What exactly is Feng Shui, and how do you use it?

Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway)  is the Chinese art of placement. The term literally means wind and water.  The subject of feng shui came to mind because I was just reading an article on Oscar Nominee homes on aol.com  and saw a picture of Sandra Bullock's old "love nest".  It's a fun article- Here's the link But the moment I saw the picture of her bedroom, I immediately said to myself,"Bad Feng Shui". There were overhead beams on the ceiling effectively cutting the bed (and relationship) in half. That's a feng shui no-no.

Everyone has their own opinion- some think its superstitious, some swear by its principles, and some could care less. It's a personal preference, and if you want to have some  fun with it, I've included some information about colors and feng shui. It can be quite complex,  and there are numerous websites on the internet with various interpretations. I have three books on the subject and they all have a slightly different spin, so it's not exactly cut and dry. There are a few Feng Shui Masters in the Fairfield County area,  so if you wanted an assessment of your home, its location,  and what you could do to rectify any feng shui faux pas, there are experts in the area available.

One of the very basic principles? Declutter! That sounds familiar, doesn't it? Whether you are selling your home now or not, a clean home just feels more vibrant and healthy, and its good for your spiritual well being. By the way, de-cluttering includes closet space, drawers, cabinets,  and basements.  That's good Chi.  Colors have meanings, too:

Black-  power, sophistication, elegance,and mysterious
White-  cleanliness, clarity, innocence, spirituality, purity, creativity
Red - powerful, stimulating, passionate, exciting; passion and romance
Orange-stimulating, active, cheerful
Yellow- happy, stimulating, warm,
Green- relaxing, tranquil,  healing, calming
Blue -calming, clarity, soothing, trustworthy, renewal, and nobility
Purple- regal,  nobility, abundance, and dignity.
Pink- sedating calming, ove and romance.
Grey- calm, quiet, boring, conservative and draining
Brown-  reliable, stable, comfortable

Wherever your thoughts are on Feng Shui, remember that a buyer or seller may very well have a completely different take on it, so while I wouldn't suggest you  go hog wild maximizing the chi  in your home for a buyer, take note of some of the principles of placement- there's  a lot of common sense to it.



HomeSeller Tip #1: Pricing your Home for Sale in CT

First and foremost. I cannot stress how important it is to price your home correctly. Do you remember when you went out looking for  homes and your agent showed you homes that were obviously overpriced?  You felt that the seller wasted your time. And you probably weren't that happy about it either.  It's one thing to not care for a home that's not your style, or just doesn't have what you need, but you don't want your home to be labeled as overpriced. Oh, and BTW,
it's not your fault. Don't EVER blame an overpriced listing on a seller. It's NOT THEIR FAULT.

5 REASONS for an overpriced listing

1. The agent representing that seller didn't conduct a thorough enough market analysis and advised his/her client incorrectly.

2. The agent representing the seller did not have the courage to tell the seller that his price was too high.

3. The agent representing the seller overestimated the price to ensure that he/she got the listing,  and  figured that once he/she procured the listing, the seller would reduce the price.

4. The agent representing the seller  never advised him/her how detrimental it is to  a home sale to put excess negotiating room in the price.

5. The agent representing the seller used the "PFA" Pricing method and prayed for the 3P's.  Never heard of the PFA Pricing method?  It stands for "Pluck From Air", and the three P's? That's Put the listing on the MLS- Put a sign in the front yard, and Pray for a buyer.

That last one may have sounded a bit silly, but I am sure that you have encountered one of those type of listings in your home search if you think about it. If you want to price your home correctly, call me. I'll give you a FREE Comparable Market Analysis,  with no obligation.  And yes, you can rely on my price, and rest assured it your home won't ever be labeled as overpriced.






What's the best way to negotiate the purchase price of a home?

Negotiating is a fine art, and you have to consider the personalities involved besides the property. Some people want to negotiate as quickly as possible, and others have to mull things over before they give an answer. Know which type of personality you are dealing with.

