The Chinese New Year 2009:  Feng Shui Advice from a Feng Shui New York City-Manhattan Consultant. Things you MUST do to start YOUR year off RIGHT! Posting about the Chinese New Year has become a Feng Shui Long Island and New York Consultant's Tradition.  The ENERGY of this time of year is magnified by many and very intense.  Here again are a list of things I do as a Feng Shui Consultant in New York City to ensure success for the coming year in ALL aspects of my life I urge you to try them as well.  They are inexpensive and simple and they DO work!  The Chinese New Year in 2009 begins on January 26th and lasts for 15 days.  You might even want to celebrate with a nice Chinese Dinner but book NOW-These festivities in New York City sell out FAST. Remember, too, that ENERGY FOLLOWS INTENT. ... 01/20/2009

Do you know of any apartments (studios) for rent in Manhattan? As some of you might know, my son has landed a job in Manhattan not too long ago.  That is a miracle in and of itself, considering the vast layoffs that are happening.  For the past few months, he has been commuting from my sister-in-law's house in New Jersey ~ and that's now getting a bit old. It's time for him to move on!  He's been on his own for the past several years, first renting an apartment here in Lancaster and soon afterwards living in Florida for two years while he attended school.  He didn't live in a dorm, but rather had his own 2 bedroom apartment with a roomate. It's getting pretty crowded at my sister in law's house, and now that he is gainfully employed he is looking for a small studio apartment of his own.... 01/13/2009

Activerain:  A Feng Shui Consultant's Journey to 300,000 Points If ANYONE had told me in October, 2006 that I would EVER reach this milestone (or still be on this site), I would have NEVER believed them.  NEVER!  This post should be dedicated to my friends but the group specifies it has to be about the JOURNEY....and what a Journey it has been! Although I signed on at that time, having found a blog and going to the source to "check it out" I stumbled on JUST ANOTHER SITE.  So I thought.  I signed up and didn't think about it again for a few months.  I had a big presentation for The Long Island Board of Realtors on both Feng Shui and Home Staging to present-and I put all my Energy into putting it together. Coming back, I decided to just introduce myself;  With something PROFOUND of cours... 01/07/2009

Only In New York Part Deux....The mysterious sweet smell is back!! New York Times By TRYMAINE LEE   Published: January 6, 2009 The mysterious sweet smell that swept over parts of the city more than three years ago returned on Monday night. The city’s 311 information line was flooded with callers reporting the smell of maple syrup, or something like it, wafting across several neighborhoods, a spokesman for the Office of Emergency Management said. Nearly all of the calls — 35 in just a few hours — came from areas in Manhattan, the spokesman said, although one caller reported smelling the sweet scent across the East River in Queens. Department of Environmental Protection agency investigators were searching for the source of the smell late Monday night and early Tuesday morning, the agency... 01/06/2009

  Deal are still getting done in New York City.  Just not by hedge fund types.  Perhaps NYC won't fall into the Hudson as those with cash, and more importantly, cash flow, continue to shop for bargains. Two things to think about after reading the NYTimes article below: Apts that were prices correctly sold and perhaps a pull back in Manhattan real estate prices will bring some diversity back to NYC!! Someone Still Has Money     By JOSH BARBANEL NYTimes   Published: January 2, 2009 DESPITE faltering sales, it appears to be far too soon to declare the luxury market dead, especially now that we can raise a glass to what may be the most expensive condominium ever sold in the city, per square foot: a three-bedroom apartment on the 38th floor of 15 Central Pa... 01/03/2009

Creating Your Own Road Blocks Whether it's a Feng Shui Process or anything else in life you want to create do you ever wonder if you're somehow standing in your own way? We do everything we're supposed to do....we INFUSE our Energy into things we want to change, we make physical changes in our surroundings, we TRY very hard to keep positive thoughts and we sometimes find we are STILL NOT GETTING WHAT WE WANT. Why IS that?  It seems to work for other people..... I do tell ALL my Feng Shui Clients in New York to not just make changes in their surroundings but to do it with INTENTION.  I also do something most Feng Shui Consultants don't ask their clients to do.....I ask for them to take time and write out their intentions on paper which is enclosed in the RED ENVELOPES given to me at the ... 01/02/2009

