Feng Shui Tips for Home Sellers

Most home-owners who want to sell their house have heard or read something about the potential value of feng shui but, understandably, they regard it as too esoteric or difficult to understand.

Since my goal is to help sellers to get the best price for their home as quickly as possible, I suggest that you keep an open mind about how using feng shui might help when presenting your house. In fact, you’ll find that much of what feng shui offers home sellers simply makes good sense.

What is feng shui? It is a centuries-old Chinese art based on the principle that energy, or "chi," flows through everything -- people, objects and houses. In feng shui belief, for example, the placement of furniture and other items in your house can affect the flow of chi: if the energy flow is blocked, prospective buyers looking at your house will feel negative. A good energy flow, on the other hand, will give prospective buyers a positive feeling about your home.

No surprise, making necessary repairs, removing clutter and keeping your house clean before you show it are important steps to promote a sale. But they also improve the chi flow. “Declutter” your house, rather than simply rearranging clutter, for example, by stuffing it in closets. “Declutter” also means removing extra decorations from tabletops, shelves and elsewhere, especially kitchens and bathrooms.

Improve chi flow by checking that every door is able to open and close freely. Also, open all your doors and windows regularly, at least once a week, to boost chi flow.

The front door and the area around it should be as free of any chi blocks as possible. This is quite important for chi flow but also good practical advice: when potential buyers come to your house, they should be able to enter easily, without making detours around any obstacles. Make sure that bushes are trimmed and weeds removed.

As you can see, much of what feng shui offers is just good advice about what makes your home appealing and inviting for buyers. Everything that in real estate we associate with “staging” – clearing clutter, sprucing up entryways, making a home feel and smell fresh -- really fits perfectly into the practice of feng shui.

Of course, to make the sale of your home happen as soon as possible, it has to be priced right and have the right agent and marketing plan.