The Reason Most Homes Don’t Sell
The unseen isn’t unfelt, the unfelt isn’t unreal.
The #1 reason your home won’t sell is energy. Even after increasing the curb appeal and following the practical “sell your home faster” tips your home may be on the market for a very long time because of energy. Of the three types of energy that will prevent your home from selling, energy of emotional attachment is the most common. I have experienced this and seen it many times. What is it and what do you do?
Here’s an idea of what you could be dealing with. These are real stories about real people:·
· Your own (un-admitted?) attachment:
o Kathy and Jim and their three children lived in suburbs of Pittsburgh: Jim’s job was downsized and he was sent to New England. 5 hour commute between Pittsburgh and New England each week was hard on all of them. After a year of seeking work closer to ‘home’ the situation was draining their finances and their family energy. Sadly but willingly, the house was on the market and the family prepared to move.
When we met, I asked: “who doesn’t want you to move?” The tearful answer came from Kathy: “none of the neighbors want us to leave.” Her words said one thing, her tears told me it wasn’t just the neighbors but she didn’t want to move.
My next question, “What would you love to have happen?” She answered, “If my husband could find a job here, we…but there’s nothing and the economy’s…” off she trailed with the “why it couldn’t work” mantra.
We got to work. We made a few changes to the outside and inside so that it would have better energy to show for selling. I also recommended that she make changes to the house to bolster the career area so that her husband could find a better job regardless of where they lived. (That’s another post.) Six weeks later they received news of a job opening in Pittsburgh, he took it and to this day they are still in Pittsburgh and happy in their lives. The emotional attachment to the home was strong enough to draw in the perfect solution.
Had she not gotten really clear about their emotional attachment and needs, they could have drained themselves the rest of their lives because they were not following their hearts. In this case, making a few simple feng shui changes, turned the situation around to a very happy ending. Case closed.
· Other people’s emotional attachment:
o Farm in Western Pennsylvania: on the market for 6 years, family needed to move closer to the city for school and business. Over the 6 years, the price was lowered to almost bargain basement. Then something sad but inevitable happened. The owner’s mother, who had been ill for a long time, died. Less than two days after she passed on, the couple received two serious offers and a bidding war ensued. The price actually went UP and the home sold. What happened? In younger days, the owner’s mother lived there with the family and helped to raise the children. She often recalled those times as “the happiest days of my life.” Although she no longer lived in the home and she was not an owner, her emotional attachment to the house and land was strong enough to prevent it from being transferred to another. Her attachment prevented the sale and not until her death did she release her hold on it. With some gentle Feng Shui, her emotional attachment could have been removed and allowed the home to sell sooner. Who knew? Now you do.
· ”Other worldly” attachment:
o Real Case Study: A rental property didn’t sell for two years (and hadn’t rented for 1). I was called in to offer Feng Shui solutions. We enhanced the wealth area, changed some furniture placement, used a mirror to reverse the negative effect of a ‘condemned’ building next door, and a few other Feng Shui adjustments to handle sloping land, an imposing wall outside the front door and finally, did a space clearing. The Space Clearing, I encountered the energetic imprint of deep fear, hatred and child abuse. After this ‘emotional’ attachment (the attachment of this emotion to this space) was cleared the home sold in 6 weeks.
What is the secret to changing this energy?
· You get clear
· Take action: clear your spaces.
Get clear
This only takes a few moments. Just ask yourself, “who doesn’t want to leave this house.” Or “is there anyone or anything that is preventing this house from selling?” Sit quietly and listen for the answer to come from your heart.
Realize that you may get a strong answer, but sometimes it takes another person to help you because sometimes you aren’t ready to face the answers. Then you can take action with Feng Shui help to unlock those emotional attachments. For instance:
· Look to see if anything large is in the far right corner of your property or your home. This could be a large piece of furniture, an item that you are attached to, or a large piece of outdoor furniture in your yard. If so, remove it immediately and you’ll unblock the energy.
· Stop calling it “our house” and start referring to it by its address.
· Talk to your home as though it’s a beloved part of your life. I have seen that homes have energetic attachments to families and that energetic tie can prevent a sale as well. Tell the home that you need to leave, that there will be another wonderful family who will come and care for it and needs it’s protection and love.
When I have had clients use these and other tips (following them completely) their homes have sold quickly and for more than they anticipated. Other tips: I’m working on that post right now. Stay tuned.
Take Action: Clear your space
When I was a young child, I remember our priest coming to bless our new homes; I remember hating that we had to leave, the curious little girl in me wanted to know what he was doing to our house.
It was common practice for a home to be blessed by clergy when we moved. In every indigenous culture, house blessings and space clearings are common and in Bali, a daily practice. Blessing your home before you move in, each day you live there and blessing it as you prepare to leave helps you in deeply important, yet unseen ways.
You can do it yourself but I always recommend engaging a professional (your clergy or a professional Feng Shui consultant trained in space clearing).
This Piece is Very Important:
If you do a Space Clearing yourself take note of all small changes. This is an area where ‘what you don’t know, can hurt you.’ If you try this and find you get sick, have weird thoughts (more than normal J), have more fights, etc., it’s time to call professional help. There is a “Do It Yourself Space Clearing” book and CD that is very helpful by Christan Hummel. Also, Denise Linn, one of the world’s greatest teachers and my mentor, writes beautifully and details the steps for a space clearing in her book Sacred Space. It takes your time and your devotion but you can do this yourself. (I am also a resource for you as well www.designandfengshui.com, I can teach you or do it for you onsite or remotely.)
Address the energy of your home, how it “feels.” If you identify and clear the influences that lie beyond our five senses, you be amazed at how quickly your home or business will sell, and nearly every time often for more money that you thought.
Selling your house? Do you know how to determine if this is really right for you? Even ambivalence will delay or halt the process.
Are you ambivalent about leaving? About the future? Are there spaces with creepy feelings in your house? Have you ever done a space clearing? Do you want to know how?