One wrong move in negotiations can lose the deal, so be very careful. Emotions run high, and tempers can flare over otherwise minor things. That's why it's always best to work with an agent (LIKE ME!)  and not go it alone.  I devoted an entire chapter of my book,  "The Art of Buying or Selling a Home"  to negotiating. And yes, this book is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and all major book retailers, but you can also purchase it through my site, (I know, shameless plug) . The single best piece of advice I could give you is to do your best to put yourself in the other person shoes when you are negotiating

Reading Between the Lines of an MLS Listing

Do you remember the first MLS listing your agent gave you? Was it somewhat confusing? There's a lot  of information on those data sheets. Realtors are accustomed to looking at them, but when you begin to look at houses, those MLS sheets look like a lot of gobbledy-gook. There are a few things to take note of right away, and you learn where that information is on the sheet pretty quickly, but there is also lots of information that almost seems hidden if you don't know what you are looking for, or should be looking at.

The first thing your eyes will be drawn to is the picture, of course. Then you'll see the price, and some particulars on the house, such as total number of rooms, how many bedrooms, and how many baths. Lesser known information that is on the MLS home sheet is the annual property taxes, property assessment, school information, and room features, besides the biggie, which is how long the home has been on the market. In our area, hidden in plain sight on the listing sheet  is  "MT 145", and unless your agent told you where it was, and what that meant, you probably wouldn't know. It means The Market Time on that house is 145 days.

Another very important thing to look at is the listing agent remarks. There are MANY subliminal messages here, and they ring true the vast majority of the time.

I'm going to ask you to look at the remarks on that listing in a different way. Think of yourself as an agent, and if you know that these remarks are  THAT important to help sell the house, it would behoove you to point our the finer features of the home in this section.

I don't care how lazy an agent might be, or how busy that agent might be, they still want to sell that house.  There are only so many alphabetic characters that an agent is allowed in this section, so its important that nothing is redundant. As a real estate agent, you would want to make sure that you have everything covered, right? Of course, you would.  So when you look at the remarks section of a listing, and there is redundancy, what should that indicate? There may not be any great things to say about that house, because the agent could't even fill up a small area of advertising space with anything other than what's already on the listing.  And another thing while we're on the remarks section- if all the MLS says is how great the neighborhood is,and nothing about the interior of the house, you can pretty much expect that the house may need some cosmetics.

Yes, I think you can tell I am passionate about my work.  I want the very best for my clients, whether they be buyers, or sellers.  Even the most seemingly minor details to someon else are very important to you when it comes to your  biggest investment. I'm always happy to share my knowledge, and help my clients  in the very best way that I know how. So when you're ready to buy or sell  real estate in Fairfield County, CT , I'm honored to help you, and eager to assist. :)

How much does it cost to "stage" your home for sale?

... and what exactly does the term "Staging Your Home" mean?
In short, it  means optimizing your home for sale to broaden its appeal by implementing neutral and /or aesthetic changes so that your home shows as well as it could to as many buyers as possible.

Yes, once a real estate agent mentions staging to a seller, the "how much is this going to cost me" antenna goes up. Relax, "staging your home" doesn't have to cost a cent!  Are there Realtors who charge for this service? Yes. Realtors who offer a one hour complimentary service, but anything after that has a fee attached? Yes. Are there companies that offer staging advice? yes. Do they charge for their services- yes, they do. Personally, I don't ever charge a client for advising them on how to sell their home for the most money. It's part of my job.

So, that being said, ask your real estate agent UP FRONT whether they offer that service, and how much they charge for it. I want to be clear, the advice  should be included in your contract, at no cost. Sometimes, and this is not all the time, I might advise to you to do some minor repairs, or buy (or rent) some furniture, depending on the property. Then, and only then, there might be a cost, but never for my advice. I have a number of affiliate partners who I refer business to, who discount their services to my clients.

Here are a few tips on staging your home that won't cost you anything but time.

Clean! make sure your home is as spotless as you can make it.
Make sure all of your lights are on and opreational for showings (lamps, recessed lights, sconces, etc)
Remove as many "personal effects" from view as possible. By personal effects I mean family photos, trophies, beauty and hygiene products, personal papers, and clothes.
De-clutter wherever needed. That means remove as many items as you can from the kitchen countertop, remove the magnets from the fridge, pack away some of those magazines and books so they are not distracting to buyers, and don't forget to pay some de-cluttering attention to your basement!

These are just a few of many tips. When you hire a Realtor, they will most certainly let  you know exactly what you need to do in order to optimize your home for sale. ... and I hope that Realtor is me!