my home using their furnishings. Their pricing was fare and much less than others companies that quoted me. read more

We used Sizzle to stage our home.Great job. They made it really easy and helped us sell our home by making it look great!

Phil and Ashley are wonderful to work with. A first class operation!! Our listings sell quickly when we use their service.

Working with Phil and Ashley was an absolute pleasure! They ensured that the process went smoothly from beginning to end & I swear I owe it ALL to them that I got an offer within the first week of the house being staged. I highly recommend Sizzle Productions for all your home staging needs!!! Thanks a million guys. read more

If you want a mediocre staging company whose owner will lie right to your face, call Toby at Sizzle They were recommended to me. I will NOT continue on with that recommendation whatsoever. Maybe my 1st clue should have been that it took me numerous attempts to even reach Toby. When he came to view my home, he did not measure the Space like other staging company reps had. He just looked around and told me how he was going to make my kitchen space look like both in eating area and a seating area. We also discussed the building rule that all moving needs to take place through the back door. He agreed that that would be no issue What's the weather in that his crew would use the back door. He also assured me that hanging of any pictures he did would do minimal damage to the freshly painted walls in the unit; which I just paid $2000 to paint top to bottom. Fast forward to the staging being placed. My unit was not set up as promised. He didn't let me know that before I saw it myself. His excuse was that the pieces didn't fit. Well if that's the case, why the heck didn't you measure the rooms so they were set up as we discussed and you promised ??? Toby's solution to me was that he could pull out everything the next day.... And he tried to appease me by telling me how great the unit rehab looked. I was not appeased and With the photographer coming the next day, was pretty much stuck with his dated Staging stuff. Fast forwrd... time to remove the staging stuff. Unlike the 1st time where I was discouraged not to be there, I was Absolutely going to be there in person for the removal of the items; primarily because his crew made a nice deep nick in one of my freshly painted walls. It was just a careless Move. There was more than enough from in that area to not Nick up the wall. As I was unlocking the doors to the backyard, the crew pulled up. The on watch through the front door and I politely about them know what's up, you are to be using the back door for moving.. The guy is said that when they moved the stuff in, they used the front door. I said well, that was wrong and you're Owner Toby knew that the condo rule is moving through the back door. During the process of the guys moving the items out, I did hear the you word puta used. That's Spanish slang for a negative term towards a woman and being that I was the only woman there, I can only assume they were speaking in Spanish about me. Really nice and Professional crew Toby!!! Then his crew finished and the guys all headed out I then noticed that my front bathroom door was shut I knocked on it and it was locked. One of the crew members, without asking Permission if they could use it which most contractors do, decided they needed to use the bathroom and was basically taking a dump in my bathroom while the rest of the crew was out in the truck waiting for him. Hello!? Again, really professional. Not!!!!! Then I noticed, specifically on the front entry wall where they hung ONE painting, there are 7 to 8 nailholes. So they took 3 to 4 attempts, making unnecessary holes in the Freshly painted entryway, to hang one fricking picture!! I would not call that minimal damage to the wall. I don't typically write reviews; in fact, this is my st Yelp review! I just don't want any other home owner to go through this experience with Toby and Him lying right to your face or have his crew curse at you in another language while you're right there. He may be a little bit less costly if you need the Stuff in your home more than a month, but that old adage you get what you pay for rings very true with Sizzle Productions. I suggest you spend a little more and get someone who-does-what they say they're going to do and has a professional crew. Thank you and good luck with your move :) read more

Quite possibly the worst business on the face of the planet. This husband and wife duo couldn't be less accommodating and helpful. He likes to listen to himself talk (can't have a phone call that is done in under 30min). She might listen, but tell you how you're wrong. ...which is odd when I hire someone to stage the place I lived in for several years. And we're not talking heated topics. After they staged my place, and while I had several other contractors in there, some things were damaged. These things happen, so I tried to get a better sense of when that occurred. Before the conversation started, he gave me a 30min dissertation of how it wasn't them. After a few weeks of minimal activity, I inquired of whether we should adjust some things. She immediately told me (in so many words) that I don't know anything and she's been doing this for year. Let's not forget, we're discussing a place I've spent every day in for the last several years. Perhaps I should have been glad that my conversations with her don't take as long as her husband's. So, I changed things myself, and I got offers within the first week. And, I won't talk about how the few end tables and stools I left in the place mysteriously disappeared after the staging and never returned. They were the lowest priced stagers I looked into, and I got what I paid for. I guess their proposal with clipart from the 80s should have tipped me off from the beginning. I'm sure they're good people, but their business acumen and sensitivity to their clients' needs and concerns SUCKS! read more

