Sell Your Home Faster and More Profitably with Feng Shui

From determining pricing to having to keep a home in "showhome condition" marketing a house is always a challenge. Just like a hangnail most homeowners want to get the sale over as quickly as possible.

Here are a number of Feng Shui tips to move the house sale along

First engage the senses . Prospective buyers must be engaged in every way possible . Use these ideas to engage the senses of buyers at your home.

Make sure that your house looks good. Use lots of horizontal space. Make sure you clear off the tops of everything ( dressers , counters , shelves etc.)

Draw your eye to the corner diagonal to the door of each room. This will make rooms seem and feel larger .

Next make sure that all entries and rooms can be entered easily and comfortably. Make sure as well that there are no mirrors that are opposite doorways. It is always a good idea to have some motion in the house - that it is not "dead still". Ceiling fans can accomplish this well.

Believe it or not where you place your "for sale "sign carries weight. Since the karma is to place the sign on the right hand side of the house (facing the front of the home). It makes sense as most people are right handed and lead with the right side of their body.

Your house should be welcoming to newcomers and visitors.

The table in the foyer or front of the house should be inviting offering literature, business cards and a bowl of chocolates or cinnamon candies. As well a smaller vase of fresh flowers always give a nice feeling.

You should remember that the kitchen is the new family room,

Rather than being the area reserved for the lowly servants kitchens are now the meeting and sharing rooms that many families wish to have fond memories of.

Again keep counters clear, clean and nicely organized.

Keep the panty nicely organized - it shows attention to detail and the care afforded by the homeowners. However it never hurts to again place lush plants on the counter alongside a homey jar full of home made cookies. Bathroom doors should be closed.

It is always good to have sounds that are pleasant to the ears.

Place a fountain close to the front of the house or keep music playing at all times especially in the northwest corner of the house.

According to feng shui , earthly scents are the most appealing to the widest range of people. Choose cinnamon and pine scents rather than floral or vanilla scents

Remember that first impressions are lasting ,

The front door is the most important area of the house . Keep in more than immaculate with soft lights turned on in the foyer area , a new doormat , and have something flanking either side of the front door , such as two pots of lush , very healthy plants and flowers.

You should be ready to move mentally as well as physically when you sell home.

Don't dilly and have second thoughts . Don't lay a stumbling block in front of the buyer by making extra demands.

For both your mental health and to reassure the new owners you can even buy them a new gift - such as a new door mat or keychain.

Now it is your turn to start moving out promptly , thoroughly and efficiently. You might even move furniture and large items out sooner rather than later to a rented storeage space. Again this is as much for your mental health as to reassure the new owners.

You will be the ideal role model for the realtors in your area. It makes for more space- prepares you mentally and packing will be half done.

Remember by leaving things to the last moment you limit your options. Everything will be rushed . Things will go wrong. Remember Murphy's Law that what disasters can happen will happen.

You are going to move anyways . The decision is made . So why make it harder on yourself . In addition you will be in a much better bargaining posituon for vendors such as movers and carpet cleaners.

As in life preparation is everything in selling your home.

Hopefully you are moving along for good positive reasons rather than misfortunes in your life.

Amy Goodmann Senior Analyst Substantial Incomes frxforex@yahoo.com www.forexforexforexforex.com www.substantialincomes.com

Feng Shui Solutions For Your Condo?s Kitchen And Office

Feng Shui is the 6,000-year-old Asian practice that blends science, art, and spirituality in choosing the proper placement of buildings, furniture, entrances and exits, as well as in using colors, plants, and water in the home, condo or workplace.

Feng Shui is based on complex scientific calculations, not inspiration or intuition. Our planet is filled with different energies. It rotates on its axis creating cycles of day and night, while simultaneously revolving around the Sun in yearly cycles, and is constantly subjected to a wide array of other forces in the Universe. These physical forces and many different time cycles affect us profoundly. The Chinese have spent centuries observing the effects of these forces and learning how to help humanity live in harmony with its environment. This is the science of Feng Shui.

