Use feng shui marketing tactics to sell a home

YOUR home will appeal to more buyers if you put some feng shui techniques to work.

IF you are about to sell your home, it might not hurt to read up on the Chinese practice of feng shui.

Lately, we have been hearing about an influx of Chinese investors buying Australian properties.

Now, while the true number and impact of Chinese buyers is yet to be determined, the latest NAB residential property index shows that foreign buyers now account for one in eight of all new residential properties bought in Australia.

And reportedly, both Chinese and Malaysian investor interest in Australian residential development sites and off-plan apartments looks set to rise.

The Sydney and Melbourne markets have been buoyed by recent Chinese investor activity in new residential product.

Foreign buyers were primarily responsible for the sellout on day one at the launch of Sydney Harbour's Barangaroo development, where one-bedroom, 62 sqm apartments started at one million dollars, with additional bedrooms adding another one million dollars per room.

And estimates are that Chinese developers have ploughed almost $500 million into Melbourne over the past two years.

Agencies that specialise in marketing to the Chinese community - many of whom practice the art of feng shui - understand the significance of this ancient tradition to its followers.

And in fact, some agencies are coming up with ways in which local owners and real estate agents can handle common issues when marketing property to feng shui-driven clients.

For the uninitiated, feng shui is the art or practice of positioning objects or orientating buildings or structures, so that maximum harmony is achieved. The practice is supposed to bring good fortune.

Here are a few feng shui marketing tactics to keep in mind.

Promote your address - numbers in feng shui all have energy or meaning. If your street or apartment number contains numbers with favourable meanings - such as 8, meaning prosperity or success, or 9 meaning the highest attainment - then it could be a good idea to promote those numbers as part of a marketing strategy for the Chinese market.

Doors - if your front and back doors are aligned, you'll need to make a few easy changes.

Feng shui practitioners believe that energy will pass directly in one door and out the other, resulting in lost wealth. A simple screen or repositioning of furniture to redirect the flow of energy will be sufficient to overcome the problem.

Front entrance - plants and flowers will help to make the best impression possible. However, if the front door is directly aligned with objects like a telephone pole, lamp or a tree, you may lose a buyer because of it.

The placement of a special mirror over the door, on the outside of the house, is considered sufficient to remedy any concerns.

If you want to know more, just Google 'feng shui tips' and you'll get over 23,000 results - some food for thought, indeed.

Whether you are an enthusiast or a sceptic, this ancient practice is widely followed by a community that is set to make a growing impact on the Australian residential market.

Michael Matusik is director of independent property advisory Matusik Property Insights.