I have been in business 20 years and staged many properties, I have never dealt with someone as unprofessional as Toby Van Over. I asked him to stage a very mint and quaint 1 bedroom in Lakeview. He looked at the place for 10 minutes and told me ok small space pub table for dining area, small sofa noted how the finishes were high end... The day of the job he called to let me know that his team would be late. Two trucks pulled over and the handlers brought a bunch of mismatched pieces with fake plants. There was no one to direct them on what to do and where to put things, I had to actually tell them where to put things and refuse the pieces that were overwhelming in the small space. I understand that the job was not interesting to him but he collected $1,600 and should have said no if he did not want to do it. It looked like the set of a show from the 80"s with a bunch of heavy furniture, the staff was nice but it was obvious they needed guidance. I called the next day because I wanted to avoid a heated argument, well little did I know , he became belligerent and defended his job and team despite the obvious, the furniture is old and stained, the tv screen was broken at one corner and scratched all over, they put few dry plants in a pot and left a mess telling me that they did not have a vacuum or a broom. He came over couple days later and defended himself and attacked me personally instead of being humble he started name dropping irrelevantly ,I am in the customer business and if I treated my clients the way he treated me and my clients, I would be out of business. I had to apologize to my clients and now we are hoping that the poor job is not going to distract the potential buyers. He need to learn to apologize and remember the golden rule of customer service! I WILL NEVER USE THIS COMPANY AGAIN AND I WILL MAKE SURE NONE OF MY PEERS DOES!! read more

PAY ATTENTION TO THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS... they are the truth. Toby agreed that we could pay extra if we wanted to make some changes. After the staging was in place, we asked for a couple of PAID changes. He started yelling at me on the phone. He said he would remove the staging and let us find another staging company without offering to refund our money. Apparently, he thinks that once he has your money he can treat you like crap and then hang-up on you. Only use Sizzle if you want to be treated in a condescending, unprofessional manner. read more

Amazing amazing company. They transformed our home in one day! After sizzle staged our home it took 1 showing and we had a offer. Great service. Fast. Well done! Thanks sizzle! read more

Toby staged my home in the city, amazing job and Helped us sell the house!! Thx u for professionalism! read more

As a Realtor, here on the North Shore of Chicago, I have used Sizzle Productions for a handful of years, to stage some of my listings. Properties, when vacant, don't show as well as they should, and Toby's very creative staging is customized to fit the style of the property nicely, and show it to its best potential. Buyers, and even other Realtors, have difficulty envisioning how a room might look when furnished, and Sizzle's staging takes care of that by filling the room with beautiful furnishings. But Toby doesn't stop there... he also adds other details, area rugs, temporary window treatments, books and artifacts on shelves, artwork and mirrors on the walls. Luxurious Beds, chairs and tables... by the time Sizzle is done, the sellers may want to move back in. Sizzle is a full-service stager... they fully install the staging, and once the property has sold, they return to de-stage the home... removing all signs that they were ever there... cleaning up after themselves, and carefully filling any pinholes in the walls they've made to hang things on the walls... all of this for a reasonable fee. You can't go wrong using Sizzle productions to help sell your property. read more

I used Sizzle for staging a vintage 2+ bedroom on the Northside. My assumption was that Sizzle was qualified at interior design and thus I allowed them also to select paint colors to repaint the unit before staging. In short: - They repainted with fairly drab colors, that don't work well in the rooms in question. The dining room has natural-wood Wainscoting to eye level, they painted the remainder a medium grey. Really? - They used the same furniture in both bedrooms. - They used tacky pop-art wall decorations (this is a vintage unit). - They left huge holes in the wall from the "art" and such that they hung, and the paint now is worse than it was before they did their "work". I'm relisting with a new stager and we are having to redo almost everything. The one positive thing I would say, is they did get the unit staged and unstaged efficiently. (Maybe that efficiency is related to the holes in the wall.) read more

