Thursday, February 28, 2008
Feng Shui in the Master Bedroom
The most balanced and harmonious energy of any room in your home should be the master bedroom since it is the source of rest, renewal and romance for the head of the house.
“Whether you are single or coupled, the master should be a place where all your senses are comforted and intimately celebrated,” says Terah Kathryn Collins, author of The Western Guide to Feng Shui.
Please keep the master free of any exercise and work out equipment! After all, if you haven’t used that exercise bike for three months, how does it make you feel when you look at it? Thoughts of an expanding waistline or buttocks are not restorative or romantic!
All things animate or inanimate contain chi. Electronics of any kind, since they are concentrated sources of energy, should be left out of the bedroom. These electronic devices are distracting and can rob you of your chi. Your focus should be on rest, renewal or romance not the war in Iraq.
Keep the home office out of the bedroom. Bringing your work or any work related material to your bedroom is invasive. Bringing your work to your bedroom is like sleeping in your office. There’s no possible way you can get a goodnight’s sleep and feel well rested.
Sleeping with a pile of books is very distracting. Books belong in the library. Books scattered about is disturbing. It’s like having someone else’s thoughts in your bedroom.
Used furniture or furniture from a past failed relationship should be avoided at all cost. You surely don’t want to sleep with your new husband in the same bed that you slept in with your ex!
One of the biggest and often hidden dangers is in the closet. A chaotic closet is an energy drain. Keep your closets organized and artful. Get rid of anything that you haven’t used in the last year. If you haven’t used it, you don’t need it. Give it away or throw it away.
Avoid placing your bed below a window. The occupant feels a sense of insecurity when there is an opening of any kind that cannot be viewed from the bed.
The bed must be comfortable and inviting. Fluffy pillows in pairs represent partnership and support romance. Rose colored paint and accents also support romance. Keeping both sides of the bed the same encourages equality in the relationship.
The welfare of the entire household depends largely on the condition and energy of the master bedroom. Applying Feng Shui principles can enhance the quality of ones life and support your intentions.
It’s a matter of good Home $$s and Sense.
“Whether you are single or coupled, the master should be a place where all your senses are comforted and intimately celebrated,” says Terah Kathryn Collins, author of The Western Guide to Feng Shui.
Please keep the master free of any exercise and work out equipment! After all, if you haven’t used that exercise bike for three months, how does it make you feel when you look at it? Thoughts of an expanding waistline or buttocks are not restorative or romantic!
All things animate or inanimate contain chi. Electronics of any kind, since they are concentrated sources of energy, should be left out of the bedroom. These electronic devices are distracting and can rob you of your chi. Your focus should be on rest, renewal or romance not the war in Iraq.
Keep the home office out of the bedroom. Bringing your work or any work related material to your bedroom is invasive. Bringing your work to your bedroom is like sleeping in your office. There’s no possible way you can get a goodnight’s sleep and feel well rested.
Sleeping with a pile of books is very distracting. Books belong in the library. Books scattered about is disturbing. It’s like having someone else’s thoughts in your bedroom.
Used furniture or furniture from a past failed relationship should be avoided at all cost. You surely don’t want to sleep with your new husband in the same bed that you slept in with your ex!
One of the biggest and often hidden dangers is in the closet. A chaotic closet is an energy drain. Keep your closets organized and artful. Get rid of anything that you haven’t used in the last year. If you haven’t used it, you don’t need it. Give it away or throw it away.
Avoid placing your bed below a window. The occupant feels a sense of insecurity when there is an opening of any kind that cannot be viewed from the bed.
The bed must be comfortable and inviting. Fluffy pillows in pairs represent partnership and support romance. Rose colored paint and accents also support romance. Keeping both sides of the bed the same encourages equality in the relationship.
The welfare of the entire household depends largely on the condition and energy of the master bedroom. Applying Feng Shui principles can enhance the quality of ones life and support your intentions.
It’s a matter of good Home $$s and Sense.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Feng Shui in the Kitchen
I received questions from some readers about applying Feng Shui principles to the staging of one’s home.
The kitchen seemed to be the room of most interest. I spoke with Sandra Bridges, a professional stager and FengShui consultant. First, she was not surprised that readers were interested in the kitchen. It is one of the most important rooms in the house. The kitchen is the place that provides sustenance and nourishment to the family. People, including buyers, gravitate toward the kitchen because that is where they are nourished. And don’t be fooled into thinking that only women love kitchens!
Sandra explained that Feng Shui was a very complex system based on profound energetic principles. For that reason she decided to focus on how the theory manifests in practical ways.
