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Bernice Ross
Would you like to sell your listings more quickly or help your buyers purchase a property with the best possible energy? If so, it may be time to consider exploring the ancient Chinese practice of feng shui.
When I worked in Southern California, it was common for luxury agents and their clients to use the services of a feng shui expert to assist in staging a listing or to help them locate the best property to purchase. While some people may consider this to be superstitious, thousands of others swear by the results.
Feng shui is a system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy and whose favorable or unfavorable effects are taken into account when siting and designing buildings.
If you’re interested in learning more about feng shui and how it applies to real estate, here are eight basic principles.
Avoid homes with bad energy: If possible, determine what is motivating the sellers to move. Are the owners moving for positive reasons? If so, this home could be an excellent choice. On the other hand, if the sellers are moving to due to a business loss, divorce or horrible illness, this home is bad luck. Take your buyers elsewhere.
Avoid having money “drip away”: Water represents money. Drippy faucets and leaky toilets represent money dripping away. Furthermore, feng shui experts recommend putting the lid down on the toilet and closing bathroom doors to separate the bathroom energy from other parts of the home.
Abundance flows through the front door: Feng shui masters believe that abundance flows in through the “mouth,” or the front door. To attract qualified buyers and more prosperity and fortune, here’s what to do:
- Place pots of colorful flowers by the front door and on the porch.
- Nothing on the front porch should block the entrance to the front door, nor should there be anything sharp, straight or angular aimed at the front door.
- The doorbell should work.
- Make sure the doormat is in excellent condition. It’s especially important to choose one that says “Welcome!”
- You can also place symbols of affluence in a prominent place. This includes coins, bells or wind chimes in groups of six, seven or eight near the front door.
Don’t let money run out the door: If a stairwell or the back door is visible from the front door, you can avoid having money run out the door by putting a beautiful area rug in the entry, a small table with fresh cut flowers in the center of the rug or placing live plants adjacent to the stairs. In each case, this breaks up the energy so that money won’t run away.
Use red and green to attract more money: Green is the color of money. Red is associated with abundance and good luck. One of the easiest ways to add green to any house is with live plants. If you want to attract more money, place coins in a red sack, stand in the doorway facing into the room and place the stack in the far left-hand corner of the room.
“Poison arrows”: “Poison arrows” occur when there is too much energy directed to a single spot. For example, a house located on a “T” intersection or at the end of a cul de sac will have too much energy flowing towards it. It’s better to avoid these properties if possible. If you or the seller owns this type of property, building a fence with lots of plants will help to disperse the energy.
Your office: If possible, your desk should be positioned where your back is not to the door. Again, adding live plants, a fountain, and coins in a red sack placed in the far left-hand corner will increase the flow of abundance into your office.
Pay attention to intention: Feng shui works best when it’s tied to the intention of serving others rather than being focused on the money. Giving back to others is an important way to attract more abundance in your life.
If you’re feeling uncertain about using feng shui, why not start in your home, especially if you have a home office? Add some live plants, some red and green elements, and put a red bag that contains coins in the far left–hand corner of your office. You might be very surprised to see more abundance flowing your way.
Bernice Ross is a nationally syndicated columnist, author, trainer and speaker on real estate topics. She can be reached at bernice@realestatecoach.com.
