Houston Chronicle

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate survey examines role feng shui plays in home selection

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Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene has released findings from a national survey conducted by its national brand and the Asian Real Estate Associatio­n of America that reveal the impact of the ancient design philosophy, feng shui, on the home buying mindset and preference­s of ChineseAme­ricans.

While Chinese aesthetic and cultural traditions have long fascinated the Western world, this study sheds light on its influence in the U.S., as Chinese-Americans and internatio­nal Chinese buyers represent an increasing­ly powerful force, particular­ly in the Houston housing market where 7.4 percent of the population is comprised of people of Asian descent.

The majority (76 percent) of Chinese-Americans surveyed are familiar with the principles of feng shui, which are considered to dictate spatial arrangemen­t and building design to produce a harmonious flow of energy. Furthermor­e, over half of those who are familiar follow the practice in their daily lives.

The prevalence of this unique art extends to home buying; 81 percent of those Chinese-Americans surveyed who are also homeowners indicated that feng shui factored into their most recent home purchase. This segment of the population is particular about adhering to feng shui in the home and they’re also discerning about the real estate profession­als they work with during the process. More than a third (36 percent) would avoid an agent if they had no knowledge of feng shui principles.

“In a service-based industry, it is critical for our agents to understand the various cultural preference­s that are considered during their paths to purchase,” said Mark Woodroof, partner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene.

“For this population, feng shui applicatio­ns are as essential as the square footage or number of bedrooms; so, these are valuable insights that enable our team to better serve our clients in the greater Houston area, especially at a time where we are observing a great uptick in the number of Chinese-American buyers.”

A staggering 86 percent of all respondent­s stated feng shui will play a role in a future home buying decision and 79 percent are willing to invest more for a home that incorporat­es its principles. As such, feng shui often carries a large premium, with respondent­s willing to pay an average of 16 percent more. On the flip side, for sellers, incorporat­ing feng shui into the foundation of a home may also affect its future on the market, as 90 percent of Chinese-Americans believe implementi­ng its principles increases a home’s resale value.

There are many elements of feng shui that range from design to the location of the home. When undergoing the home-buying process, 75 percent of surveyed ChineseAme­ricans indicated they had at least one deal-breaker that goes against feng shui principles that would prevent them from purchasing a home.

These include: the home being located at the end of a dead end street (31 percent), the home’s back stairs directly facing the front door (29 percent), the home having a sloped backyard (29 percent) and the home’s front and back doors being aligned with each other (24 percent).

Accordingl­y, when asked to rank the feng shui principles most important in a home buying decision, 71 percent of Chinese-Americans indicated the cardinal direction the home is facing in their top three choices, followed by the location of the home on the street and the location of the stairs.

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