8 Ways Feng Shui Consultants Harm Their Clients

If you've ever had a feng shui consultation and it was good, you knew it. The same is true with the bad ones. I know about many bad consultations because I'm often called after someone talks to a feng shui expert who scared them.

These poor clients are left wondering how they can continue living in a doomed house that will ruin their lives forever. They're upset, distraught, unnerved, and hopeless.

Many homeowners are scared, and rightfully so.

The tale of woe and misfortune these feng shui consultants weave would scare anyone. And if there is one rule in feng shui, it's the rule of balance.

So, just like every house has its share of positive and negative energy (mine own house included), few of them are so bad that the owners should pack up and run away screaming.

The majority of feng shui consultants are well-meaning, but many not have enough experience to offer you ideas and insights to help you.

Here are eight of the most common ways feng shui consultants mess up consultations and their clients.

1. Tell you to move.

This is the easy way out for the consultant. Most people can't just pick up and move and most houses aren't so severe that it requires moving. I've only told someone to move two times (and one of those times was because the client could afford to). A qualified feng shui consultant will provide you with ideas and suggestions on how to correct problems with your home without packing up and moving away.

2. Show don't tell.

This is the well, duh! appraisal that just describes the house. A feng shui appraisal should give you a good picture of the house but that's just the starting point. It should also tell you the positives and the negatives and then clearly state what can be done to minimize problems and maximize the good things going for the home. Too many appraisals just give the what and not the why or, most importantly, the how.

3. Dates the house.

When an appraisal is done on a home, it needs to include updates and changes that have been made to the home. That's because the home has most likely changed from its build date of 1980, for example. Now, if everything is exactly the same as it was in 1980, and no changes have been made to the house, then it should be dated that way, which in this case, would be Period 6 (1964-1983). But, if you've added a new roof, changed the siding, redecorated or renovated, then that moves the home's date up, too.

4. Doesn't include attached rooms.

Many feng shui novices don't include the garage or other additions and then mark these as different periods according to the date of the addition. That means the house is chopped up and not looked at as a whole. But that's not how we live, because when we live in a home, we live in it as a whole. The lo shu square should be applied to all areas under one roof.

5. Uses jargon.

A good feng shui consultant speaks plainly and doesn't throw out a lot of feng shui mumbo jumbo that only serves to confuse the clients. It's wonderful to tell a client to "tap their nien yen direction," but really, does that help the client? Isn't it more direct and helpful (and humble - an important hallmark of a good feng shui consultant) to just say your "love and relationships" direction? Seek first to understand and then to be understood.

6. It's your intentions.

Any feng shui consultant that puts the feng shui blame on someone's intentions is just looking for an easy out. Run from a consultant that says the problems in your life aren't your feng shui, it's your intentions. Yes, you should be intentional about feng shui, but that's just a small part of feng shui. A very, very small part. Feng shui is first and foremost a study of your environment -- and that doesn't mean the environment between your ears.

7. Overcharges.

I've heard of feng shui consultants who charge $1000 per hour. This is just insane. Call and get three different bids from consultants if you're not sure about the fee you're being charged and before you proceed with this consultant. Do some comparisons first.

8. Scares you.

This kind of consultant practices "Chicken Little Feng Shui." They tell you that horrible things will befall you and your family, how you need to move, there is nothing redeeming about the house, in short, that the sky is falling. This is another easy way out. The simple truth is that every house has positives and negatives - not just negatives. If the negatives are serious, they should be discussed openly but the positives should also be discussed and the client told how to maximize the positives and how to handle the problem areas.

As a rule, you should leave a consultation feeling confident, with clear direction, and feel better for having an understanding of your space and how it impacts your life. This is how quality feng shui consultants leave their clients.