Here’s a nice house in a great neighborhood that’s on the market right now. It has off street parking and a garage. It’s a rectangle shape which is good for feng shui.

What is not in its favor is that it lacks immediate curb appeal, which may be slowing down the sales possibilities. It definitely could use some fresh paint and a little more landscape lighting. There are also some landscaping issues here in terms of feng shui. I think if all of these things were taken care of the property would be purchased sooner.

The biggest issue is the way that the front door and windows are blocked by the landscaping. Because of the way that the plants completely surround and encompass the door step even with the porch light on this area is too dark and enclosed, especially at night. This creates an imbalance for an area which should be yang, but which has become too yin.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Shrubs next to the path should not intrude into the line of the path. They must be trimmed back so that the path to the front door is unobstructed.There is also a tree branch extending into the space of the path that should be pruned back or removed.
• Overgrown evergreen (English laurel? Camellia?) on the left and a rhododendron on the right are covering the windows and enclosing the door area on the sides. The evergreen should either be pruned so that it is below window level or removed. The rhododendron should be moved to a different part of the yard where it would be helpful to holding energy for the house. It’s planted too close to the window and has grown too tall for that location.
• Fuchsias on either side of stairs to door are intruding into the path. They should either be pruned away but most likely they also need to be moved farther away from the corners of the front door steps so that they can reach their natural size and beauty without being in the way. It would probably be better, however, to plant something that has a more upright habit rather than a weeping or drooping habit.
• Ivy is growing all the way across the steps. up one of the porch columns and up the front walls of the house. Remove all of the ivy from the front yard. Not only will it reduce the yin quality by revealing the straight lines and angles of the stairs and house but common sense alone will tell you it’s a trip hazard. From a gardening and property value/maintenance perspective this type of ivy is invasive and will actually kill other plants and trees.

As I said before, the fundamental problem is that the atmosphere of the house and yard are too yin. This house is located in a fairly dense neighborhood but in the past it has attracted break-ins and burglaries more than other houses nearby.

Remember, the front of the house and the front yard are the yang or public areas. They are associated with career and money. Keep this in mind when landscaping but particularly in the case of preparing your house for the real estate market.