 A New York Feng Shui Consultant's Retrospective for 2008 I am a big believer in looking back just long enough to see if you're heading in the right direction going forward.  Seems that many of us are doing that more this year then any other with the unexpected in the Market and some of the challenges and difficulties many of us have faced this year. My year has consisted of an ongoing battle with my home, fighting a municipality, more workers in and out then I care to remember.  But what do I want to focus on going forward?  I also think of getting an email in early 2008 to read one of my blogs on the RADIO.  I think of this year of having a two page spread in Newsday http://www.Newsday.com ...our Long Island New York paper on the Feng Shui re-design I had done at a client's home. Begi... 12/31/2008

As the recession takes its toll on all aspects of New York City life, one silver lining may be a drop in rental prices. Could this be a good time to search for a new apartment? And, a new option to renting an apartment may be emerging in Brooklyn – it’s called co-housing. Listen to the whole show 12/30/2008

Not only the Real Estate in Manhattan New York city is expensive, sometimes the closing cost can be intimidating as well. It is important to calculate the closing cost or have an idea of it before buyer starts to look at properties. My buyers always ask... WHAT IS MANSION TAX, especially when they are looking into New Construction in New York city... HERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND In 1989 the New York Legislature enacted New York Tax Law Section 1402-a, which provides for the ability of the state to collect a 1% tax from buyers who purchase a one, two or three family home or an individual condominium or cooperative unit for $1 million or more. The "Mansion Tax" as it is commonly known was created when the average price of a New York City apartment was far less than the $1.3 million ... 12/29/2008

I usually ask my clients to write their opinion regarding the services provided by me nad my company. And usually I get just 1 sentence. Like - "Thank you for the services" or "I'm going to recommend your company to...". But today I was shown the testimonial that a happy client wrote. I'm so impressed that want to provide it here: We built our house many years ago, 12 years to be precise. As we live a bit far from the town we decided to protect it somehow. While driving along the countryside, we noticed an impressive fence with a wrought iron gate. The sight was magnificent. I’d never thought that iron could be so elegant and light. The pattern – I can’t even express it in words.  So we stopped at the gate and asked the owners about the company that made it. They gave us the contact inf... 12/26/2008

New York city Real Estate is made up with Co-ops, Condominiums, Townhouses and Rental Apartments. Many of my out of town buyers have often seen 'SPONSOR' unit Co-Ops, I thought it will be helpful to create a post so everyone can understand the difference between a traditional Co-Op and a Sponsored Co-Op apartment. "Sponsor units have NO BOARD APPROVAL! When an individual or company converts a rental building to a co-op or condo, the first transfer of an apartment, or "sponsor unit" does not require board approval. Sponsor Unit: Apartments that are held as an investment by the sponsor, the original developer who built the building or converted the building to a co-op. Sponsor apartments are usually exempt from board approval. (Source: Wallfly.com's Glossary) Sponsor units command a premi... 12/25/2008

The New York Times recently reported that real estate agents around the country are ratcheting up their efforts to woo the Russian oligarchs, Irish investors, Korean industrialists and other international cash rich buyers who have been making headlines with lavishing purchases.   With my own client list include 85%Asian investors (doctors, attorneys, financial consultants and professors from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia), 5% European (Italian buyers in fashion business, British buyers in music business), it is very hard to ignore that New York city is a diverse place to live and I begin to think that everyday we are becoming the citizen of the globe.   As we are approaching 2009, it is important to implement extra marketing reach to the international clientele, h... 12/22/2008

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 What Memories are YOU Going to Live On? A New York Feng Shui Consultant's MEMORIES. I call them "Pearls of Wisdom."  Those words someone will say to you that have a profound impact on you; you never forget them. Many years ago a very special Aunt told me something very simple and very true: "Be careful of the memories you make" she said, "That is what you live off in the future."  I read so many posts here on Activerain and am also surrounded by all the doom and gloom in the news.  Many here try to stay upbeat but find it's a losing battle in this economy.  It's one of the most difficult things to do to change the way you THINK-and it's also one of the most important. Many of my Feng Shui clients have hit hard times and don't know how to get out of their fears.  It's not easy---it take... 12/16/2008

