As a potential Feng Shui client, you should be aware of what you are entitled to receive in an evaluation of your home or business. You may be interviewing a number of feng shui practitioners and I have provided you with a list of questions which are appropriate to ask of the feng shui consultant.
1. How long have you been studying feng shui?
Please be cautious with someone who has been studying feng shui for less than five years. What you want and deserve is someone who has made this their life calling and not someone who is just testing the waters to see if it is an easy way to make a living.
2. Who have you trained with?
If they are vague and have not studied with anyone specifically, then you may have encountered someone foolish enough to think they can learn feng shui exclusively from books. Also be cautious if the person’s website lists many different teachers and schools where they have trained. Often these schools and teachers contradict one another and the average consumer does not know this.
For example, Classical Feng Shui is at odds with the New Age Black Hat School in more ways than not.
3. How many properties have you assessed?
Be cautious of anyone who has assessed less than 200 properties. Anyone who is a serious practitioner and getting good results will be getting plenty of referrals.
4. Can I have a list of your clients to call?
Ask for at least ten client phone numbers. (If you are thinking of hiring me, I can surely provide you with contact info for either local or long distance clients I’ve worked with.)
5. Do you know the Flying Star School of feng shui?
This is the only advanced branch of feng shui which can reveal the non-obvious influences of a building. It is the only school of feng shui which can properly assess the changing influences of the building over time. The Black Hat School of Feng Shui is a New-Age version of feng shui which is not very accurate and disregards time altogether. “Compass School” practitioners may show up with a compass in hand, but they may not know how to account for the age of the building. It is inaccurate to stick to a rigid interpretation of the floor plan simply based on its compass alignment alone.
The “Eight Mansion” School is one such branch which does not factor in timing, such as the age of the structure or changing yearly cycles. There is no such thing as “Intuitive Feng Shui.” This reveals lack of formal training.
When it comes to the Flying Star school, there are different (and conflicting theories). There are some practitioners who calculate a structure based on when it was built, others when the occupant moved in, and others based on the current Era that we live in. I highly recommend you choose someone who calculates the structure based on when it was built. (I explain these different theories in my books.)
6. Do you need to know the year my home or office building was built?
If the practitioner states that they do not need this information, then again you are dealing with someone who does not have advanced training. (This is like an astrologer saying they don’t need your birth date.)
**When a person doesn’t know when their house or apartment was built, it is information that can be obtained through Title Companies or the Tax Assessor’s Office. Often this information is available on-line through real estate sites such as www.zillow.com
7. Do you take into consideration our birth dates?
If the practitioner doesn’t ask for your birth date, they are not trained in evaluating your personal compatibility with the space. Again, they will only be able to provide you with general advice.
That said, there are some people who really are more astrologers than they are Feng Shui consultants. You have to ask yourself what type of service you really want. Some practitioners will impress you with what they know about you based on your personal astrology, but they still may be lacking in the fundamentals of traditional Feng Shui.
8. Can you calculate annual and monthly cycles?
The basic energy of the house is set at the time it is built; however, each year and even monthly there is a shift of energy which can trigger certain events in your home (like a robbery or fire). The qualified practitioner will be able to provide you with this information. In my own practice, I provide initial advice for the structure that will be good for decades, and many clients follow up with yearly Annual Updates. Monthly cycles can be relevant for such things as fertility cycles or the best timing to do remodels or other momentous activities.
9. How long will the assessment take?
A small apartment or office space under 1,000 square feet should take under two hours if the consultant is only doing a Feng Shui analysis. The average home may take several hours or more. Larger structures are more time consuming and written reports should be offered. An experienced consultant will also be able to measure out and draw a to-scale floor plan for you.
Some practitioners will do their consultation on the same day as the site survey and others will prefer to present their findings on a second visit or in a report form. You should also insist on working with someone who can draw to scale floor plan sketches if you don’t already have one to provide them. A Feng Shui consultant should not be just estimating where your adjustments should be made.
10. If I need any feng shui remedies, do you provide me with them?
Some practitioners will not provide remedies because it is a conflict of interest and appears unprofessional. Some practitioners will tell you where you might be able to purchase things you need (example: a local garden center for a fountain). It should be known that you are not required to buy Chinese knick-knacks, crystals, flutes, statues, or wind chimes in order for your house to have good feng shui. There are many Feng Shui websites that sell useless items that are placebos or folk remedies. Feng Shui should be elegant and inconspicuous.
11. Can I contact you with follow-up questions?
The practitioner should be friendly and invite you to give them feedback and call with questions. There is no place for a “holier-than-thou” attitude from someone who is supposed to be helping you create harmony and balance in your life. I have been selected many times as a second opinion by unhappy clients who simply could not get their initial Feng Shui consultant to return their phone calls. I get back to clients within 24 hours, sometimes immediately.
12. How much do you charge?
Fees vary wildly amongst practitioners. (From several hundred to several thousand dollars for the same sized property.) Some people charge a flat rate for any property. Most charge by the hour or by the square foot. Historically, feng shui has been very expensive, but some Western practitioners tend to charge less than their Asian counterparts. Someone who charges less than $200 for an apartment may be indicating their lack of experience or training.
At the same time, it has been discovered that some practitioners are clearly over-charging their clients, for the amount of training they have had.
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Kartar Diamond of Feng Shui Solutions, answers the questions to her own checklist:
1. I have been studying feng shui since 1990.
2. I initially trained primarily with Master Sang at the American Feng Shui Institute. I was one of his senior instructors and on-line moderators for the student forums. I was given the title of Feng Shui Master by Master Sang in 2003. I have also studied briefly with other masters. You can also look at my pdf called FAQs @ My Credentials for more information on how I work. That file is located at
https://www.fengshuisolutions.net/pdf/FAQ_My-Credentials.pdf
3. I have reviewed over five thousand properties as of 2014. I stopped keeping track after that.
4. A list of my clients can be provided upon request.
5.through 8. Yes, I practice Flying Star feng shui and do take into account the construction cycle of your home or business, your own personal compatibility with the space, environmental features, land levels, and the qi flow of the interior design. For long distance clients, photos of the surrounding property are helpful.
9. My on-site evaluations take @2 hours for small to average size spaces. All clients receive a comprehensive written report, explaining the findings and recommendations. Local clients receive their report usually within 48 hours after the consultation. Long distance clients usually receive their report via email several days after I receive all the information I need from them.
10. After making recommendations, I let clients know where in their area I think they may be able to find the things they need for their home or work space. Often these items can be found at regular, local stores.
I also have pdf files on my website with many photo examples of how to manifest the recommendations.
11. Follow up questions are welcome. And if someone feels that something is lacking in my consultation, then I want to know about it.
12. I usually charge by the square foot. I have a minimum for small spaces and I sometimes add on for travel time. For larger companies with warehouse space, I usually do not charge for the extra warehouse space unless employees work in the warehouse. When exterior landscape advice is needed or design phase projects, I go with an hourly rate. I also help people house hunt, locally and long distance. I like to give discounts to my feng shui students and to clients who have me look at more than one location for them.
c. 2009 Feng Shui Solutions ®
Author: Kartar Diamond
Re-published for the Frequent Client Questions Blog Series
