The ancient Chinese art of feng shui uses time-tested principles to create balance, harmony and good fortune. Incorporating some of these principles into your home before you put it up for sale will not only make your home more appealing but also could guarantee you a faster sale.

There’s a lot to learn when it comes to feng shui, but the basic principles that underlie it are to create a constant flow of positive energy (called chi or qi) around your home. Here are some simple ways you can embrace some of these principles to make your home more appealing to buyers.

Create empty spaces around your furniture

Using the principle of creating good energy flow around your home, decluttering is one of the main aspects you need to consider. Clutter creates stagnant energy that cannot move freely. In addition, clutter confuses the eye and overwhelms the mind. Essentially, this stops buyers from actually seeing the potential of your interior spaces to suit their own needs.

With this in mind, you want to remove as much clutter as possible. Let’s face it, you’re going to have to pack up your belongings anyway, so why not do some of this before you open your home to potential buyers.

Try to open up as much space as possible in every room of your home. You might even be able to take out some of the excess furniture and store it somewhere else to create a feeling of space and to allow free movement around your home when buyers come to view it.

Here are some additional tips:

  • Make sure that any of your seating such as couches and chairs don’t directly face a doorway.
  • Arrange your lounge seating so the chairs and couch are not facing each other. Instead, place them at an angle or place a coffee table between them.
  • Don’t hang a mirror facing the front door. This is said to reflect the wealth of the home outwards. Mirrors are better placed opposite your windows because they help to reflect the light and make your rooms look brighter.
  • In the bedroom, your bed should be placed opposite the door but the foot of the bed should not be facing the door.
  • Avoid placing images of water or a water fountain in the bedroom as this is said to disrupt sleep. Equally, mirrors are bad luck for bedrooms.

Colour choices play an important role

If you’re considering painting the interior of your home before its sale, stick to neutral colours on the walls and ceiling as these also help to open up the space. Plus, they’re much more likely to appeal to a greater number of buyers.

You can then add splashes of colour with accessories such as throw cushions, well-placed pieces of art, indoor plants, vases filled with colourful flowers and floor rugs.

Using the various attributes that are applied to different colours in feng shui, here are some suggestions for different rooms in your home.

  • Use neutral colours like shades of white, cream and grey in the bedroom to encourage restfulness. You can add a spot of pink for romance.
  • Warmer uplifting colours such as yellow and orange work well in living areas. But don’t use too many of these. You want to balance them out a little with a splash of blue or green.
  • Adding a few red accessories in the kitchen can work well as red is regarded as a stimulating colour. That’s why many restaurants use red in their décor.

Clever use of the five essential fen shui elements

Feng shui uses the five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal to help to create balance in every area of your home. Too much of one element can be overbearing but this can be balanced with another element that helps to calm the space.

Here’s a quick rundown of which elements help to balance others:

  • Water helps to balance fire
  • Wood helps to balance earth
  • Fire helps to balance metal
  • Earth helps to balance water
  • Metal helps to balance wood

When using these elements, it’s important to understand which decorating items represent these elements so you can use them correctly. Here’s a simple explanation:

  • Water: mirrors, fountains, pictures of water, the colours blue or black.
  • Wood: living plants, furniture made from wood, pictures of trees and forests, the colours green or brown.
  • Fire: open fire places or wood heaters, candles, lights, electronics, the colours of red and orange.
  • Earth: natural earthenware products, images of landscapes, the colours yellow or beige.
  • Metal: anything with a metallic finish, rocks and stone, the colours white or grey.

Now that you have a better understanding, you can easily take a look at each room of your home to ascertain whether you have too much of one element and need to balance it with another.

Can we help with your Swan Hill home?

We’re full of great ideas on how to prepare your home for a successful sale, so why not give us a call on 03 5032 2507. We’re here to help.

Tags: Create good energy flow in your homeDecluttering your Swan Hill homeFeng shui coloursSell your home with feng shuiSwan hill home sales

Ray White Swan Hill

Cameron Smits and Fiona Hawley have been leading sales agents for a decade. Offering the full gamut of property services, including home sales, property management and commercial property services in Swan Hill (and nearby towns like Lake Boga and Murray Downs), they and their staff are exceptionally professional, forward-thinking and down to earth. Give them a call for up to date property market insights.