 Holiday Acceptance All Year Long New York is a land of cultural diversity.  We are the "melting pot" from people all over the world and I'd always loved hearing and learning about different traditions, celebrations, articles of clothing, beliefs and the diversity of so many people that all seem to be so different yet are more alike then we ever may have imagined. I was very fortunate to grow up in a home where the door was always open.  Especially during the holidays, neighbors, family and friends always managed to converge here.  With my father having served in the military, he had friends from all walks of life and from all over the Country and beyond. I learned about diversity at an early age.  EVERYONE was welcomed here and no one gave a second thought to their culture, belief or ... 12/15/2008

New York City--Central Park--STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER A Tribute to John Lennon: December 8th, 1980.  It seems like so LONG ago.  I had just lost my father and was up at night unable to sleep.  The tv was on but I don't remember watching it-just a news flash and I couldn't comprehend it.  I knew they said John Lennon was shot but didn't know whether they said he was alive or not. It was one of those indefinable moments that changes you somehow-by a person you have never met but has had such a profound effect on you.  Of course I remembered the Beatles and their very first trip to New York-and appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. It was his later years, though, that I remember the most; his love of his son, Sean.  He was the first Mr. Mom and was proud of it.  And his love of New York Cit... 12/10/2008

A New York Feng Shui ARTIST-You MADE it, Laura Cerrano! We all know what the power of a Comment can do-and I often remember other people's blogs that have made an impression on me.  Gary Wortal  Gary Woltal - REALTOR® Dallas Ft. Worth   wrote a post not too long ago and the words stayed with me:  "I Wouldn't Have Missed it for the World." Life Is Too Short Aphorisms I am in awe of my children-both of them.  They each followed their hearts in choosing their work.  Most of you know my daughter Laura is also a New York Feng Shui Consultant and we often work together. Still, she has other loves-She is a Certified Personal Trainer and also Certified in WILLPOWER & GRACE.    willPower productions She loves ART and is graduating New Paltz College with a BFA and a BS in teaching.  Her big day w... 12/09/2008

The Déjà Vu Moment in Time What a STRANGE phenomena this is!  If you've ever had Déjà vu, you'll know exactly what I am speaking of.  If you haven't, I hope that you get at least ONE in your life.  What is it and where does it come from?  Wikipedia describes it as     surreal-and it IS.  Déjà vu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Although they are rare for me, I've had more then a few.  They come on without notice and you've stepped back a moment in time it seems.  Mine are almost scripted:  I will suddenly know what someone is going to say; beyond that, I'll know my reply-and theirs.  WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? The randomness of these events is another thing.  Last time I was in a car with a good friend.  Suddenly I knew exactly what he was going to say-and my expected response.  I already ... 11/30/2008

As A broker for 25 years, flat fee services have increase market share in our area, in effort to compete we developed a private label service to increase our listings and buyer leads.HomesAdvisor.com We are looking for broker agents to partner with, no cost to broker /agent revenue sharing and private label exclusive territories. Homeowners can now sell their own home without paying a listing agenta commission, and still receive all the benefits of listing their house for sale on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and Realtor.com.Real estate property values have been declining. People who purchased in the past few years are finding there is just not enough equity to cover all the costs associated with selling through a traditional listing.Our service at http://www.Homesadvisor.com autom... 11/26/2008

In Feng Shui, the bathroom is a sanctuary where you nurture yourself. Does your bathroom rejuvenate you in the morning and help you relax and unwind in the evening, or does it create chaos, increase stress and promote tension in your life? Consider the following aspects of your bathroom and implement some of the suggestions to create a spa-like experience that uplifts your energy and renews your spirit. 1. Colors: The best colors for a bathroom include lighter shades of green, yellow, blue, silver sage, lavender, and yellow. The bathroom already has an enormous amount of water energy represented with the sink, tub, shower and toilet. Colors that incorporate the “wood” element, such as light blues and greens, feed the water element and create a sense of balance. Avoid colors such as red,... 11/14/2008