As a Licensed Realtor since 2004 with @properties in Oak Park, Illinois, I recently listed a vintage rehabbed condo. While the condo was very nice, it was missing that personal touch. I contacted Toby VanOver and referred him to my out of state client. He came in, quickly assessed the space and within 24 hours the bare condo transformed into a beautiful, warm home. I'm convinced that Toby's staging helped me receive 3 written contact offers within the first two days of the condo being listed on market. We are due to close shortly with a pair of happy buyers and sellers. If you would like to get that home to sell quickly I highly recommend Toby with Sizzle. I will be using them again. Very cost efficient and effective. Thank you Toby. read more

I trusted my realtor's referral and I'm so glad I did. We loved working with Sizzle and would definitely do it again. Phil and his team were quick, professional and super talented. The fact that they were less costly than the other company I contacted was just a nice perk. Our vacant house was on the market for a year with nothing but low ball offers. Sizzle came in and decorated each room perfectly, giving perspective buyers an idea of what was possible. They were in and out the very next day after we signed with them. We had our first offer in less than a week and closed a month later. Just as important as the staging itself was the pleasant fact that they were able to get all that furniture up and down that narrow staircase without as much as a carpet fiber out of place. We were very impressed and quite pleased and would highly recommend Sizzle! read more

I was not a big believer in the concept of staging, but my realtor, Dwell One, Tim Stassi, sold me on the idea and connected me with Toby at Sizzle. He was very proffessional and thought our place would stage well, but to be honest, even though I agreed, I was not expecting much of a return. I felt even if helped getting buyers close to our asking price, it would be worth a shot. When we saw the pictures of our place after it had been staged, we were blown away. We did not recognize our old place and neither did our friends and family. After an open house last Saturday, our agent received six offers all above our listing price, with one that was out of this world good. Without a doubt contracting Sizzle for staging was the best return on investment we have ever made. read more

I recently used Toby and his awesome team to stage my 1 bedroom condo for sale. It has honestly never looked so amazing! The furniture and the artwork were all absolutely beautiful and worked so well with our paint colors and wood floors. The condo looked warm, inviting and modern. The condo sold very quickly and above asking which I know wouldn't have happened without the great staging. Staging with Sizzle Productions was well worth the cost because I'm sure it helped us get a better sale price. The process was so simple, Toby really took care of everything and it was completely stress free. Toby and his team were so easy to work with. He was so accommodating. My email and calls were always returned very promptly. I have only good things to say about Sizzle, Toby and his team! If I have another property to sell I will absolutely be using Sizzle again!! read more

Toby and his very talented and creative team did an outstanding job of staging our home in Lake Forest, IL. It worked! The home sold and we are really happy. My wife and I strongly recommend Sizzle! Phil Corse read more

The new owners are amazing! They were very professional and were able to get back to me quicker than other companies.

Sizzle staged my 3 story 5 BR house in Lakeview - It sold in 2 days for over asking price - it was DEFINITELY money well spent!! Toby was great, professional and worked within our timeline. The furniture was perfectly scaled for our spaces and made the house show much better than it would have empty. The furniture looked even better in the photographs. Most people these days make up their minds whether to even go see a house based on the MLS photos so this is very important. My house looked amazing. I highly recommend! read more

I recently worked with Sizzle Productions to stage my unit. From start to finish, Phil Stout and his team and Sizzle did a fantastic job. They were polite, professional and very efficient. Taken as a whole, I thought Phil did an excellent job deciding how to stage my unit. The pictures of the unit with Sizzle's staging were terrific. There was one problem in the process. However, Phil addressed it in a very professional manner. I would absolutely use Sizzle again in the future should the need arise. read more

DO NOT HIRE THEM! If there was an option for ZERO stars I would have used that for my rating. This is the most disorganized and unprofessional business I have ever worked with. We had the day reserved for the staging and called/emailed the day before to find out what time they were planning to arrive. No response! Earlier that week we called and she said we were not on the schedule then corrected herself, so we wanted to make sure the day before. We called and emailed repeatedly but absolute silence. Who runs a business like this! Finally at 10:30 the day of the schedule appointment they called and said they would not be able to do it. We had an open house arranged for the next day, but they did not care. They did not even apologize! They SUCK and nobody should ever hire them. Would you want to put the sale of your home in their hands?! Forget it! They shouldn't even be allowed to be in business. read more

