On the Move With Pets

By Petya Kirkova

Moving to a new home can be a really big hassle, especially if you have a four-legged family member. Well, if the fur ball lives in a cage, the change of location wouldn’t be such big of an issue; however when your pet purrs or barks the task becomes more puzzling. Every considerate pet owner should plan the transition in advance, as it is not only a matter of convenience but safety. Carefully choosing the pet carrier is very essential and in most cases a hard-sided one is the best option, unless you plan to hold your pet most of the time in which case a tote would be more comfortable. When picking up a kennel two things are to be considered; the size and…the size. It has to be big enough for the dog or cat to be able to stand up and turn around.

If your move requires air travel, there are several things you should take under serious consideration. Every airline has specific requirement for the dimensions of the crate. Sometimes pets are not confirmed for travel just because the kennel is exceeding the allowed dimensions. All pets must be requested at the time you make your reservation and definitely before you buy the ticket. Just because you paid certain amount of money to board the plane yourself doesn’t guarantee that you can take your pet along no matter what. The animal must be confirmed by the airline, and only then you can be sure that you wouldn’t have any problems at the airport. The earlier you make your reservation the bigger the chance is that your pet will be confirmed as the space for pets is limited. If enough pets have been requested already, you most likely would have to change your airline if you don’t want to leave your furry companion behind. Most people prefer to have their pets on board, but it is not always possible. If the combined weight of the animal and the crate exceeds 8 pounds, your only choice is the cargo. Nevertheless always check with each and every airline as those requirements can change at any point in time. The air travel is stressful enough for your pets anyway, so make sure that they are accustomed to the travel kennel.

On the other hand if you are just moving from Queens to Manhattan for example, you don’t have to worry about confirming your pet with the airline, but you still have some planning to do. First and most importantly, make sure that the lease of your new apartment allows you to have a pet. According to the Humane Society of the United States between six and eight million cats and dogs enter shelters each year, of which three to four million are euthanized annually. The statistic is gruesome, so don’t be a negligent pet owner and do your best not to increase the number of homeless pets.

Once everything else is set all you need to do is find a few helpful friends to help with all these boxes. People will be going in and out of your apartment all day and the last thing you need is your pet to sneak out unnoticed. You can arrange with somebody to take care of the animal until you move, or you can just lock it in the bathroom, place a “do not enter” sign on the door, and let everybody know it’s off limits. The next step is driving to the new location. Never put your pet in the trunk or locked up in the car when you get out. Your pet should be the last thing to leave the old apartment and the first you should bring into the new one. For safety precautions you can put a small sticker on your front door indicating what type and how many animals live there as well as emergency phone number. In case of fire, people should know what to look for and who to contact.

In the end, after all the commotion is over, let your furry friend explore the new space. It’s inevitable, so sit back and relax. After all you just moved without loosing any of your cats…or dogs. Now you can walk your dog around the neighborhood and get familiar with the scenery. If you have a cat, find out if any of your neighbors is a proud cat owner also, and have a house warming party with “all paws invited”. And if any of your guests plans to move with a pet soon, you will sure have the best tips for a hassle-free experience.

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Deli Fit for Presidents

By Petya Kirkova

The beauty of Manhattan comes in various shapes and forms. Some find it in the compelling architecture, and others are captivated by the never dying lights of colorful billboards and inviting signs for various Broadway shows. The City, as we New Yorkers call the island of Manhattan, is best known for its diversity which naturally brings along a wide array of cuisines.

On the same note, every neighborhood has a signature eatery, and if you happen to be in the Lower East Side, be sure to check out Katz’s Delicatessen. By no means let the name deceive you. This is not the Deli you have around the corner but a very famous one. Scenes from the movie “When Harry met Sally” were shot in Katz’s, and several presidents, including Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, had wined and dined there in the past. In case you are slightly curious about who else had also visited Katz’s, walking around and looking at the numerous pictures on the walls can give you an idea.

Now you have a reason to go down to Houston Street, and we haven’t even mentioned the food yet. Katz’s Delicatessen is best known for the quality of the meat served there. It’s prepared on the premises and for what they offer the prices are rather reasonable, varying from $6.95 for a Double Burger to $15.75 for a Ruben sandwich, which you might end up taking home, because you most like won’t be able to finish. For our fellow Lower East Siders Katz’s is one yummy feature of the neighborhood and for everybody else another reason to take a trip to the City.

