Healing the home: How some real estate pros are turning to feng shui in an uncertain market

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Have you ever taken a listing that looked right but didn’t feel right? Good neighborhood, all of the elements that should have led to a quick sale, yet the listing just languished?

When such things happen, we often chalk it up to “energy,” and it turns out we’re probably not far off, at least according to Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha, a wellness expert who thinks beyond the body to the surroundings to create optimal outcomes. 

“I summarize feng shui in one word: Feel. Heaven, stars, human beings, Mother Earth, free energy creates a feeling that makes you happy, comfortable, human, harmony,” Sha said.

To make sure their latest listings provide that all-important feeling, real estate agents and brokers turn to Sha to evaluate their spaces for that intangible sense of comfort.

Attending The Keys to Prosperity event (from left): Richard Haggerty, CEO, Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, and President and Chief Strategic Growth Officer, OneKey MLS; Nikki Field, Senior Global Real Estate Advisor and Associate Broker, Sotheby’s International Realty; Sherry Tobak, Senior Vice President, The Related Cos.; Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha, world-renowned wellness icon, feng shui expert, Tao Grandmaster, New York Times bestselling author; Holly Parker, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, Douglas Elliman Real Estate; and Brian Tormey, NTP and President of TitleVest. Photo Credit: Vincenzo La Magra

At a recent event called “Be Your Best — The Keys to Prosperity” held at Chelsea’s High Line Nine, powerhouse New York City real estate agents and brokers joined with Richard Haggerty, CEO of Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors and president and chief strategic growth officer for OneKey MLS, as well as Brian Tormey, president of TitleVest, to welcome Sha as he guided them through improving the vibes in their multi-million dollar listings.

Although the Be Your Best series was launched as a virtual experience during COVID, this was the first in-person event, with the stated purpose of encouraging agents to improve their skills, reconnect with past clients, “focus on professionalism, and develop a concrete roadmap to navigate choppy market conditions,” Haggerty said.

According to Sha, feng shui is more than just optimal flow in a space, though that’s part of it. Proper feng shui can have an impact on the people who live or work in the space as well.

“There are three messages for every house: This house is good for finance. This house is good for relationships. This house is good for physical, emotional, and spiritual health,” Sha said. Although some houses are good for only one of these, some offer positive indications for two or even three.

Since Master Sha can’t personally travel to all of the houses that need his help, he evaluates some houses remotely. “I am a spiritual teacher,” he said. “I can feel the energy even looking at a picture.”

For those homeowners whose spaces require more than a simple feng shui fix, Master Sha offers quantum healing. “Quantum entanglement means I am in the A place, and you are in the B place, resonating instantly,” allowing Master Sha to offer a blessing remotely.

At the HGAR event, Sha performed a live Tao calligraphy demonstration and advised the brokers on how to improve their awe-inspiring luxury listings from a feng shui perspective.

“In ancient wisdom, calligraphy carries Tao, the source,” Sha said. “Heaven and Mother Earth are the creators. My calligraphy is one of the most powerful, practical sacred arts.”

Feng shui rules for positive and negative flow

According to Sha, there are a variety of different indicators of both good and bad flow, along with ways to remedy them.

• “If a big building corner faces a residence, it’s like a knife in the residence,” Sha said. This is especially true for in-town markets where buildings may be situated at odd angles to each other.
• A road should not face the door into a residence directly because it pushes energy too forcefully into the home. This can be helped by hanging reflective glass above the door to push the energy away from the home’s entrance.
• When you open the door and it leads directly into the stairway, that is bad feng shui. It can be remedied by placing a screen to disrupt the flow from the door into the stairway.
• Some rooms have too many corners, which displaces energy. Placing plants or trees in the extra corners is a practical and simple way of keeping the energy flowing properly.