Stephanie: I love how you go into the subconscious level of the home buyer.
Stephen: To me, Feng Shui is a lot about psychology. Feng Shui changes a person’s perceptions on not only a conscious level…but a sub-conscious one. What is important about that fact is that most decisions are eventually made and reinforced on the subconscious level. There’s so much that goes on around you and I during a day that we don’t even register because it’s just not important at that moment, whether it’s to react to a car speeding down the road or a baby crying. The brain only takes into account about five percent or so of what’s actually going on around you and what needs immediate attention. If it didn’t, we’d have a major problem with respect to being able to react to things quickly. Feng Shui “taps” into that five percent!
You’ve heard before that selling a house is an emotional decision and it is. It’s very, very important to take care of the emotional part of things and to make sure that you hit that part of the brain. Feng Shui handled that for me and I liked that. It was easy to actually get that type of reaction. Feng Shui, I found, helped the buyer recall a house better. It stayed with them longer.
Stephanie: What are some misconceptions people have about Feng Shui?
Stephen: Some of the population still believes Feng Shui is a religion or a faulty philosophy that has no scientific proof backing it up. Whereas many studies prove that a person’s environment has a profound influence on their productivity and eventually their success.
Stephanie: What is a Feng Shui open house?
Stephen: It’s a rare opportunity for somebody to really show off a home in a special type of way. There’s a lot to it. You want the sound, the temperature, all of the five senses to be done perfectly. You can use things that you really wouldn’t be able to use when you go to work, for example. You go to work and you’re hoping that the house is safe, but in a two to three-hour period, you can use things like lighted candles. You can use things like up-lights, which get very, very hot. Up-lights are something that actually can help show off corners, how high a ceiling is, or to light up an area to just lift the energy. I use fountains, usually at the front door, to create a particular sound and feel for people as they enter. You are able to use a lot of things that are probably prohibitive when you leave to go to work, things you certainly don’t want running when you leave the house.
Stephanie: So, if you get it right during the open house, the chances of selling quickly are more likely.
Stephen: The first several weeks are the absolute best time to sell a home quickly and for top dollar. The goal of this system is to sell a home within the first four weeks, and diminish the stress for the homeowner.
Stephanie: Do you help others in real estate-related industries use Feng Shui besides real estate agents?
Stephen: My niche is definitely real estate agents and home-stagers. Interior designers take my training too, and sometimes homeowners that are selling their house by themselves, FSBOs, as we call them.
Stephanie: What about outdoor spaces? Is there such a thing as Feng Shui for the landscape?
Stephen: Oh, very much so. I even have an actual presentation for gardens. A lot of that has to do with making sure the curb appeal is fine when you’re selling a house. You certainly use what is called the Bagua, an energy template to plan your garden layout so that it’s more in harmony and balance keeping the five Elements in mind. With respect to landscapers, it’s definitely something that they should probably at least consider having experience with and knowledge of to offer to their clients.
Stephanie: Why would a real estate agent or home stager want to take your training or hire you?
Stephen: I explain things in a non-threatening, very practical way and am available to them for six months after course completion and certification to answer any questions. I put the course together while I was still selling real estate. It greatly increased my number of listings, enabled me to help more home buyers and my name recognition increased dramatically. The best part, of course, was more closings!
Stephanie: I would want my realtor to be certified in Feng Shui. Thank you for your time today, Stephen. Before we go, how does someone find out more?
Stephen: They can go to my website, www.TheFengShuiCure.com