Her first suggestion for good Feng Shui in the kitchen was a thorough cleaning and decluttering. Cleanliness and organization bring you half way to good Feng Shui. A clean clutter free kitchen is like providing a blank canvas. It inspires the cook. How do you feel when you walk into your kitchen “the morning after?” Contrast that feeling with how you feel walking into a tidy organized kitchen to prepare your next meal.
Some kitchens may look clean but they don’t feel clean. This can be remedied by placing a bowl of citrus like lemons oranges or limes on the counter. Citrus is said to be very cleansing not only of odors but also energetically.
Islands are great in a kitchen. They not only look good, they feel good. Be sure to always provide seating. If your kitchen is too small a stool will suffice.
Most Feng Shui masters believe that lighting is very important. Bright incandescent, full spectrum lighting is the optimum.
Rounded corners are best in a kitchen. Sharp knives should be in drawers out of sight when not in use. Metaphorically they are “cutting” and can cause accidents. It is wise to avoid menacing overhead pot racks as well.
Since the cook’s energy is transferred to the family thorough the food they prepare, it is important that the cook’s energy be harmonious. Red, a fire color, can be agitating. Avoid red walls. The kitchen ideally should be white.
It is important that the refrigerator be kept out of sight from the rest of the house. If is it visible it is said to cause insatiable appetites. (I thought this may be a good diet aid!)
The stove is the energy generator of the home. A shiny metal surface behind the stove doubles the energy. It is important that the stove be in good operating order, clean and the more burners the better.
The Chinese believe that the kitchen is the bridge between health and wealth.
Creating good Feng Shui in this important room is a matter of good Home $$s and Sense.
The kitchen seemed to be the room of most interest. I spoke with Sandra Bridges, a professional stager and FengShui consultant. First, she was not surprised that readers were interested in the kitchen. It is one of the most important rooms in the house. The kitchen is the place that provides sustenance and nourishment to the family. People, including buyers, gravitate toward the kitchen because that is where they are nourished. And don’t be fooled into thinking that only women love kitchens!
Sandra explained that Feng Shui was a very complex system based on profound energetic principles. For that reason she decided to focus on how the theory manifests in practical ways.
Her first suggestion for good Feng Shui in the kitchen was a thorough cleaning and decluttering. Cleanliness and organization bring you half way to good Feng Shui. A clean clutter free kitchen is like providing a blank canvas. It inspires the cook. How do you feel when you walk into your kitchen “the morning after?” Contrast that feeling with how you feel walking into a tidy organized kitchen to prepare your next meal.
Some kitchens may look clean but they don’t feel clean. This can be remedied by placing a bowl of citrus like lemons oranges or limes on the counter. Citrus is said to be very cleansing not only of odors but also energetically.
Islands are great in a kitchen. They not only look good, they feel good. Be sure to always provide seating. If your kitchen is too small a stool will suffice.
Most Feng Shui masters believe that lighting is very important. Bright incandescent, full spectrum lighting is the optimum.
Rounded corners are best in a kitchen. Sharp knives should be in drawers out of sight when not in use. Metaphorically they are “cutting” and can cause accidents. It is wise to avoid menacing overhead pot racks as well.
Since the cook’s energy is transferred to the family thorough the food they prepare, it is important that the cook’s energy be harmonious. Red, a fire color, can be agitating. Avoid red walls. The kitchen ideally should be white.
It is important that the refrigerator be kept out of sight from the rest of the house. If is it visible it is said to cause insatiable appetites. (I thought this may be a good diet aid!)
The stove is the energy generator of the home. A shiny metal surface behind the stove doubles the energy. It is important that the stove be in good operating order, clean and the more burners the better.
The Chinese believe that the kitchen is the bridge between health and wealth.
Creating good Feng Shui in this important room is a matter of good Home $$s and Sense.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Make Feng Shui Part of Your Staging Plan
Dear Sue,
This is probably not the best time to sell, but we are forced to due to my husband’s transfer to Germany.
We have owned our home three years. We bought it knowing that there were some things that needed repairs. Unfortunately we haven’t gotten around to all of them. Rather than get involved in a lot of repairs right now, I was considering a fresh coat of paint and a little staging and calling it good. We can always credit the buyer for the repairs.
My girlfriend said that a fresh coat of paint isn’t enough to get a home sold in today’s market. She suggested that we apply the principles of Feng Sheni to our staging plans.
There is so much information out there on Fen Shui I don’t know where to begin. Could you please give me some bottom line ideas?
