One of the things we love most about Vancouver is the people and their diverse mix of cultures. Living in such a multicultural city allows us to not only eat great food, but more importantly, meet and learn from individuals from all walks of life - with different backgrounds, interests, and beliefs. With Chinese (Lunar) New Year upon us, we’d like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous year of the rabbit!
Seeing that many are celebrating Chinese New Year, we thought it’d be the perfect time to shed some light on the culture’s home buying superstitions, many which stem from the rules of Feng-Shui. Of course we’re not saying all Asian home buyers believe in these superstitions, just like how we wouldn’t assume everyone who breaks a mirror believes they’re going to receive seven years bad luck.
Superstitions have, and always will be around, and people can believe whatever they want! We believe this topic would make for an interesting blog post! Here are some of the cultures most common beliefs when selecting the right home:
Numbers 8 and 4
The number 8 is considered to be a lucky number because of its auspicious meaning. In Chinese, the word “eight” sounds similar to the word “prosper” or “wealth,” hence the popularity of the number. On the other hand, number 4 and numbers with “4” in them are considered to be very unlucky. In Chinese, “four” sounds almost exactly like the word “death”. If you ever wondered why many new condo buildings have no fourth floor (or floors with the number four in them), this is why! There are several other “lucky” and “unlucky” numbers, but these are the most common ones.
Arched or ‘T’ Shaped Roads
Homes on curved/arched roads where traffic is angled towards the home will be avoided by the superstitious. Similarly, properties facing a ‘T’ shaped intersection are also considered bad. In both cases the traffic on these roads flow towards the home, and to the superstitious, act as a knife or poison arrow pointing towards their sanctuary. Typically, the busier the road, the worse it is. The opposite is true for “good” roads, which have constant unhurried movement (little traffic).
Front Door Should Not Open Directly Opposite the Back Door
Homes where you can see straight to the back door from the front door are considered bad luck. In these cases, good energy flows into your home and right back out. The goal is to have the positive energy or “chi” circulate throughout the house.
Staircase Should Not Lead Straight Out the Front Doors
Staircases leading straight out the front door are avoided whenever possible. Homes with this front door/staircase layout see their “fortunes go straight out the door”. Moving a staircase is a lot of work (and sometimes impossible), so if you live in a home with a similar layout and believe in this superstitious, place a green leafy potted plant in front of the door to keep the energy harnessed.
Entrance Way of a Home
The entrance way of a home is one of the most important features for the superstitious. The best position for a front door is toward the left-hand side of the house with a curved path leading towards it; straight paths are said to lead evil spirits straight into your home. The surroundings of the entrance way also play a large role. Lamp posts “slicing” or positioned directly in front of your front door is said to bring financial misfortunes, and trees “slicing” your front door create an imbalance of energy.
You’re probably now analyzing your home’s attractiveness to superstitious buyers. If your home wasn’t built to conform to all the Feng-Shui rules, it’s likely your home is “breaking” one of the many rules. However, there’s no need to fret, there are other ways instead of renovating or building a completely new house to overcome bad Feng-Shui and make your home more attractive to superstitious buyers, check out this website: http://www.101fengshuitips.com/feng_shui_for_home.html