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Feng Shui This - Ethics

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Services for Real Estate Pros with Feng Shui This 71258

Feng Shui This - Ethics

First, let me make clear that this post is about an IMAGINARY house.  No homes have been hurt in the building of this story...and no clients past or current have been represented. 

What does Feng Shui have to do with ethics?  In my Feng Shui business I come across houses with Feng Shui charts that would send me into a panic if my family had to live there.  It has nothing to do with the size or cost of the home, the unfortunate charts are non-discriminatory. 

So lets say there's a house and the Feng Shui chart is so bad the owners cannot live there anymore.  There's been bankruptsy, sickness, divorce and death...nasty, nasty Feng Shui.  We'll even run over the imaginary dog and have the imaginary cat coughing up hairballs the size of pumpkins on a daily basis...in the master bedroom...on the bed.  Add a spook or two and SHAZAM...bonified disaster chart.

By now they're figuring out there's a crisis and drastic measures are called for, so they call the nearest Feng Shui Master...so now what?  Well, it's not always hopeless.  Sometimes people can be taught to use the house differently, ghosts can be shooed along, demons banished...and the house becomes much, much better.

But, lets imagine this family decides they want out.  Well, they're not stupid after all.  By now they know that they live in a house that is working against them.  And, if they're not able to make it much, much better, they want out.

So as their Feng Shui expert, I've given them information that has helped convince them to leave the house.  Should I also list this house?  And, if I do list it, do I tell people I did a Feng Shui consult on it and the results? 

Ok, here's what I think.

1. Yes, I can and should list it if they ask.  After all, I can help them sell it faster by using Feng Shui.

2. Since a Feng Shui Consult is a private consultation, I do not have the right to give out the information the owners have paid for. 

3. Since I do not want to (and should not) sell a house without disclosing something I consider a problem, I should advise any prospective buyer (who is interested in the fact that I am a Feng Shui Professional) that a Feng Shui consultation would be a good investment before they buy ANY house, since each family has their own needs.  But, that consultant can't be me.

4.  I must never, ever give so much as the impression of giving a "bad" feng shui report in order to list a house.  I have to work as hard as possible to "fix" the house for them to live in happily, if that is what they want.

When all is said and done, the house that is horrible for one family may be good for another.  Much of Feng Shui is about matching the people to the house, and using the house in the best way.  After all, a boss of 100 will be able to make good use of energy that could destroy some families.  So, it's not up to me to advise a buyer whether to buy a house...unless that buyer is my Feng Shui client. 

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Copyright: Monica Hess, Kentucky's Feng Shui Master    859-492-0582

 

 

 

Suzanne Gantner
Realty Texas - Round Rock, TX
GRI, E-Pro, SRES, SRS, ABR, CNE, REDS, CPS, WCS

Interesting theory...but why would you tell a future buyer on a home you have listed that it has been Feng Shui'd?  That would be like saying the house is haunted. Some people might pick up things while others will never feel it. In addition, alot of people have no idea what Feng Shui is...thank goodness for advanced knowledge. 

Nov 01, 2009 02:00 AM
Lizette Fitzpatrick
Lizette Realty - Richmond KY - Lexington, KY
Lizette Realty, Lexington KY MLS - Kentucky Homes

I agree with Suzanne. Most people have no idea about how beneficial Feng Shui can be. I know that your service is a great help to selling homes. Keep up the good work!

Nov 01, 2009 07:28 AM
Monica Hess
Feng Shui This - Murray, KY
Kentucky's Feng Shui Master

Hi Suzanne and Lizette...Disclosure.  Those who don't know what feng shui is won't care, or it won't matter.  Those who do care should be made aware that a feng shui report has been done.  It's up to the people who paid for it to release it or not.  It's those folks who really know and at least halfway understand what it is who might cause problems if they weren't told that feng shui was done. 

If it's been done and the information is being "hidden" or appears to have been hidden...then there might be trouble.  But, if it's immediately disclosed that a feng shui consultant has helped with the house, they can get their own report if they want.  It's hard to make that distinction between complete disclosure and keeping a private report, private. 

Realtors(R) aren't the only people who are occasionally sued.  It would suck big time to be suedas a Feng Shui Master, and as a Realtor(R).  So, I really need to figure out how to handle the whole thing.

Nov 01, 2009 01:13 PM
Erby Crofutt
B4 U Close Home Inspections&Radon Testing (www.b4uclose.com) - Lexington, KY
The Central Kentucky Home Inspector, Lexington KY

I lost it at "the imaginary cat coughing up hairballs the size of pumpkins on a daily basis...in the master bedroom...on the bed"  You had me rolling right there!

Your imagination has no parallel.  What a picture that one painted.

 

Nov 03, 2009 09:38 AM
Russel Ray, San Diego Business & Marketing Consultant & Photographer
Russel Ray - San Diego State University, CA

I love your horses, and I also loved your first paragraph disclaimer: "First, let me make clear that this post is about an IMAGINARY house.  No homes have been hurt in the building of this story...and no clients past or current have been represented." Like Erby, though, the imaginary cat had me rolling on the floor laughing.

Nov 03, 2009 11:12 AM
Michele Reneau
Certified Staging Professional (CSP) Elite Instructor - Summerville, SC
Realtor, GRI ~ Charleston, SC Relocation Experts Team

I know just enough about Feng Shui to be dangerous.  It's definitely a fascinating art.  Whether one uses feng shui or not, real estate is about matching the right buyer to the right house. I bet your client enjoy the additonal insight you provide.

Dec 20, 2009 10:17 AM
Monica Hess
Feng Shui This - Murray, KY
Kentucky's Feng Shui Master

Thanks, Michele.  It takes a smart woman to know she's knowledgable enough to be dangerous!  So many don't have a clue that they could really do damage with this stuff. 

Matching up buyer to house sometimes takes just a tad bit of luck, as well as skill.  Some get it and some don't have a clue!

Dec 20, 2009 11:59 AM