What Exactly Is Feng Shui Decorating?

Using Feng Shui decorating to sell real estate can make a big difference. Getting started with feng shui for your home is easy when you begin with the house basics and gradually move on to the more complex feng shui levels.  The important thing to remember is to start simply, have fun, and thoroughly enjoy the process. Using Feng Shui decorating will give your home the look of joy and harmony, and will create environments that have the best energy for a specific activity and space. If this sounds complicated, it’s really not. Feng Shui decorating in your bedroom will give that room a relaxing, romantic energy.  Your home office, on the other hand, would want to have an atmosphere of success and accomplishment.

Get rid of everything you do not love in your house to help "lighten the load."  Do not skip this step; it is essential for creating harmonious house feng shui energy. Using Feng Shui decorating on an already cluttered home or space makes no sense since the old energy foundation will still be there. Use colours and textures to replace the old energy with a new, vibrant one. Air and light are two essential elements for good feng shui energy (called Chi) in your home. Use air-purifying plants or an air purifier and allow as much natural light as possible into your home.  Use the five feng shui elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—to create balance and vibrant energy in all areas of your home.  As with traditional decorating, Feng Shui decorating focuses on bringing positive energy into your entire home, and also targets the energy of each individual space, depending on what the space is used for.

Cameron Island Condos in Nanaimo

Nanaimo has a beautiful, busy harbour.  For many the crowning glory is the Cameron Island condo development which is a prime location on Nanaimo's popular seawall, directly beside Port Place Mall, the marina, and the rest of downtown. Each of the three buildings has its own strata. All owners enjoy secure underground parking and storage. These condos offer stunning ocean and city vistas and there is always something going on in the harbour with float planes landing, Gabriola Ferry loading and unloading and many lovely boats and yachts at anchor year round.  Now that cruise ships ply the waters you can also watch as the beautiful ships sail into Nanaimo's new cruise ship terminal.

The concrete units are lovely as are the grounds surrounding the three buildings.  There are lush gardens, walkways and a beautiful pond in the centre of the court yard.  Garden and pond views are available to those units that don't have a harbour view. Life in a Cameron Island condo includes strolls along the ocean promenade, shopping in downtown Nanaimo's trendy boutiques, eating at an assortment of good restaurants and walking to the Port Theatre to enjoy some wonderful, live performances.  This development is made up of three buildings; The Newcastle, The Gabriola and the Beacon.  Both the Newcastle and the Gabriola buildings are seven stories and the Beacon is a 27 floor tower.  All of the units have large balconies and some have two.  There are a number of different floor plans.  The Gabriola Building is pet friendly.  The Beacon has a clubhouse, pool and hot tub.  The Gabriola and Newcastle buildings both have hot tubs.

Top 10 Real Estate Terms

Here are the top 10 most often used real estate terms and what they really mean:

1.  Agent is the professional, licensed individual who represents you in the sale or purchase of your real estate.  You should expect to receive the same level of professionalism from your agent as you would from any other professional.

2.  Appraisal - Your lender will often order an appraisal from an independent, third party to verify that the amount of money being given to a buyer to purchase a property doesn't exceed what other buyers have been paying for a similar property.

3.  CMA  is an abbreviation for 'comparative market analysis'. Comps are what homes similar to yours have been selling for over the past 6-12 months.  The seller's agent runs 'comps' to determine a market listing price, and the buyer's agent prepares a CMA to see what other buyers have been paying for similar property.

4.  Property Tax Assessment Is how the local taxing authority values your home for property taxing purposes. Keep in mind that the assessed value of a house is not the same thing as the market value or the appraised value of your home.

5.  Deposit almost always accompanies a purchase offer contract, and will show the buyer's good faith in making his offer.  The amount of the deposit money is generally in proportion to the sales price of the property.  Your realtor will guide you as to whether the offered deposit amount is fair for the market that you are in.

6.  Contingencies or subjects are in almost all contracts of purchase & sale. A contingency is when an offer to purchase is made 'contingent on' or 'provided that'.  Some examples of 'subjects' are financing contingencies, inspection contingencies and insurance contingencies.

7.  Inspections are one type of contingency.  The buyer should get an inspection done to determine what repairs or defects there are in a house, and to determine whether or not the price being paid for the house is fair.

8.  FSBO is short for 'for sale by owner' where a home owner has chosen to sell her home by herself and not put it on the MLS.  If you're buying one, it's a good idea to have your agent guide you because you'll still want to do the normal inspections and have contingencies in your contract of purchase & sale that will protect you.

9.  MLS means 'multiple listing service' and can be thought of as a one-stop resource for real estate for sale in your market.  FSBOs aren’t on the MLS but the majority of homes for sale usually are.  The MLS is also used by your realtor to prepare a CMA and will also assist your lender in developing an appraisal.

10.  Closing is the day that both sellers and buyers are waiting for, when the Title is transferred and recorded and the mortgage is funded, and the home changes hands.