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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 Hudson Valley and northern New Jersey housing markets.
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.
“Real estate is a local business, but we’re increasingly seeing a surge in international buyers who are looking to invest in the American real estate markets,” said Joseph Rand, Managing Partner, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Rand Realty. “Today’s real estate agents need to understand the international buyer, which means learning about cultural differences, like feng shui, and other cultural preferences.”
Rand, whose wife is of Chinese ancestry, explained that when he recently purchased a home, his wife was adamant that the stairs could not face out the front door, which is based on a feng shui belief that all the luck will thereby flow out of the house.
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.
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 Chinese-Americans 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).
To learn more about Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Rand Realty, as well as the Feng Shui survey, visit www.randrealty.com.
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