Putting your home on the market this spring? Seasonal changes affect our moods and vitality. The wood element of spring harnesses our pioneering spirit, inspires fresh ideas for growth, new life and a sense of moving forward. Combining the influences of spring with some feng shui common sense could provide the impetus for us to move out and for others to move in.
Presented well, a home will evoke an awakening upon all senses. This is feng shui. Indescribable in so many words, but it feels right, and creates that first instinct – comfort – forming an emotional attachment in the buyer, even surpassing the boundaries of finance. Evoking immediate emotional responses, colour is a cost-effective way to enliven space before selling your home.
For hallways, bright yellow stimulates optimism, happiness, and intellect, while bright orange stimulates reason and communication.
To depict a stabilising, calm and supportive environment, choose colours representative of the
earth element such as mushroom, cream, brown and terracotta.
Naturally the fire element is already very strong in all kitchens, so earth shades are most suitable here.
Blue hues are soothing and are linked with spirituality, patience and mystery. While blue enlarges a bedroom, bathroom or therapy room, it can arouse suspicion and melancholy, so keep it out of family and dining rooms.
Green shades represent the new growth of spring, fertility and harmony, and they correspond to the element of wood. Although restful and refreshing, they are best kept to the bathroom and conservatory.
Gardens help us achieve personal yin-yang equilibrium, disproportionate due to the frantic pace of modern life. And for those seeking a sense of balance, a welcoming outdoor space could well be the deciding factor that tips your property in their favour. When time or budget doesn’t allow a complete garden overhaul, a well-cared-for selection of potted herbs and spring flowers could form the ideal green retreat and glimpse of a different world for a buyer.
The front door is the mouth of your home, where the energy of the home flows in and out. It represents our freedom, access to the outside world, and provides us with protection. The facing direction of the front door forms a critical component in any feng shui consultation as it indicates what kind of energy the house receives. Even if unknown, and regardless of what the main door is receiving, it remains extremely important. If energy flow through this door is uninterrupted, it follows that personal projects, progress and relationships will also move along smoothly. Make sure it opens freely and clearly without obstruction.
During 2010 the troublesome Flying Star 5 energy resides in the south-west of every building. This energy creates blockages, havoc and dissent and, should your main door face south-west, you’ll be activating the full force of this energy every time the door is used.
Consider entering the home through an alternative door or, if unavoidable, replace open for inspections with private bookings to minimise traffic, and place metal wind chimes over the door to dissolve the impact. If your front door faces south-west, it is likely you’ll encounter more difficulties than expected while your home is on the market at this time, and it may be worthwhile considering delaying until February 2011, when the Flying Star 5 will relocate.
In conflict with the essence of spring, clutter is symbolic of hanging onto your past, and must be faced in order to move on. Of course, a functioning home where there is a place for everything makes perfect sense, however, on a deeper level it indicates that in this home, emotional baggage is dealt with. Use the essence of spring to remove accumulated “stuff” that doesn’t serve you or your family and give your home the best chance for a fresh, new start. This kind of clearing addresses the unseen energies of the home, not just the physical appearance.
Unseen resident energies within a house are responsible for those feelings of wanting to run to, or run away from, a home. When strangers enter your sacred space with a view to calling it their own, immediate impressions will be formed. A home where long-term sickness has existed will leave an imprint that is felt as discomfort and coldness. Until February 2011, dissolve the energy associated with illness by positioning metal wind chimes and a string of six Chinese coins in the north-east sector of the home. Competing for a sense of stability and warmth is an energy associated with anger and frustration that falls into the south sector of all homes this year. Alleviate this through the positioning of red cushions, or rugs, or some red artwork on the wall. If this seems a little abstract, consider how you feel upon entering a room after an argument has taken place.
So, regardless of your lifestyle and achievements, when selling your home, the emphasis must be on how it portrays you. And, subsequently, what kind of lifestyle is available to those who may choose to live here.
Feng shui can help draw buyers in, creating strong emotional connections, influencing decision making and overriding misgivings. While it’s almost impossible to achieve 100 per cent good feng shui in any building, let alone one that you intend leaving, by curing the more
negative energies and improving the positive, as a vendor, you’re enhancing the value of your property and tailoring yourself a great advantage at the bargaining table.
Even though these tips will provide valuable assistance in preparing your home for sale in spring this year, remember there isn’t a generic feng shui solution that encompasses all homes at all times. So if you are unsure, contact your local feng shui consultant, embrace the energies that activate our homes, lives, health, wealth and happiness and let’s feng shui.
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