Using the five traditional Chinese elements (fire, water, earth, wood and metal) to balance the flow of ?chi? (life energy) in your environment, Feng Shui can improve your health and clear barriers keeping you from financial success.

The following are specific pieces of advice from Feng Shui experts on using this discipline to make your condo a happier and more productive place.

Feng Shui Solutions for the Kitchen

In order for the food you eat to give you high-quality and healing energy, it needs to be prepared in a harmonious, well-organized kitchen with a balanced flow of chi.

Follow these basic feng shui guidelines to make your kitchen a place that nourishes and sustains you:

1) In general, the kitchen should be airy and spacious, clean, bright and welcoming. You should have several levels of lighting available.

2) Feng Shui experts consider the color yellow to be very good for digestion, making it ideal for the kitchen. The shade or tone is less important?anything from "butter yellow" to "harvest gold? is fine.

3) Add healthy, organic foods to your diet, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. Good nutrition is good feng shui!

4) Do not crowd your kitchen with complex gadgets, and don?t let your countertops accumulate junk mail or other clutter. Simpler is better.

5) Add a vase of flowers, a live plant, or a bowl of fresh fruit to your kitchen table. Colorful plants bring beauty and uplifting energy to the kitchen. If there?s no room on your kitchen table for plants, display them on your windowsill or whatever other surface is convenient.

6) If possible, avoid locating your kitchen close to the front or back door, which allows energy to easily escape.

Apply these principles to your kitchen, and you?ll feel a difference in your physical health and energy level.

Feng Shui Solutions for Your Home Office

For most people, working from a home office presents two major challenges:

- Keeping your business separate from your home life,

- Missing out on stimulating?though business-related?social interaction.

Of course, working from home offers a lot of benefits as well (no time lost in commuting, more flexibility in scheduling your time), which is why more and more people are choosing this option if it?s available.

Apply these feng shui principles to maximize your comfort and effectiveness while working out of your home.

1) Place your home office as far away from your bedroom as you can. If your floor-plan permits, having a separate office space with its own entrance is ideal.

2) Fill your workspace with colors, images, and objects that make you feel appreciated, successful and creative. Your office should reflect the energy you want to project into the world.

3) Pay attention to the quality of air and the quality of light (natural and artificial) in your home office. If your brain is starved for oxygen and you do not get enough light, you will not enjoy doing your work no matter how much you love it. Consider using full-spectrum lights that mimic the effects of sunlight, and keep at least a few air-purifying plants in your workspace.

4) Position your desk so that your back is not facing the door. Neither should you face a wall while working at your desk. If you must face the wall, decorate it with a vibrant piece of art, or something else that makes you smile and helps relieve tension.

5) Schedule ?clutter-clearing days? on your calendar and stick to them?you?ll be amazed at how much more enthusiasm and energy you?ll bring to work on the days that follow. Clutter drains your energy and can ruin your health and your business.

In addition, there are several important areas in your office that need to be handled in specific ways according to feng shui.

The south part of your workspace is connected to fame and reputation?a more exact translation from the Chinese would be your "Light in the World." Its energy comes from the element of Fire, so avoid having the color blue, mirrors, fountains or images of water in this area, as Water acts against Fire.

The north part of your office relates to your career (your ?Path in Life?). The operative element here is Water, so you want objects and images representing water in this space, as well as Metal (Metal creates Water in the feng shui cycle of 5 elements.) You can also place inspiring pictures related to your career here, using either black or white frames.

The southeast area is related to prosperity and abundance. The feng shui element at work here is Wood, so you need to avoid images and colors related to Fire, and not use very much Metal, either. Display objects, sculptures or pictures that spark thoughts of abundance and ?richness,? in whatever form is most meaningful to you.

Just follow these simple guidelines, and you?ll immediately notice a much higher level of energy in your home office environment.

John T. Ormond has been researching and writing about the Chicago real estate market since 2004. For more information about the Chicago real estate market and selling your condo, visit Best Chicago Condos.