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RECESSION STARTED ONE YEAR AGO

By Richard Russel — The evidence of a downturn has been widespread for months, slower production, stagnant wages and hundreds of thousands of lost jobs. But the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research, charged with making the call for the history books, waited until now to weigh in.

In a statement released Monday, the members of group’s Business Cycle Dating Committee - made up of seven well-known economists, most from the academic sector said that the economy entered a recession in December of 2007.

A recession is a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in production, employment, real income, and other indicators, the members said in a statement. "A recession begins when the economy reaches a peak of activity and ends when the economy reaches its trough."

The committee noted that the contraction in the labor market began in the first month of 2008 and said that the declines in most major indicators, like personal income, manufacturing activity, real sales, and industrial production, "met the standard for a recession."

The announcement came as the stock market fell sharply, its first decline in five sessions. The Dow Jones industrial average was off more than 440 points by early afternoon. The Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index fell nearly 6 percent. There was a time when such sharp losses would strike fear in the minds of market watchers, but analysts said that after last week’s gains - the biggest five-day rally in decades - perhaps a 300-point decline was to be expected.

"You had the biggest weekly gain in 30, 35 years," said Anthony Conroy, head equity trader at BNY ConvergEx Group. "Some profit-taking is warranted." Still, Monday’s losses were striking. Stocks were dragged down by double-digit declines in shares of financial firms. Citigroup, a source of concern on Wall Street of late, dropped 11 percent: American Express and Bank of America were off about 10 percent.

Investors may also be playing defense ahead of Friday’s report on the job market, one of the most important monthly indicators of the health of the economy. Analysts expect that employers shed more than 300,000 jobs in November, underscoring the problems facing American workers and businesses.

This is the first official recession since 2001, when the economy suffered after the bursting of the technology bubble. The period of expansion lasted 73 months, from November 2001 to December 2007.

Monday brought its own share of poor economic news. The manufacturing industry suffered its worst month since 1982, according to a closely watched index published by the private Institution for Supply Management.

The index fell to 36.2 in November from 38.9 in October, on a scale where readings below 50 indicate contraction.

That was the worst monthly reading since 1982, and a sign that the worldwide credit crisis was taking a serious toll on American businesses.

New orders fell sharply, although orders held steady from October.

"However you look at the numbers, the message is the same: manufacturing is in free fall with output collapsing," Ian Shepherdson of High Frequency Economics wrote in a note to clients. "We see no prospect for near-term improvement."

A separate report from the Commerce Department showed that spending on construction projects fell 1.2 percent in October, after staying unchanged in September. Private construction dropped 2 percent with a sharp drop in the residential sector, offering few signs of relief from the housing slump.

The declines on Wall Street came after stocks in Europe and most of Asia moved lower, as investors refocused attention on a gloomy economic outlook.

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ECONOMY SOURS BUT RATES HOLD STEADY

By Richard Russel — November 21st 2008 — The drumbeat of bad economic news continues, and grows louder. In other economic periods, this would often be accompanied by sliding fixed mortgage rates, but in the risk-averse and panic-market world of 2008, that is simply not the case. Mortgage rates remain stubborn, reflective of the ongoing troubles in housing.

For conforming loans, the decline was slight, a slip of just two basis points from last week. Jumbo thirty-year Fixed Rate Mortgages were the key to pricing the FRMI down this week, as they shed nine basis points to finish at 7.51%.

The only-recently-underway Hope for Homeowners plan for modifying thousands of troubled first mortgages was significantly enhanced this week, and now seems to provide a much greater set of incentives for lenders to press forward with migrating borrowers into more affordable loans. Originally, lenders were required to write-down the value of the first mortgage to a 90% LTV, and any second lien holder would get nothing but a token payment and not even that until the home was sold at some point in the future. The new plan calls for a first lien write-down of just 3.5% (96.5% LTV) and the second-lien holder to gat a cash payment (of, so far, undeclared size) immediately upon the loan’s modification. With a chance to actually recover some money, second-lien holders are certain to become more involved in the process, if not actually pushing first-lien holders to push for mods to happen – and, in light of falling home prices, to happen more quickly. The plan’s change seems likely to get into process into a much higher gear.