Germany Bound Jennie
Dear Jennie,
I discussed your question with my sister, Sandra Bridges. She is a certified Feng Shui consultant and professional stager. I regularly consult with her prior to marketing certain properties.
The first thing she did was tell me a story. The word sincere is derived from the Latin words sin (without) and sera (wax).
In the ancient market place, merchants would sell clay pots. Some merchants would fill the cracks of their defective pots with wax. Competing merchants with quality pots would place signs at their booths advertising that their pots were “sincere” or without wax.
This is how a home must be presented when being put on the market today. A superficial fix like a fresh coat of paint isn’t enough anymore. Feng Shui is not a cosmetic cover up. It operates on the deepest levels. A bad foundation is bad Feng Shui .
Your home needs to be structurally sound. All systems should be intact and in working order with no major issues. “Move in ready” is the optimum. Once the basic issues are taken care of then it’s the “first 60 seconds.”
Sandra believes as I do that the sale is made in the first 60 seconds. A buyer usually knows from the curb if it’s the house for him or her. It’s not only how it looks but how it makes one feel.
Curb appeal in Feng Shui terms is a welcoming clear path to the front door. The preferred entry to the front door is meandering. Meandering creates a slower energy which is the most desirable. The windows are considered to be the eye of chi or energy. They need to be sparkling clean. This is the energy that brings one off the street, on to the property and into the home.
The door is of the utmost importance. It must be solid, clean, quiet and smooth. It needs to open easily. Buyers shouldn’t have to fumble with door handles, latches and locks!
Don’t choke the chi with overgrown foliage over walkways and excessive plantings and clutter at the door’s entry.
All of nature’s elements, Wood, Earth, Fire, Water and Metal should be present and in balance for good Feng Shui . Obviously one can’t have certain elements in the front yard like fire. All of the elements can be represented by their corresponding shapes and colors. For example the fire element can be represented by red or bright orange flowers.
Do you know why a red front door is believed to be good Feng Sheri? The color red represents a strong career, certainly a valuable asset in any prospective buyer. The house with a red painted door is said to attract strong capable buyers. It also adds the fire element to the entry adding to the appropriate balance.
It a buyer feels a sense of harmony and well-being when viewing your home they are more apt to be attracted to it. Buyers want a home that is visually and energetically satisfying. A home with good Fens Shui supports those feelings.
Since the art of Feng Shui is a complex subject, I recommend that you consult a good Feng Shui specialist as part of your staging plan. It can be a matter of good Home $$s and Sense.
This is probably not the best time to sell, but we are forced to due to my husband’s transfer to Germany.
We have owned our home three years. We bought it knowing that there were some things that needed repairs. Unfortunately we haven’t gotten around to all of them. Rather than get involved in a lot of repairs right now, I was considering a fresh coat of paint and a little staging and calling it good. We can always credit the buyer for the repairs.
My girlfriend said that a fresh coat of paint isn’t enough to get a home sold in today’s market. She suggested that we apply the principles of Feng Sheni to our staging plans.
There is so much information out there on Fen Shui I don’t know where to begin. Could you please give me some bottom line ideas?
Germany Bound Jennie
Dear Jennie,
I discussed your question with my sister, Sandra Bridges. She is a certified Feng Shui consultant and professional stager. I regularly consult with her prior to marketing certain properties.
The first thing she did was tell me a story. The word sincere is derived from the Latin words sin (without) and sera (wax).
In the ancient market place, merchants would sell clay pots. Some merchants would fill the cracks of their defective pots with wax. Competing merchants with quality pots would place signs at their booths advertising that their pots were “sincere” or without wax.
This is how a home must be presented when being put on the market today. A superficial fix like a fresh coat of paint isn’t enough anymore. Feng Shui is not a cosmetic cover up. It operates on the deepest levels. A bad foundation is bad Feng Shui .
Your home needs to be structurally sound. All systems should be intact and in working order with no major issues. “Move in ready” is the optimum. Once the basic issues are taken care of then it’s the “first 60 seconds.”
Sandra believes as I do that the sale is made in the first 60 seconds. A buyer usually knows from the curb if it’s the house for him or her. It’s not only how it looks but how it makes one feel.
Curb appeal in Feng Shui terms is a welcoming clear path to the front door. The preferred entry to the front door is meandering. Meandering creates a slower energy which is the most desirable. The windows are considered to be the eye of chi or energy. They need to be sparkling clean. This is the energy that brings one off the street, on to the property and into the home.
The door is of the utmost importance. It must be solid, clean, quiet and smooth. It needs to open easily. Buyers shouldn’t have to fumble with door handles, latches and locks!
