Understandably, there’s a desperation in the tone of their voice or their written words—-particularly because usually something else is hinging on this sale. Sometimes the new job has already started so the spouse who needs to relocate has left already. Sometimes the current owners have a contingency offer on the house of their dreams and are despondent around just the thought of losing it. Sometimes they’ve even bought another house and are now facing an uncertain future with two house payments. It’s obvious that many of the people who call me wouldn’t normally do so under different circumstances. Desperation moves people to try just about anything, even Feng Shui.

Luckily, about close to half of my clients who have called me in to help sell their homes actually end up selling shortly after our time together. They’re the believers—-Feng Shui is the greatest tradition around. Where else in their lives can they put this magic to work? they ask. If Feng Shui can sell their house, think of the other possibilities. The other half of my clients are not as pleased. Feng Shui didn’t work, they announce. Of course, that upside St. Joseph statue didn’t do much either.

So why some homes and not others? I have all these clients run through the same protocol—-clean out the basement first to “lift anchor,” remove photos of themselves and family members to neutralize the space, begin packing (which should involve some valuable sorting and throwing), write a letter to the house thanking it for all it has done for them over the years (this is especially helpful if the people didn’t particularly like the house; it helps to bring about a nice closure). We discuss whether someone might be hanging on to the house, consciously or unconsciously. We discuss whether an entity might have settled in and won’t let it go. We micro-manage the northwest or Helpful People area of the house.

And still some houses don’t sell. To say it’s a matter of timing to someone who needs to get out from under a mortgage payment isn’t very comforting. Yet, when all else fails, that seems to be the only reason left on the table. It simply isn’t the right time. Feng Shui can shift and manipulate energy, but there are limits. Evidently a very hard lesson has to be learned here—-perhaps about impulsively jumping into something before looking at all consequences. Maybe the lesson is about listening to one’s own intuition (countless people stuck with homes on the market say to me they had a funny feeling about trying to sell right now—-just didn’t feel right). Maybe the lesson is about realistic expectations with regard to a selling price.

I wish I had the magic wand that put “Sold” on all those real estate signs. There’s a house two doors down from us that was sold once but came back on the market because the buyers couldn’t sell their home. Every time I see the sign in their yard (again), I’m sad for them. And I’m sad for the house because it is sitting empty. Whenever I see potential buyers going in to look at it, I smile and wave from my front yard—-my small effort to make the neighborhood seem appealing and irresistible. That’s not working either.