That’s good news of sorts. All of these loan mod plans have observes starting to ask questions about “moral hazard” implications, where borrowers who could struggle to make mortgage payments decide they’d be better of failing in order to effect a change to their loan terms. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that some borrowers will see a potential loan mod as some perverse inducement to let their loans start to fail – but any borrowers pondering such a choice should be aware that both the ability and willingness to make payments are big considerations in a loan mod. Skipping payments will also further damage their credit rating, making access to new credit in the future more difficult. Bottom line: making such a choice could bring unintended and unpleasant consequences.

Given the state of the economy, we are likely to see more need for loan mods as borrowers lose their jobs amid the downturn. Last week, some 542,000 new applications for unemployment benefits were filed, a fresh cyclical high, and the number collecting on-going benefits (an indicator of new employment options) climbed past 4 million.

Broadly speaking, the economic numbers out this week were sour, and the outlook for improving economic possibilities was strongly downplayed in the minutes of the latest Federal Reserve Open Market Committee Meeting. While the Fed did cut rates at the meeting, the discussion outlined in the document found several Governors questioning whether the lower short-term rates would have any effect in goosing growth, while others expressed concern about the potential for deflation and its effect on consumer spending habits – a marked turn, given that inflation was a serious concern not all that long ago.

Amid difficult financing conditions for projects amid light and variable demand, Housing Starts hit an all-time annualized low in October, coming in at $791,000 new units initiated. (The series began in 1959.) While September was revised up slightly, it wasn’t by much. Building Permits also slumped hard, landing at a 708,000 annualized pace, down from 805,000 in September. With the activity slumping, it’s little surprise that the sentiment index of numbers of the National Association of Homebuilders came in at a record low (1985) for November. Sales and buyer traffic all declines sharply, but expectations for future sales held firm. The buyer’s strike – which began in mortgage-related assets so long ago, expanded into residential real estate cascaded into equities – is fully raging right now. Cash and cash equivalents are king, even when they might have negative real returns to the investor. Short-term Treasuries remain near zero, reflective of the demand for safety and preservation of principal at virtually any costs.

We need to start to think differently about how to get us out of this mess. How about subsidized, cut-rate financing? How about “price mods” or some other form of actual subsidy for a second-home purchase for the best-of-the-best borrowers? Perhaps insurance contracts to protect against home devaluation for new borrowers? Why not dollar-matching investments for the purchase of GM stock – by individuals? Politicians are pondering the usual, traditional methods of spurring growth. We need to start thinking about real incentives for the majority of Americans who aren’t getting a loan mod, bailout, or direct support. Without new reasons to take risks, these folks will continue to pull away from these markets to preserve what they have the detriment of the rest. It’s going to take a combination of fiscal and monetary policy, strong leadership and the will to reward those who consistently have done the “right thing” over time.

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Changes to TARP

BY RICHARD RUSSELL

November 14, 2008 — A week light on economic data didn’t lack for activity. Stock markets continue to rage about, bond yields continue to bounce around, and our newly-activist government is engaged yet again.

This week, Treasury Secretary Paulson all but abandoned the original troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which was intended to pull bad mortgage-related assets off of lender books in an effort to clear their balance sheets. The $700 billion program was supposed to shift bad debts to the government’s books at some market clearing price, but not a single transaction occurred. The process of culling rotten loans and securities turned out to be more cumbersome and slow than expected, and our guess is that lenders simply failed to show much interest in the program, which would have exposed those assets to some pretty harsh market valuations. If conditions stabilized or improve over time, those assets could prove to be more valuable than today’s market can bear.

Mortgage rates eased a little this week. Like expanding ripples on a pond, the wide swings in rates seem to be diminishing after a series of near half-point moves. Settling down is a welcome sign for the market, and they are settling lower is to the benefit of the borrowers.

The average for traditional conforming 30 year FRMs (up to $417,000) declined by another 17 basis points this week.

Aside from the sudden shift in the TARP roiling markets (the price of some mortgage assets which might have been offloaded under the program nosedived, according to a chart in The Wall Street Journal), this week was all about new loan modification for troubled borrowers. The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced plans to identify and modify more Fannie and Freddie-backed or owned mortgage loans. While admitting that GSE-backed loans represent perhaps only 20% of at-risk mortgages, FHFA Director James Lockhart expressed optimism that by setting a series of standards for “streamlined” modifications, others might follow the lead of the agency and improve the number of mortgages changed. Servicers can earn $800 for each loan adjusted closely to match the borrower’s capabilities: they’ll use a 38% housing ratio for determining monthly mortgage payments, among other factors. Although the FHFA offered only a vague estimate of how many borrowers can be served by the program, “thousands” will probably benefit. To be eligible, a borrower should have missed at least three payments and not filed for bankruptcy. Borrowers will need to contact their servicer and provide supporting documentation and a hardship statement.

