Heather Soldonia

By Heather Soldonia

In the spirit of October and Halloween, I think it’s a perfect time to discuss the many superstitions, beliefs, and practices held by home buyers (and sellers). As I’ve implied before, the San Francisco Bay Area is a cauldron pot of ancestries, religions, family, and marital statuses. But with that diversity there is a cobweb of belief systems and practices.

Examples of Taboo Features:

Structural

• Home (or front door) faces North– doesn’t encourage harmony, natural flow, warmth, protection, etc. as it would if it were facing other directions.
• Staircase (or backdoor) visible from front door – means any good fortune in the home will quickly flow out.

Conceptual

• Death in home – the person’s spirit may still remain in the home.
• Numbers in address or purchase price are unlucky – 4 and 13 are unlucky, or any number ending with a downward stroke (1,4,7,9).

Determine the Root:

Ask your client to explain their reasoning

• Is it religious-based?
• Is it regarding luck, prosperity, feng shui, qi gong?
• Is it because Granny thinks so?

Assess their conviction

• If it is held with strong conviction, then you know that finding a home within their requests is imperative.
• If they express that it would be preferred (or ‘because my grandmother told me to’), then you realize there is some flexibility.

Not Selling? Get Creative:

Enlist an Expert

• Arrange a meeting with a Feng Shui specialist to explain that a front door facing north can be countered by painting it blue, black or white to support and nourish the chi entering a home.
• Arrange for a general contractor to consider remodeling possibilities.
• Seek advice from a trusted resource who may also be familiar with your client’s concerns, beliefs and/or background — helping lead to potential solutions.

Price Strategically

• Many people believe 6 and 8 are lucky numbers. Instead of pricing the home at $590,000 consider pricing it at $588,888 or offer an $888 credit at closing or a $60 gift card.

Bury St. Joseph

• Patron Saint of Home and Family — It has long been believed that burying St. Joseph upside down (with his head directed to the road in front of the house) near the “for sale” sign makes him work extra hard to get out of the ground and onto someone’s mantle… So say a prayer and start digging!

Heather Soldonia is a Broker/REALTOR® in the San Francisco Bay area with Windermere Welcome Home. She can be found at www.heathersoldonia.mywindermere.com.