VIEWPOINT© |
Feng Shui and Staging Techniques - II
By Harriet Cochran Murrray - Cochran Real Estate - September 2006
As discussed in the previous article on Feng Shui (meaning Wind and Water in Chinese), it is the ancient art of placement to promote harmony, wealth, success and health. Feng Shui deals with the location and architecture of buildings, along with interior design and exterior landscaping.
The more US-familiar concept of “Home staging” is also not a new term, but for many homeowners and real estate agents the concept of “professional home staging” is shedding new light on how to promote a home in the real estate marketplace. Professional home stagers are practiced in the art of preparing a home for resale. They work with the “flow” of a home, eliminate clutter, edit and arrange furniture, and even assist in enhancing curb-appeal. With the aid of a professional home stager, your house can make a notable first impression on potential homebuyers.
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The eastern cultures not only have their own versions of the Chinese environmental science, but they have practiced the art of placement for centuries. And now that the concept has been westernized, more and more buyers and sellers are starting to use concepts of Feng Shui to buy and sell real estate. |
Even great names such as Disney, Donald Trump and Richard Branson have all used Feng Shui in their businesses. Now the idea is being applied to real estate, suggesting that a working knowledge of Feng Shui may even help in home buying and selling in today's multicultural world.
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According to both disciplines (Staging and Feng Shui), when all elements on the exterior and interior of a house are in balance, they create harmony, peace and balance to attract a buyer. In this way, both principles achieve the same results, making spaces more pleasing to humans, sometimes even unconsciously so, in order to successfully sell more real estate.
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The idea behind Feng Shui is to create an environment that is harmonious to the occupant (and buyer,) to support health and good fortune of occupants due to placement of objects, use of color, landscaping and the use of the five elements - fire, earth, metal, water, and wood.
 As we know, some homes seem to sell without any help at all, while others languish on the market. Among similar homes, why the difference in buyer interest? First Impressions are essential. As the real estate industry often stresses, the first impression is the key factor in selling your home. A home always needs to be presented at its best, right from the outset. When buyers feel at ease in a property, interest soars and they stay longer.
Recently, a two-page article in the New York Times discussed how many US Realtors are now using Feng Shui techniques to sell houses for their clients, just as Professional Stagers try to do. Certainly it appears that more articles and magazines featuring Feng Shui are appearing on the market.
Just like any service, pricing in the home staging and Feng Shui advisor industries can vary over a wide range. However, as most home sellers are not willing to invest a huge amount of cash in a house they are planning on leaving behind, the cost should balance with the expected benefit of a higher selling price. As a rule, the higher the asking price of the home, the more one can spend to have it professionally “Staged” or “Feng Shuied”.
Practitioners of Feng Shui here in Mexico:
Monica and Bruno Koppel are Feng Shui Certified Practitioners. Their school offers Certificate Feng Shui Study Programs, Home Study Feng Shui Programs, Consultations, and Individual Workshops. They teach BTB Feng Shui School, Compass School, Flying Stars Feng Shui, Nine Star Ki, Eight Mansions School, Chinese Astrology and Four Pillars. Monica has eight published books. They are leaders in Feng Shui teaching in Mexico and Latin America. They have been speakers in the Latin American Feng Shui Congress and the 3rd. and 4rth. Feng Shui conferences USA. They apply Feng Shui to residential design, business design, logo and trademark design. They offer nine star ki personal analyses too. Intuitive Feng Shui School is also applied.
Address:Berlin 84 B, Del Carmen, Coyoacan, 04100, Mexico, D.F. Mexico
011 52 55 56587805 011 52 55 56587811
Website: http://www.fengshui-monicakoppel.com
Email: monikopp@prodigy.net.mx / bkoppel@prodigy.net.mx
Laura Salinas is an architect from Monterrey N.L., Mexico. She is a graduate of the MCC (Distinction) from the Lillian Too institute of Feng Shui, is also pupil from Master Prof. Thomas Lin Yun, Prof. Juan M. Alvarez, James Moser, Monica Koppel and a lot more.
She is founder and owner of FENG SHUI- AUREUM where offers Feng Shui courses as well as consulting residential and commercial buildings. She has written the book:
“Total Success with Feng Shui” and is working in another one.
Email: laura@aureum.com.mx, aureummx@hotmail.com
Website: www.aureum.com.mx
Harriet Cochran Murray
E-mail: harriet@casasandvillas.com
This article is based upon legal opinions, current practices and my personal experiences in the Puerto Vallarta-Bahia de Banderas areas. I recommend that each potential buyer or seller conduct his own due diligence and review.
For additional information on properties, for sale or lease within the bay please visit Harriet Murray Website, call or e-mail me at: harriet@casasandvillas.com
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