Not to be outdone, the FDIC offered its own plan for loan modifications on Friday, but specifically for non-GSE backed loans, so this program would include jumbo, subprime and other non-conforming loans. While offering servicers a $1000 bounty for each loan mod, the program here goes a step further in providing some offset to the investor should the newly-modified loan again fail. The FDIC estimates that originally some 2.2 million mortgages could be eligible by the end of 2009, but expects that perhaps a full third of them will re-fail over time. In such a case, the FDIC will cover up to 50% of the loss to the investor. How it will all work out wasn’t especially clear, and details on the FDIC website were rather thin, but the program could have an expected ultimate cost of about $24 billion while serving to keep perhaps 1.5 million homes out of foreclosure.

Mortgage rates dipped this week, pulled back by a sour economy and fast-declining inflation concerns. Unfortunately, more of the same is likely to come next week. Measures of housing activity, producer and consumer prices, industrial production and more are due out, and while we’ll be looking for silver linings we’re not expecting to find many among the dark clouds. A few more weeks of this and we just might see conforming mortgage rates dip into the 5’s and that would lend a bit of cheer for sure

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Mortgage Brokering, an introduction

BY RICHARD RUSSELL

Richard Russell, president of Richland Equity Resources Corp., came To real estate by a series of corporate events that typified the late ’80s. A top executive for Burlington Industries in 1980, Russell, after returning to New York from Chicago , moved into a five-story walk-up in Hell’s Kitchen. He searched for a bank to finance his home, but was unable to find one that handled small apartment buildings like his. With his entrepreneurial spirit and previous experience in handling real estate transactions, Russell recognized a need and decided to fill it. He returned to school and received a certificate in Real Estate Finance from New York University to supplement his MBA and joined Mortgage One Corporation and later Lending Concepts to learn and master the business.

Russell may have to work harder as a sole practitioner, but he Believes it’s worth it. Mr. Russell has built his business on his reputation. Russell is proud of the clean, legitimate shop he runs. People know that if you go the Russell, he’ll get the deal done. If he can’t, he lets people know. He is not in it for the quick buck, but for the long haul.

Richard will write in this column once a week and will give us different aspect and changes from the mortgage field. This week the article will touch a summary about the mortgage brokerage.

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Mortgage brokering is an industry of small entrepreneurs who are Helping friends and family live the American dream of owning real estate. For decades, brokers have filled the voids left by banks by bringing the money to the people. In the past, if a person wanted to buy a home, they went to a bank during the banker’s hours and sat in a lobby hoping to see the vice president of lending. If they weren’t there, they were sent away and told to come back after making an appointment, or they were told to come back after they found a house so the bank could work with real figures. The potential buyer then would spend months looking at homes, fall in love with a home, make an offer, get it accepted and then proceed to the bank with much excitement. The banker would then tell that person they couldn’t afford their home due to their credit history, tax returns or lack of down payment.

Brokers became the advocate for these buyers by opening up the Closed society o banking to the public. Brokers met with the buyers after banker’s hours. They talked in common vernacular, explaining how to work the system to fit their situation. Brokers had the brilliant idea to figure out how much buyers could afford to pay before they would go out looking for a home. Brokers decided to save everyone the time and embarrassment and review credit reports, income and assets before a real estate agent or builder wasted any time with a potential customer. This proactive, deal-making attitude endeared local brokers to their local real estate agent/builder partners. Brokers brought a value to all; the customer had an advocate putting them into the home of their dreams in a way a banker couldn’t, and in the end, the banker/investor got an asset for their books with no hassle.

Before our memory fades, we need to see how the scrappy kid from the Bronx , Angelo the once President of Countrywide, assembled other scrappy, hungry kids from state colleges and built a great company doing all the things that those blessed with better educations and family bank accounts didn’t want to do. As the banks now became filled with confidence, the solid brokers remaining, like my company, The Richardland Group need to remember Angelo’s lessons and find those areas where banks arrogance prevents them from succeeding and fill that need.

All the pending and final legislation pertaining to this industry Has served a good purpose of weeding out those bankers and brokers who never understood their purpose in this business to begin with. We did. We are here to stay and actively involved in the local and governmental pursuit of this endeavor.

