It is one thing to use Feng Shui in your individual house hunting searches, one existing property at a time, and another to survey a whole new community under development. New developments can have dozens to hundreds of new homes planned for the new community. The task to review them all can be overwhelming for the potential buyer and equally for the feng shui practitioner.

I have been asked to review whole communities at a time and have learned through the process how to prioritize and narrow the search. Let’s put on our hard hats and I will take you through the process:

First order of business is to confirm with the client (potential buyer), which homes in the development are going to be realistic to purchase based on price and size. Do they need only 3 bedrooms or 6 bedrooms?

Next, find out which plots have already been reserved with a deposit or sold outright. The goal is to continually narrow the search, and you can address mundane matters first.

Next, look at the plot plan (in person or from aerial on-line views). Determine which plots of land are the best based on street alignment, shape of plot and land levels if that is known or obvious. For example, with many choices to consider, we can pass on a house that will sit on a triangular shaped lot or at the very end of a cul-de-sac. We may even pass on a house that is right up against a busy street. All of these considerations fall into the category of “Form School.” Take into account the aspects to the bigger environment which would be difficult or impossible to change. In a new development, another consideration might even be whether or not you want your new home across from a school or park.

With all remaining plots being equal, the next decision is to consider what house type will be created on a piece of land, based on its destined orientation. For a community with well-defined streets and houses needing to be fairly close together, there may be no leeway or wiggle room in the compass orientation of the house.

Also under consideration is when the house will actually be built and for how long it will retain its “stature” as one of the four major house types. For example, this article has been written in 2018. We are just six years away from a major Period change which will happen in 2024. Some developments are built across two different major Periods. I have one client whose home was built right during the last Period shift in 2003-2004. It was impossible to find out exactly when her home was completed because the tax assessor’s site just picked a date to record when the house went on the tax roll.

With this real example, Period 8 started on February 4, 2004. This client has one neighbor to her east whose home is listed as built in 2003. The home directly to her west is listed as built in 2004. When did the roof go on for her house? The only way to know is to get copies of building permits and see if there was any sign-off completion date recorded. But even that is not fool-proof when a whole development is under construction. Fortunately, it is rare that we have to find out the exact month a roof went on to enclose the house’s energy, to verify its signature Construction year.

In regards to where we are within any twenty-year construction Period, let us say that a person wants to buy a house that will be completed in 2023. And let’s say that house “type” is one deemed to be unsupportive for the occupant’s financial luck during its own Construction Period. However, once we move into a new Period, that house will no longer be one of the four major house types. So, can the new occupants survive one year of the house not being ideal? Sure, there is probably a good chance they can weather one year. Therefore, when I make recommendations for home purchases, I am also considering how long the occupant may want to live there and how the house will change its influence over long periods of time.

The opposite situation can also occur, where a house is a certain “type” when built that is good, but into the next Period there could be problems. Is that next Period just around the corner in a few years? Or will it be 10-20 years away and the person may not even live there at that time? Some people move into an area specifically for work, a certain school district or other transitory factors.

With the new community development, the prospective buyer needs to find out if there can be any variations at all in which floor plan is placed on each lot. Some developments don’t allow for any variation on the floor plans. Part of the plan may be to align neighboring driveways in a particular way. Some developers will allow the buyer to choose which floor plan they want and even if they want the flipped version of it.

By “flipped” I am referring to the mirror image of the floor plan chosen for a particular lot. Sometimes the developer will refer to a plan as “2A” and “2AR” meaning reversed version of it. I say to the client “garage on the left or right” when looking at the house, or “kitchen on the right or left when entering” in order to know if the house will be built as drawn or the flipped version. This can make a difference in whether or not the house and plot are recommended, just based on where the master bedroom ends up being located!

In very large developments, we will see many “identical” houses. They will have the exact same floor plan and the exact same orientation. I often end up making a Table Chart for clients so they can see how on any given street there may be several homes that will have identical feng shui. The only difference will be the bigger environment. With one client, they chose a house at the end of a street instead of the middle of the street. The end lot gave them more side property and more privacy.

The actual floor plans are reviewed as well, with some inherently better than others based on “qi” flow. One floor plan might have a front door aligned directly with a back door or the base of a staircase. There may be something awkward about a plan from a feng shui stand point.

Land levels may also cater to a certain house type more so than others, so all of these features are taken into consideration to narrow the search and choose one of the best houses in the development. I even inquire if the client wants to have a pool in the backyard because that can have a big influence on the house and its occupants.

Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®
From the Architectural and Design Blog Series