Inviting ch’i, the vital force that inhabits all spaces, is crucial to helping you sell an empty home for sale. Helping ch’i to move through and energize empty spaces will help the home to feel lived in and welcoming. There is a saying in Feng Shui: energy goes where the eye goes. If you can imagine an empty home, you’ll guess there’s little ch’i there – there’s no place for the eye to rest, for the ch’i to inhabit. For an empty home for sale, Feng shui would suggest placement of things – art, furniture, rugs, accessories, plants – to hold each of the empty spaces and to invite the eyes to rest and enjoy.
Empty homes can look and feel forlorn, unwanted, even sad! Not the best feelings to create when marketing a home to new buyers. One of the first places to spend time when focusing energy and money on an empty home for sale is the curb appeal: the front lawn, the walkway, the porch or stoop, the front door, the numbers, the first floor windows. You may not be able to fix cracks in the sidewalk, but you can prune weeds, place pots of flowers or small statues or a fountain. If empty windows stare out at you, placement of warm and welcoming curtains will beckon buyers from the street. Doors and windows should be washed and gleaming. The front porch should be swept; don’t forget the ceiling where spider webs and/or bee’s nests could be hiding. Make sure this area is well-lit at night; an easy fix is to use solar lighting on a walkway. Make sure the path to the front door is clear, friendly and welcoming. In fact, something as simple as a fresh welcome mat can do wonders.
Now that buyers feel welcome as they come up the path, it’s time to tackle that first impression as they walk through the door. The entry area is vitally important to creating a feeling about the house. One Feng Shui suggestion is to place an entry table for buyers to place papers, keys, a handbag, gloves. As sellers, if you prefer that buyers remove their shoes, a shoe caddy with a basket of booties would be welcome in this area. A small live plant suggests that the home is being taken care of. (Ask Realtors showing the home to add a splash of water if the plant is dry. Make sure the plant doesn’t die!) A dish of mints smells nice and is a tiny “thank you” for stopping by.
In large empty rooms sometimes one piece that represents all Feng Shui elements (Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood) can make a complete statement without having to furnish the whole space. Try a large painting, one piece of furniture with pillows or an interesting rug. Watch out for “poison arrows” – sharp angles that greet people when they walk into room. These arrows usually serve to make people uncomfortable without knowing why. They can be softened with plants in front of them, or a fabric curtain. Even a blanket tossed over the arm of a chair or couch can soften an “arrow.”
Have your Feng Shui consultant identify the Helpful People and Travel area of the home so that you can place something silver or metallic in this area to enhance it: a silver-covered guest book, a silver frame with a poem or a drawing of the home. Your buyers will be the ultimate “helpful people” if they write a contract on the home!
Lastly, an open house brings energy into your empty house. Voices asking questions, sounds of footsteps and the opening and closing of doors all bring movement, life, energy into your space. In Feng Shui, people represent Fire energy – active, passionate, alive ch’i. This is what you need to sell your empty listing.
Most of the above Feng Shui suggestions cost little or no money. Many Realtors are using stagers, whose costs depend upon the rental amount of furniture and accessories, to help them showcase a home’s potential to buyers. Staging used in conjunction with feng shui can be a powerful tool. Like actors inhabiting a set, staging is a way for potential buyers to see and “feel” themselves in the home.
Of course, the listing must be priced correctly first, but a home that feels safe and comfortable and well-cared for by using Feng Shui techniques may sell faster. And, that could add a lot of good ch’i to your life!