If you want a home staging company that moves "fast" these are the guys. They can stage a place very quickly and make it look like a catalogue home. read more

The quality of staging was awful. It looked like the 80s. And I never got a response when I had questions. This company was recommended by my real estate agent and I should have done my own research. There was an issue with my HOA that was resolved amicably after a year, so at least they finally followed through. read more

Sizzle staged my condo for sale. They did an AMAZING job. It looked better staged by them then it ever did when I lived there. My condo sold in less than 36 hours (full asking price) and I'm sure part of that is due to how well they staged my condo. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. read more

Toby and the crew at Sizzle did a great job staging my condo in Lakeview! We had a contract after the first week...and Sizzle had the most competitive cost I found. They were recommended to me by a neighbor that had the same experience - sold after the first week it was staged. Great job Sizzle!! read more

This review is for Sizzle Productions. Toby did an amazing job staging a million plus new construction home I recently sold. His pricing was the best and his service was amazing. I highly recommend him. Peggy Brockhaus, @properties read more

A+++. My real estate agent used them to stage my house for sale. I found them very easy to communicate with and they were efficient and dependable and got everything done even though we couldn't give them much lead time. I requested a contemporary look and they happily complied. The house came out BEAUTIFULLY. It looked so good I seriously didn't want to sell it anymore. Plus I was told that they took great care in selecting the right furniture and tried out different pieces from the huge truck they brought. I believe the staging was a huge factor in the interest which was generated in my house and its ultimate sale. Thank you, Sizzle! I would definitely use you again. read more

I was delighted with my Sizzle Productions experience. Toby was a pleasure to work with at every step of the process and impact they had on my condo sale was wonderful. The staging transformed an awkwardly shaped great room in to a sophisticated and charming living and dining space which looked so much better than when I lived there. After staging, within two days we had several great offers! I will be using Sizzle again. read more

I needed my condo staged ASAP and everyone seemed to be booked out for the next 3-5 weeks. Sizzle stepped forward and said they could stage in 3 days time. AWESOME! Then I had a phone conversation with Toby the day before the scheduled staging, I asked him to give me an idea of what furniture he planned to use. This question made him irate and he carried on for a bit about being a professional. He said, "My uncle is a brain surgeon and his patients don't ask him about which type of shunt he is going to use! You shouldn't ask me about the furniture!" Then he said he couldn't work with me and hung up. Ultimately, after reading his reviews I am relived he hung up on me! read more

Staging is very important to a professional presentation. As a Chicago Realtor I have worked with Toby for years in builder and individual seller properties. Sizzle is fast, efficient, cost-effective and very talented! He works with you on all the details of staging, thinking about how to best showcase the home...what furniture works best where; how to really let the buyer feel at home. He always offers to make the second visit just to make sure he has it right. Thank you, Toby! read more

Toby staged our condo when we were selling. We had it on the market for 7 months with no offers. We contacted him and he staged the condo beautifully. Within four weeks we sold and closed the deal. He and his staff were professional, talented and an extreme pleasure to work with. We would highly recommend them for your next real estate sale. read more

Sizzle staged the first floor of a vacant home in east Highland Park for me. It was a great house, but many buyers had difficulty envisioning the room flow. Toby and Anne Marie solved that. Before they staged, we had some interest but nothing concrete. After they staged, we had multiple offers and closed last week. Just call them and do what they say. read more

I have had nothing but fantastic results using Sizzle Productions. Toby and his crew are professional, courteous and timely. The last 5 places I have had them stage all looked fantastic and sold in 10 days or less. Extremely competitive pricing! read more

I am a realtor in Chicago and have used Toby & his team for many years now. They are absolutely amazing! Toby is always responsive and quickly turns around the consult and proposal for each property. He has helped me out to get furniture in and out quickly as well as picking up keys when I'm in a bind- always going above and beyond. Sizzle's pricing is very competitive and it helps my seller to keep their costs low. I would highly recommend Toby for all of your staging needs! read more