Sponsored post: Real Estate Confidential: Feng Shui, and selling your house with feeling

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A good front door, and positive feng shui, will help you sell your house.

Weekly chit-chat about new listings, sales or other insider info on the Martha’s Vineyard real estate market, by Fred Roven, Martha’s Vineyard Buyer Agents.

A strong belief of mine after many years buying and selling real estate: The front door is everything. This was long before I had any real understanding of feng shui and how it can affect your overall well-being in your home and also make it easier when the time comes to sell. Sure, buyers want curb appeal and they will get to a thorough inspection in time. They will take plenty of time to see rooms, basement, kitchen and their first experience of making your house their home takes place in the first 30 seconds of a showing. Those buyers are reacting to what it feels like to walk up the path, face the front door, open it, and take everything in at that moment. Is this how they want to feel in their new home?

The concept of feng shui goes back 4,000 years, when it was used in the construction and land layout of the Imperial City in China. Feng shui literally translated means “Wind and Water” from a Chinese proverb about how to site a home: Where the breeze is gentle, the water clear, the sun is warm and the foliage is lush. It will bring harmony, tranquility, good fortune and thus overall well being. The three major concepts of feng shui are: Flow of energy, balance of yin/yang, and the interaction of the five elements in the universe — fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. It is based on common-sense practices that make our homes healthier and more organized.

Personally I interpret this to mean:

  •   Clear Clutter
  • Fix broken things
  • Wash windows

The front entry should be inviting. As to the outside of the home, keep it clean, organized and have a flowing path leading to the front door. According to feng shui principles, it is advantageous to place a fountain near the entry to your home. Choose a fountain that has a pleasing sound of falling water similar to that of a babbling brook. The water should be flowing toward your front door and the middle of your home. Surround your home with reminders of nature, which is the original source of serenity and beauty. A good feng shui house has a smooth, clean, and clear energy flow to your front door.

Forget about the color of your front door and make sure it is clean, warm, and inviting. The front door is the premier starting point into the house. Show consistent loving to your front door and attract a buyer who loves your house. Does your front door need some loving care? You want your it to be inviting whether for a potential buyer, friends or even yourself.

A strong feng shui front door opens up to a smooth flow of energy in the front entrance. Make certain the door will open fully into the house and you are not greeted with any clutter. In feng shui, less is more. Is your main entry designed to welcome, strengthen and channel the incoming energy throughout the whole house? This same energy is what someone feels when they walk through the front door. Clutter can be the worst enemy in the sale of a home and life energy cannot move freely where clutter and uncleanliness are. One of the best motivators to clear our clutter is to allow beneficial energy, of which all things in the universe is made, to circulate freely.

I firmly believe a potential buyer knows if this house can be their home after they walk down a relaxing path, enter through an inviting door and are greeted by uncluttered space like a breath of fresh air. The prime directive of feng shui is clear a house of clutter. Forget about all the don’ts you have heard (like having 2 stoves will divide your wealth) and focus on the positive. feng shui is all about living intentionally. A concept that is thousands of years old which not only stands the test of time but brings a state of harmony cannot be bad. When a home is tranquil and serene you will feel it and it shows.

As you view homes to buy at Martha’s Vineyard Real Estate , consider how that front door feels to you. There are many points to consider about the house siting and location before you get to the entry and hundreds of points to consider inside the home. For a thorough review, see Before You Buy a House: A Feng Shui Checklist by Rodika Tchi.

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