What should you look out for when you are house hunting? This is one of the most frequent questions relating to Feng Shui.

We all yearn for a breath of fresh air or, when this change is imposed on us, when we are house hunting, it is no longer enough for the place to be pretty, cosy, well furnished, being well located in terms of access, or price… some are also concerned about the energy matter pertaining to our new home. Do not confuse this with what the legislation in force requires, the “Energy Certification”. Our concern here is different, in another field, other types of energy that are highly relevant, as our home is an extension of our body and there is an inter-relation between the two. Although there are no perfect homes, if we can make sure certain requisites are met, so much the better. However, I’d like to point out we shouldn’t move just for the sake of it, light-heartedly, thinking this will bring miracle solutions, as we run the risk of attracting a home with the same energy features as the one before. This is because we all have our path and Feng Shui is not magic. It offers us support and knowledge for our life to be harmonious and happy and when times come that aren’t so good, it will be there to take the edge off a bit and helping us overcome them in the best and fastest way possible.

If you are in the market for a new home, if this is your expectation, then take note of the following:

• Liking the house and feeling it is fundamental. “Loving” a home means loving ourselves and identifying with our purpose and lifestyle, that our home invites our habits in, as well as the way we use it and even our flaws.
• Why that house is still on the market – Even if at a later stage Feng Shui can help you, avoid any houses where there were serious diseases, divorce or even extreme financial shortcomings.
• Access to the house – avoid dead-ends or having the road end at your house.
• Where the house lies, where the four celestial animals need to be present (Turtle, Tiger, Dragon and Phoenix). The Turtle represents protection and relates to the back of our house, it should be high – think mountains or buildings. The Tigre and the Dragon are also protection – small elevations on the side that can also be mountains or mounds or slightly lower buildings. The Phoenix, the front part of the house, represents our dreams and goals, so our views should be unimpeded.
• Surroundings – noise, cemeteries, hospitals, bad neighbourhoods, lack of safety, and phone antennae are to be avoided.
• Neighbours and environment – the energy others give out are very important, especially when the front doors are face to face, when, as usual, the bedrooms and other rooms are overlapping.
• The house should have good lighting, facing south, if possible, with large windows and doors.
• The house’s floor plan should be as rational as possible (square or rectangular shaped). The more uneven the floor plan, the more crooked the cardinal sectors, which means the areas of your life that correspond to those sectors may be unbalanced.
• Make sure the walls where the bed headrests are placed are not shared with the kitchen or bathrooms, just as in a house with more storeys, bedrooms shouldn’t be above kitchens, bathrooms, fireplaces and stoves.

Happy moving

These requisites are already a good start, although having help from a professional is pivotal in deciding how to organize your home, lay out your furniture, select the colours and patterns that most suit the inhabitants and their goals in life, which all depend on the property’s energy chart.

Lastly, I’d like to add that this information is general and each case is unique, as too is each home, which should be analysed by a professional in a personalized manner.

And don’t forget: A home is to be worn! And lived in!

I wish you a happy moving!