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Yes, we can!

By Petya Kirkova

It’s not every day that we can be part of history in the making. Barack Obama is the first African-American to be elected for president of the United States, and the defining moment shutters all racial barriers that might have remained standing. The American dream does not have a color preference, and we can all work together towards a better tomorrow.

The economic crisis is the worst seen in decades. It’s affecting everybody from Wall Street to Main Street, and the ripple effect started with the housing crunch. Many people can not afford to make their mortgage payments, and the market is flooded with homes seized by the few stable banks. Foreclosures are casting a long shadow over each American with a dream. There is no denying of the fact how devastating the situation is, but there is hope.

Finally we are on the road to change and what the New York Times calls, “record-high voter turnout” is the proof how people come together when needed. That which lies ahead will certainly give prospective homeowners a taste of confidence. All they want is to have the same opportunity to buy a house or rent an apartment but in better conditions. Can we have future security and reliability when it comes to the real estate market? Yes, we can!

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Celebrity neighbor

By Petya Kirkova

It’s late in the evening but no too late. You live on the Upper East Side, and you decided to make crème brûlée. The recipe calls for 6 eggs, but you did make Eggs Benedict for your improvised brunch today, so unfortunately you have only 4 eggs left. Hmmm, would you alter the recipe, it’s your first crème brûlée and you have the urge to follow it to the dot, or you would just wait until tomorrow and buy the missing ingredient? Or you would knock on your neighbor’s door and borrow 2 eggs? After all it’s late but not the way- too-late-to-knock-on-peoples’-doors kind of late, so you go down one flight and knock on the door of L-2. Who do you think opens the door - Renee Zelleweger. It’s not a coincidence of names. It’s the same Renee Zellweger who you watched with your girlfriends in the Bridget Jones Diaries. I know what you think now. This story sounds too unreal. People living on Madison Avenue can most likely afford a chef, even if they cook themselves they don’t borrow eggs from their neighbors, and last but not least Renee Zellweger…

Ok, the crème brûlée recipe was a stretch, but if you do live on Madison Avenue and 82nd Street, you just acquired a new celebrity neighbor. According to the New York Observer, recently Renee Zellweger bought a $2,800,000 co-op unit on the Upper East Side. Not only she got her self an upscale "home sweet home", but apparently she has more than one in the same building. There is still some confusion whether she has two or three units, but the fact is that her Manhattan mail now is addressed to Madison Avenue or 82nd Street. Again a little confusion, but the property in question has two known addresses. Well, if you happen to live in the heart of New York City, you grasped the idea of more than one address very easily. Buildings have more than one entrance, hence the difference. Just don’t give up your idea of the well-desired zip code. You’ll get used to having more than one way out of your casa; let it not spoil your dream of moving into the City.

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The Price of Manhattan Zipcode!

Usually the most privileges are reserved for the rich and the famous; however, sometimes just being rich is more than enough to make someone feel like a celebrity. The attention is definitely something that can be bought. In a city like New York, the island of Manhattan is the Mecca of luxury and comfort for those with both “old” and “new” money, looking for their nest. The nest in question is in some cases rented, and it comes with as many bathrooms as there are bedrooms, private elevator, and 17-foot ceilings. The price tag? Very, very, very high. The most expensive apartments in Manhattan are of course in the renowned Waldorf Towers, neighborhoods like the Upper East Side, Midtown East, overlooking Park and Lexington avenues, as well as W. Greenwich Village, Soho, and last but by no means least, the apartments overseeing Central Park.

If you have ever wondered how expensive can it actually be, here is the answer. A three bedroom, three and half bathrooms apartment in the Waldorf Towers is available for $95 000 a month, but it comes with a lavish interior fitted for the cover of the most sophisticated home décor magazine. The entry of the apartment is indeed a marble gallery, and all of the bathrooms are also entirely made of marble. The state of the art kitchen comes fully equipped and is spacious enough for a separate wine/refrigerator unit, as well as washer and dryer. All is well designed for comfort, but let’s not forget that The Waldorf Towers offer maid service twice daily, so you have both the comfort of your home, and the exclusivity of a hotel. No wonder celebrities like Angelina Jolie are said to be one of the regulars there.

