Empty or Abandoned? Feng Shui Dilemma

I think she could sense that we could both use a break from my office and my computer. She crawled out from under my desk, sat to my right and looked up at me with puppy dog eyes (literally). “Okay, Ella, my furry girl, I’ll take you for a walk.” Her eyes widened with excitement; that is definitely a word she understands.

As we ventured forth on one of our regular routes she was happily sauntering a short distance in front of me. And, as usual with this route, when we approached the corner of the next block, she slowed and made sure I was behind her.

The green, shabby, small, abandoned house sits far back on an unkempt lot. It is separated from the alley by a barely-standing one-car garage. The renter has long been gone for months. A handmade “for sale” sign posted by the owner flaps in the wind; four staples on a short wooden fence keeping it secure. A website address and phone number are listed. From neighborhood gossip, there has been very little action.

I visited the website several months ago to figure out what was going on with the property. Listed as a “lot” for sale, “with or without the removal of the house included,” I was not surprised to find out that the dwelling had been condemned by the City as unfit to live in. I would have guessed that was the case even when the elderly woman was living there and watching us walk by.

Today, as we passed, I wondered again: why don’t they go ahead and move forward with removing the house and showing just the lot for sale? From both real estate and Feng Shui perspectives, wouldn’t that prompt more response?

In Feng Shui, in most cases, we don’t like to see abandoned properties or empty lots. Neither of those options invite the positive chi that we aspire to achieve; the first lacks life and the second disrupts the flow if it seems out of place. So, would it be better to 1) have some inkling of possibilities by keeping the house intact or 2) cause someone to do some deep digging in the realm of their imagination by removing the eyesore?

In my opinion (Ella agrees), I have to go with the latter – spend the money now to remove the stale, sad energy. Remove the house, the garage, the fence and clean up the yard. Bring some possibilities – invite some positive energy - to the land. Show that it is ready for a new life. Change the sadness and create joy. It’s a great location and I think it’s worth it. I hope someone else does soon.