Don’t choke the chi with overgrown foliage over walkways and excessive plantings and clutter at the door’s entry.
All of nature’s elements, Wood, Earth, Fire, Water and Metal should be present and in balance for good Feng Shui . Obviously one can’t have certain elements in the front yard like fire. All of the elements can be represented by their corresponding shapes and colors. For example the fire element can be represented by red or bright orange flowers.
Do you know why a red front door is believed to be good Feng Sheri? The color red represents a strong career, certainly a valuable asset in any prospective buyer. The house with a red painted door is said to attract strong capable buyers. It also adds the fire element to the entry adding to the appropriate balance.
It a buyer feels a sense of harmony and well-being when viewing your home they are more apt to be attracted to it. Buyers want a home that is visually and energetically satisfying. A home with good Fens Shui supports those feelings.
Since the art of Feng Shui is a complex subject, I recommend that you consult a good Feng Shui specialist as part of your staging plan. It can be a matter of good Home $$s and Sense.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Why Won’t the Bank Consider My Offer?
Dear Sue,
I sold my home last week. I have an all cash offer with a thirty day escrow. The only contingencies are inspections. I have a really good feeling that my escrow is going to close flawlessly.
Here is my issue. My husband and I made an offer on a foreclosure. The agent for the bank wouldn’t submit our offer because we made it conditioned upon our escrow closing.
This doesn’t make any sense to us. If the bank saw our offer I believe that they would consider it but the agent insists that the bank won’t look at any contingent offers so she won’t even try.
Do you think that we should go around our agent and submit our offer directly to the bank ourselves?
Frustrated Fran
Dear Fran,
Some of the best buys in today’s market are lender owned properties. Buying a foreclosure is a great idea.
My experience has also shown that in some ways lenders can be easier to negotiate with than homeowners with short sales or resales. Lenders lack the emotional attachment of most homeowners and pretty much negotiate the bottom line. Lenders do however have their own particular set of guidelines. They each have their own “rules of engagement.” These rules vary from lender to lender and are established in advance of offering the property for sale.
The lender’s selling agents must abide by the rules that are set forth for them. Those rules may not always make sense. It appears as though the lender in your case will not look at an offer that contains a contingency to sell or close on an escrow in order to purchase their foreclosure property.
I would not recommend going directly to the bank.
Is it possible to get your buyer to remove their contingencies? If you have an all cash offer, financing shouldn’t be an issue. If you could get your buyer to speed up the inspection process and remove all contingencies, you could resubmit your offer without the sale contingency. Please be advised however, that should your sale fall though, your deposit could be in jeopardy.
Ask your agent to contact the banks agent and find out what the lender’s requirements are for submitting an offer. Maybe there is a way. You won’t know without your agent asking. It can be a matter of good Home $$s and Sense.
I sold my home last week. I have an all cash offer with a thirty day escrow. The only contingencies are inspections. I have a really good feeling that my escrow is going to close flawlessly.
Here is my issue. My husband and I made an offer on a foreclosure. The agent for the bank wouldn’t submit our offer because we made it conditioned upon our escrow closing.
This doesn’t make any sense to us. If the bank saw our offer I believe that they would consider it but the agent insists that the bank won’t look at any contingent offers so she won’t even try.
Do you think that we should go around our agent and submit our offer directly to the bank ourselves?
Frustrated Fran
Dear Fran,
Some of the best buys in today’s market are lender owned properties. Buying a foreclosure is a great idea.
My experience has also shown that in some ways lenders can be easier to negotiate with than homeowners with short sales or resales. Lenders lack the emotional attachment of most homeowners and pretty much negotiate the bottom line. Lenders do however have their own particular set of guidelines. They each have their own “rules of engagement.” These rules vary from lender to lender and are established in advance of offering the property for sale.
The lender’s selling agents must abide by the rules that are set forth for them. Those rules may not always make sense. It appears as though the lender in your case will not look at an offer that contains a contingency to sell or close on an escrow in order to purchase their foreclosure property.
I would not recommend going directly to the bank.
Is it possible to get your buyer to remove their contingencies? If you have an all cash offer, financing shouldn’t be an issue. If you could get your buyer to speed up the inspection process and remove all contingencies, you could resubmit your offer without the sale contingency. Please be advised however, that should your sale fall though, your deposit could be in jeopardy.
Ask your agent to contact the banks agent and find out what the lender’s requirements are for submitting an offer. Maybe there is a way. You won’t know without your agent asking. It can be a matter of good Home $$s and Sense.
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