Celebrities or not, everybody is aware that the pinnacle of Manhattan’s luxury is the Penthouse, but the good news is that the price is not as high as one would expect. An exquisite penthouse at 16 Warrens Str. in Tribeca goes for only $50 000 per month. With its stunning 15ft floor to ceiling windows, and private roof deck that features oversized Jacuzzi, this penthouse falls nothing short of spectacular. You can rarely find more privacy and comfort than this penthouse with private elevator, four planted terraces with a panorama view of Tribeca, and on top of all that, you’ll be saving lots of energy by using the solar powered hot water. You simply have to see this place to believe it, but you can’t be disappointed from a space with a 1000sf Wine Cave, containing up to 3000 bottles.

For nesting couples or wild party hosts, looking to shed less than a hundred grand for rent, W. Greenwich Village and Turtle Bay offer spaces for just $50 000 per month. Depending on personal taste, you can either go for a townhouse in Turtle Bay or a four bedrooms, four bathrooms loft in the Village. Living in a house has its advantages, and if you are a big family, which prefers not to be bothered by the neighbors above or below, the townhouse is a perfect choice. It comes with five bedrooms, and the five bathrooms are enough for everybody to avoid the morning rush. It even offers the solitude of a private garden with a fountain and statues copied from the Villa Medici .Once the home of the legendary Bob Dylan, this immaculate townhouse is worth every dollar of its listed price.

Given that The Waldorf Towers are above your price range, but on the other hand you don’t feel enthusiastic about the Village or Turtle Bay, we can take you up to the Upper East Side, where at 807 Park Avenue a five bedrooms, four bathrooms apartment goes for anywhere between $59 000 and $62 500. The luxury is just unbelievable, but definitely true with a private elevator for every apartment, 2 libraries, kitchen with outdoor terrace and Master bedroom suites with separate dressing area and a fireplace. The Park Avenue style of living is what some people can only dream of, but if you are among the few lucky ones who can afford it, why not? New York City has not always been the playground of the rich and famous, but in recent years it has drawn people from all over the world, looking for the ultimate treat – the Manhattan zipcode.

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Feng Shui for your home

By Petya Kirkova

After a very long, nerve-wracking day all you want is to go home and relax. What if for some reason your nest does not feel very relaxing? It’s something you can not put your finger on. It’s not the furniture, it’s not the lighting, and you finally had the time to put away the clothes from the last week’s laundry adventure.  Everything looks alright, but it doesn’t feel so. May be it’s not what you have in your home but the way you arranged it. You’ve probably heard  about Feng Shui before; however, you never dared to try it. It’s not as hard to do it as it is to pronounce it, so don’t give up yet.

Feng Shui, pronounced fung-shwee literary means “wind ­­- water”. Some consider it art, and others refer to it as a practice, but overall it’s an ancient Chinese practice of positioning objects, buildings, and furniture based on a belief in patterns of yin and yang and flow of positive and negative energy. The ultimate goal is achieving harmony, happiness, wealth and balance in life. Feng Shui is very much discussed in various social circles. From the trendy couple, buying a gorgeous flat on the Upper West Side to the bunch of wild friends renting their first apartment together in downtown Manhattan, Feng Shui is for everybody. Of course, the easiest thing to do is hire a professional, say good-bye to a bunch of cash, and have your place arranged without you even moving a single chair. Oh well, if only all of us were so lucky to have this alternative, life will be…boring!

Even if you can not afford to pay for a personal designer, you can always try some things yourself. For example, according to Feng Shui your bed shouldn’t be positioned so that your legs are pointing to the bedroom door. It symbolizes being carried to the “other” world. Also, as common as it is to have a mirror in the bedroom you should probably move it, if you want to keep your relationship worry-free. If you and your partner are trying to have a baby, placing an elephant figurine next to the bed might help. In case you already have children, having a double-story bed is not the best option. The child sleeping in the bottom is “compressed” and it might not perform quite well. It is also a very good idea to open all the doors and windows in your home once a month, and this is not an implication that your home smells funny, but it encourages the negative energy to leave and the positive to enter.

As it appears every-day Feng Shui is not rocket science. You can try a few minor changes in your home. See if it feels different the next time you kick up you heels and relax in your favorite sofa. If it does, and you enjoy the arranging, you can find unlimited amount of information every where from the bookstore to the Internet. Who knows, may be you’ll become the next Feng Shui master. If it doesn’t work for your habitat what do you have to loose? You will have a very good conversation starter for your next social event.

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