Simple Feng Shui Tips When Selling Your Home

featured on Streeteasy.com

De-Personalize-Cho.jpg

There are so many factors influencing the sale of a home, many of which are unique to New York City.  Below are some simple feng shui considerations to create subtle shifts in your space, to maximize your selling potential!

Your Entry Door

Within a few seconds of walking in to an apartment, potential buyers often generate lasting first impressions.  Repaint or clean your entry door and make sure that the doorbell, buzzer and all door hardware are in working condition.  Oil any squeaky hinges.  Also clean or replace the number on the door.  In feng shui, all these factors influence and attract more prospective and potential buyers.  This ensures that people can find you!

Light up the Entry

Replace all light bulbs and de-clutter the entry and foyer.  It’s important to have new light bulbs, so replace any bulbs that are more than 9 months old.  Remove anything unnecessary or personal from the entrance, such as photographs, shoes or storage units.   Keep the foyer as open, spacious and well lit as possible.  An illuminated entrance ensures your home will generate a strong first impression.  Remember, buyers make much of their decision within the first few moments of walking in.  In feng shui, this will create more positive opportunities for you to sell.

De-Personalize

Even if you’re not yet ready to move, start packing up.   Focus especially on your family photos and very personal items.  If possible, move these items out of the home.  First, this allows you to start to detach from the home.  Second, it allows for and encourages the future owner to engage their personal energy into the space, so they can visualize this as their new home.  You can add plants, mirrors and lighting to replace the personal items.  Plants are great for positive energy in Feng Shui.

Clean the Windows

Windows represent the eyes and mouths of the inhabitants in the home.  Thoroughly clean all the windows and move any objects that may be blocking the light and view.  Be sure to clean both inside and outside of the windows if possible.  Clean windows can create an amazing transformation of the space. In feng shui, the windows should be clear and open, so the future owners can feel seen and heard as well as nourished.

Clear the Energy

It’s vital to clear the space of any stagnant energy.  This type of energy may prevent a home from selling because it produces negative and uncomfortable impressions.  Periodically, open all the windows in the home for a minimum of 9 minutes.  Before any showings, spray orange essential oil all around your space to transform the space with vibrant life energy.  In feng shui, oranges and orange peels contribute positive, fresh and brightening energy to our inner and outer environment.  Orange essential oil spray is easy to find at the store (including Holistic Spaces!), or you can make your own using water and a few drops of essential oil.

by Anjie Cho


Mala Workshop with Satya Jewelry

ContentImage-13270-266283-photo2.JPG

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a Mala Workshop with Satya from Satya Jewelry.  Malas are prayer beads, used to keep count while reciting mantra.

Above are images of the before and after.  Maybe you can't tell, but I hand knotted the silk thread between each bead. Of course there are 108 beads total.  Why 108?  Satya said that's the number of Gods and Goddesses.  In Feng Shui and in Buddhism, 108 is a very auspicious number.  It's a multiple of 9, and in Feng Shui we do most everything in multiples of 9.  Nine is the number of completion.

ContentImage-13270-266282-photo4.JPG

Satya spoke of her journey that led her to where she is now, and we did a small visualization before we started. Satya means "truthfulness" in Sanskrit. She embodies her name through her symbolic jewelry that inspires and encourages us to be honest and truthful with ourselves.  The gemstones have healing properties and meanings as do the symbols and metals that she designs with.

I chose the green onyx beads. Satya suggested we really take risk when we chose our beads.  Bright green is not something I wear typically, I wear a lot of black and muted colors.  First I picked up jade, a pale green... and then I realized it was so predictable of me! So I took a risk and went bold!  And I'm glad I did.  Satya describes the meaning as "Endurance: Guides decision making in challenging times."  I'm not necessarily having challenging times, but I can always use guidance from above.

My mala took about three hours to create.  It was an wonderful meditative experience.  I love my mala!

by Anjie Cho


Refresh Your Indoor Plants

ContentImage-13270-259637-anjiespringplants.jpg

It's finally starting to get warmer here in New York City. My plants are loving it! I made a little instagram collage of the plants around my apartment here in the Lower East Side. It's a great time to start giving your house plants some special attention. 

House plants improve the overall indoor air qualityThe Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science has studies online that prove this to be true. They also add natural beauty to your home, bringing some nature inside. On a Feng Shui level, plants bring in the wood element - for new beginnings, kind-heartedness, and fresh life energy.

This past weekend I spent some time giving my house plants some extra care. My mother-in-law and her husband, Shabari Bird and Hugh Lovel, teach biodynamic farming techniques all over the world, their website is Quantum Agriculture. Their agricultural research looks at the entire environment holistically. On their website they say:

"Basically this means that everything in the universe is vibration...By working with the rules of quantum mechanics using combinations of self-organizing patterns, such as the biodynamic/homeopathic/ remedies we can accomplish seeming miracles of reducing agricultural inputs while increasing crop quality."

Hugh recommends the following:

EM-1 Organic Soil Conditioner : general conditioning for all my houseplants. They recommend one ounce per gallon of water for all plants. I use this whenever I water my plants.  Hugh explained that EM-1 creates healthy microrganisms that would in particular help one of my potted trees with some chlorine poisoning.  The edges of the leaves of a tree I have were turning brown (thus his conclusion was that the plant had chlorine poisoning).

Infusion of Horsetail and Nettle : to strengthen my plants from the inside out. This was in response to the white flies I have on my flowering maple 'bella'. This is one of my favorite plants. It's so delicate and the leaves look like mini maple leaves. Hugh told me that the horsetail and nettle would make my plants healthier, and then in turn be unattractive to pests like white flies. He also told me that the infusion should be a handful of each herb, with a big pot of water. Bring it to a simmer for 30 minutes (not boiling). Then I would add some of this infusion in when I water my plants, approximately a two ounces per gallon.  This also makes a healthy tea for humans!

Geranium Essential oil spray : as a general pest repellent. While I wait for the Horsetail and Nettle infusion to take effect, a few drops of Geranium essential oil in a spray bottle of water will help repel the flies that are attacking my flowering maple bella. I adore Geranium. It's especially uplifting and balancing in the daytime. I often use it for aromatherapy when I'm getting stressed out and about to sit down to do a lot of work. Alternatively, it's very relaxing mixed with Lavender. As an aside, Jivamukti Yoga has this heavenly Organic Aloe And Lavender Aroma Lotion with a touch of Geranium.  It's really wonderful!!

On a final note, my husband's late step-father Christopher Bird, co-author of The Secret Life of Plants wrote:

"...that plants move their bodies as freely, easily, and gracefully as the most skilled animal or human, and that the only reason we don't appreciate the fact is that plants do so at a much slower pace than humans."

I interpret that as, plants are just like us -- they just happen to move much slower.

by Anjie Cho