If you are having difficulty selling your home, even in a sellers market, giving feng shui a try can’t hurt! Here are some real estate tips that could help you present your home in the best light.
Clear Intentions
This is really just an Eastern way of saying the power of positive thinking. Projecting thoughts with intent, like imagining the sale already complete and yourself living in your new home- wherever that is, can bring positivity and energy back towards you. You can also place a silver box or other container with a lid at the front right hand corner of your home. Write affirming statements such as “Our house sold for asking price, and now we live in our dream home!”and place them in the box.
Look Through New Eyes
Go to the end of your block or around then corner, and come up to your house like a stranger. Try to see it as if it was the first time, and notice what stands out. The yard, the landscaping, the trees or flowers, the sidewalk, the front door, the doorbell, the knocker, the windows, the porch. Make a list of pros and cons an figure out how to improve the con side of the list. If the front door is unremarkable, consider making it more noticeable by adding a chime or repainting it.
The Sniff Test
Bring an unbiased third party in – a friend or your real estate agent. Ask them what they smell. If you had pets in the house, smoked inside, or ever had a flooding or mold problem, they may be able to tell while you have become desensitized to it. While baking cookies is a cool trick for Open House day, you need to ensure the home is actually clean – remember, smells are particulate, meaning when you smell something, you are breathing in tiny molecules of it.
Decluttering
There’s a rule in the real estate industry: 50% open space. That means of every flat surface in a home, at least 50% should be clear. for floor space, aim for an even higher open ratio – beside furniture and rugs, there shouldn’t be anything on the floor that could make it look cluttered. No matter how many people try to spin it, “cozy” is not a selling point. Don’t remove all furniture from a room to “make it look bigger”, however, as this can often backfire. Leave key pieces so people can see how much room there really is. Furniture in each room should also be logical – if you have converted a room from its original purpose (for example, turning a bedroom into a fitness/workout room) consider reverting it back to an extra bedroom so as not to confuse the home buyer.
5 Elements
Every room should have some things that represent each of the five elements – water, wood, earth, metal, and fire – for balance.
- Water can be the inclusion of any surface that feels “water-like”, such as a large glass mirror, black lacquered furniture, marble counters, etc. Blue paint can also provide a calming effect. Pictures of water scenes work as well.
- Wood can be anything made of wood such rattan furniture, a wooden coffee table or dresser, a small tree, anything tree shaped like a grandfather clock, or green paint. Of course, paintings of wooded areas work too.
- Metal can include pieces made out of ironwork, like a bed frame or a candlestick holder, or metal frames on the wall to hold art.
- Earth can be represented by having real plants potted in dirt, clay or terra cotta tiles, or even simply boxy furniture upholstered in rich yellowish tones or paintings of mountains.
- Fire can be easily achieved with a fireplace, candles, or triangular pointed shapes like plants with pointed leaves or stark looking sculptures or art pieces.
These feng shui tips can make your house seem tranquil and appealing on a subconscious level, and increase the chance of selling your home quickly to the right home buyer.
