Photo by Marc McCammon.
Having a home staged, to help sell it faster, can be achieved by showcasing the home’s aesthetic potential, its functionality, and even sell a “lifestyle” that comes with the house.
But there is a whole other level in which a home can be staged as well, and that is by using the ancient metaphysical practice known as feng shui. Feng shui is a predictive art, based in natural science. It is a 3,000+ year old Chinese tradition which explores how people are affected by their immediate interior and exterior surroundings.
The influence of a home on its occupants can include financial potential, relationship circumstances and specific health issues. Often, prospective buyers will experience the “feng shui” of a house consciously or subconsciously as a part of their decision to purchase or pass on a property.
What is it about a house that makes it more inviting, alluring, tranquil or able to evoke feelings of security and happiness? Realtors have been showing homes while burning scented candles and baking cookies for years. They may also play music during Open Houses and provide fresh flowers to give prospective buyers a feeling of what the home’s ambiance can be like for entertaining. Interior designers and professional stagers can decorate a home with colors and furnishings to help people imagine just how good the house can look and to flaunt its architectural personality.
But is there anything deeper? Feng shui answers that question, when we assess a house on a very sophisticated level. In this vast body of knowledge we have homes that can be characterized as being inherently encouraging or undermining for financial luck.
Homes like these might need both interior and exterior remedies. The trickle-down effect is that if a home is enhanced for money luck, it can help the sellers get more offers, sometimes even when they no longer live in the house! People can and do pick up on the energies of a house that has been balanced with feng shui principles. Houses can also be characterized as being good or bad for health and relationships of the occupants. Similarly, these spaces can be remedied in a subtle, inconspicuous way, so that buyers can also get a sense of the balance in the house.
As a full-time feng shui consultant, I am involved with home sales on a regular basis, representing both buyers and sellers. Sometimes I find myself making the same recommendations that a realtor, a designer, or a professional organizer might make to simplify and beautify a home’s visual appeal. But my main menu involves classical feng shui theory which is not obvious to the untrained eye. Some remedies do not even have to be seen in a room, but could be hidden in a closet and still have the same effect!
As an example, there are some rooms in a house that need the metal element and metal can be anything made out of copper, brass, bronze, iron, gold, silver, or steel. If a room was being staged, it would be very easy to use metal incorporated in the furnishings, such as a brass bed frame or a wrought iron coffee table base. But it would also be okay to hide a hundred pounds of iron weights in a closet if it were in the right zone that needed metal. Metal is often used for spaces that have been diagnosed with a potential to cause arguments, accidents, illness or depression.
How does one figure out if a room needs metal? In classical feng shui we calculate a home’s energetic blue print based on when it was built, combined with what precise direction the house is facing, using a compass. As well, the uniqueness of the floor plan will reveal which rooms need certain elements. In feng shui theory, we have five elements: water, wood, fire, earth and metal. They are each used in very strategic ways.
Another example might be the use of an in-door or outdoor water feature, like a fountain. Certain homes need water on a perpetual basis to create balance, while others might only need water for a specified period of time. Who would argue that a beautiful fountain can have a conscious appeal, even if its main purpose is not obvious?
Over and over again, I have found that when a seller is still living in their home while it’s on the market, I can suggest subtle décor additions which will improve their money luck and that translates to a quicker sale of the home. If the seller has already moved out, it is still practical to do the remedies on the house so that prospective buyers will subconsciously sense the balance that has been achieved. And for this reason, Feng Shui and Home staging are a great complement to each other.
For more information about using Feng Shui in the home selling or buying process, I have available the ebook, Feng Shui Tips for Realtors. It’s good reading for the buyer and seller as well!
Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Feng Shui Solutions (R)
From the Architecture & Design Series
