Using Feng Shui to Sell Your Home
The principles of Feng Shui are more than just Chinese mysticism or the latest interior decorating fad. Feng Shui can help you sell your home. Feng Shui at its core is about creating harmony and a sense of “rightness” within a space, and that is something that appeals to all buyers.
Feng Shui is based on the Chinese principle of Chi of the life energy that inhabits all things. According to tradition, when the chi of an object or place is in balance it is naturally appealing.
So, how do you apply the principles of Feng Shui to a property you hope to sell?
It’s really not that difficult, and you can easily incorporate the principles of Feng Shui all on your own.
Define Your Intentions
Your intentions influence everything you do. From a practical point of view, lingering doubt about selling your home can cause you to neglect all the little details that are necessary to sell a house. From a more mystical point of view, doubt can bring negative energy into the home, and this will turn off potential buyers. So, make sure that you define your intention to sell your home and that everyone else in the family is on the same page.
Fix Any Lingering Problems
This just makes good sense in general. A poorly maintained home is an unattractive home. From a Feng Shui perspective, problems with the home disturb the energy flow of the home. Once you fix these problems you can begin to direct and harness that energy effectively.
Remove Any Clutter
Once again, this just makes sense on a practical level. In Feng Shui, a cluttered space is chaotic and discordant. Clutter robs the room of chi, and what remains is not attractive and appealing.
Bring Your Entranceway to Life
You may enter your home from the garage or side door, but potential buyers will enter through the front door. If you do not use the front door regularly, the space will feel dead – it will have no energy. As a side benefit, by using the entrance you will notice all the little things that could be off putting to potential buyers like a squeaky hinge, chipped paint or a busted doorjamb. The principles of Feng Shui also warn against pointing sharp corners towards the door as this can be subconsciously perceived as a threat.
Use Every Room in the House
Energy only flows in living spaces. For a space to live, it must be used. If you have unused rooms in your home, begin to use them regularly. Clean them, furnish them, open windows and bring in plants. Give these dead rooms new life, and they will instantly become more appealing. They will smell better too.
Clean the Windows
Windows are the eyes of the home. Bright windows invite focus and insight into the home. Dull windows do the opposite. You want your buyers to feel focused when they enter the home. You want them to feel alive with energy and not weighed down by doubt.
Advanced Feng Shui Techniques
There are four primary zones within most homes that are especially helpful when selling a home: the Wealth Zone, Helpful People, Career and Fame.
The Wealth Zone is located in the back left of the home. Here you should place wood furniture and accents. The colors green, purple and red are associated with wealth, so make sure they are present in this space.
The Helpful People Zone is located to the front right. This zone is associated with metal. Make use of metal furniture with clean lines. Black and white are the primary colors associated with this zone. Black and white photos will bring those colors into the room without being too stark.
The Career Zone is located at the front of the home near the entranceway. Water is an important element associated with career, so the addition of a small water feature or pictures of waterfalls, oceans etc. deserve a place here. The color yellow is associated with this zone.
The Fame Zone is straight at the back of the home. It favors fire. So, if you have a fireplace straight back from the front door, you are set. If not, consider lighting candles or increasing the ambient light in this zone. Red is associated with this zone.
Regardless of whether you believe in the mystical powers of Feng Shui, the practical application of Feng Shui is worth the trouble. Everyone loves a clean, bright, uncluttered space that feels active and energetic. That is what Feng Shui brings to a home, and that’s what it can bring to yours.
Susan Andrews | Estates Director
BRE License #01425843
Susan Andrews is your ultimate real estate source for Los Angeles, California and surrounding communities.
Photo courtesy of arquigrafico perez/Flickr.com