Feng Shui This - Ethics
First, let me make clear that this post is about an IMAGINARY house. No homes have been hurt in the building of this story...and no clients past or current have been represented.
What does Feng Shui have to do with ethics? In my Feng Shui business I come across houses with Feng Shui charts that would send me into a panic if my family had to live there. It has nothing to do with the size or cost of the home, the unfortunate charts are non-discriminatory.
So lets say there's a house and the Feng Shui chart is so bad the owners cannot live there anymore. There's been bankruptsy, sickness, divorce and death...nasty, nasty Feng Shui. We'll even run over the imaginary dog and have the imaginary cat coughing up hairballs the size of pumpkins on a daily basis...in the master bedroom...on the bed. Add a spook or two and SHAZAM...bonified disaster chart.
By now they're figuring out there's a crisis and drastic measures are called for, so they call the nearest Feng Shui Master...so now what? Well, it's not always hopeless. Sometimes people can be taught to use the house differently, ghosts can be shooed along, demons banished...and the house becomes much, much better.
But, lets imagine this family decides they want out. Well, they're not stupid after all. By now they know that they live in a house that is working against them. And, if they're not able to make it much, much better, they want out.
So as their Feng Shui expert, I've given them information that has helped convince them to leave the house. Should I also list this house? And, if I do list it, do I tell people I did a Feng Shui consult on it and the results?
Ok, here's what I think.
1. Yes, I can and should list it if they ask. After all, I can help them sell it faster by using Feng Shui.
2. Since a Feng Shui Consult is a private consultation, I do not have the right to give out the information the owners have paid for.
3. Since I do not want to (and should not) sell a house without disclosing something I consider a problem, I should advise any prospective buyer (who is interested in the fact that I am a Feng Shui Professional) that a Feng Shui consultation would be a good investment before they buy ANY house, since each family has their own needs. But, that consultant can't be me.
4. I must never, ever give so much as the impression of giving a "bad" feng shui report in order to list a house. I have to work as hard as possible to "fix" the house for them to live in happily, if that is what they want.
When all is said and done, the house that is horrible for one family may be good for another. Much of Feng Shui is about matching the people to the house, and using the house in the best way. After all, a boss of 100 will be able to make good use of energy that could destroy some families. So, it's not up to me to advise a buyer whether to buy a house...unless that buyer is my Feng Shui client.
