As 2023 begins I find myself reflecting on the previous year and thinking about all the new things to come in the new year. Do you do that?
I thought about resolutions, I don’t make those any more by the way, but I do set goals. Goals can be business related — usually that works into the process in one way or another. Goals can be many other things too. Continuing to have quality family/friends/community time is always on the list. Trips and explorations of the world both locally and far away are too.
As I thought about these things my mind wandered toward a different thought path. I ed being told that 2023 will be the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit. This made me smile — the Year of the Rabbit is supposed to be lucky for everyone.
Then I laughed as I thought about the superstitions of Real Estate. I know plenty of people who hold certain ideas about helping their baseball teams win, and real estate has plenty of those ideas as well.
The most popular of those helpful ways to get a house sold is the St. Joseph statue. St. Joseph is considered the patron saint of home sellers and buyers. St. Joseph statues have long been available at Realtor stores. The instructions are explicit in how the statue is used, including one in which the statue is buried upside down so that the statue will want to get out of there fast.
Scattering coins around the living room brings prosperity? I know this is a feng shui thought as well, but with more specific directions. Maybe just having money laying around makes me feel like I have plenty?
A moving day tradition in many countries is to bring salt and carbs together in the new home before anything else is brought in. Salt is said to bring flavor and luxury and carbs are said to bring prosperity and the homeowner will never know hunger.
There is the flip side to the good vibe superstitions, such as don’t bring an old broom to a new home. It’s believed that the old broom brings the negative of the old home into the new home as well as any bad luck from the old home. A fresh broom in a new home is nicer anyway.
Smudging, a Native American ceremony, is thought to help sellers sell and for buyers it is thought to remove negative energy so they can start fresh.
Sellers, buyers and Realtors look for many ways to help the process of selling and buying, but ultimately the best help you can have is an educated local Realtor. Nothing replaces that expertise.
Look through your local Realtors at rrea.org and reach out to one for your real estate needs in 2023.
Happy New Year!
Karen Domnitz is a Realtor with C21 Award – DRE#00897503 – and vice president of the Ramona Real Estate Association (rrea)
