Some say a house is just bricks and mortar.
An abode. A place to hang your hat.
But after more than 20 years in the real estate business, I now believe differently. I believe there are energies that inhabit every home. Both good and bad.
I can’t explain it. And I definitely can’t prove it. But I know there are feelings that can’t be explained when you walk into a house. Some may say it’s the layout – so important to the flow of energy – as in the ancient practise of Feng Shui.
But I believe there is more to it.
I remember after one home inspection, I was turning out the lights and getting ready to lock the doors. I couldn’t get out of that house fast enough. It was like there was something malevolent in the feeling of that house. Like something bad had happened there. I can’t explain it. And I know I definitely can’t prove it. But it was a feeling that I felt to my core. In my bones.
There are other homes where I have felt that something terrible has happened too. Abuse. Or neglect. Or violence.
There are homes where I expect to feel something terrible has happened, because it is old or dirty, but I feel nothing. And so, I have to believe that the energies of the people that lived there before were good, loving energies.
I feel the sadness of homes that have been neglected and left to disrepair, perhaps through no fault of the owners. Perhaps their health failed them, or finances.
I feel the sadness of homes that are lost to financial institutions, because people lost their jobs, or weren’t able to pay their mortgages.
I feel the happiness of homes that are loved and cared for so much that they are bursting at the seams. They have happy memories and energies of families, friends and good times.
Sometimes you can tell a book by its cover. Some call it curb appeal.
If the outside of a home is neat, tidy and loved, usually the inside of the home is also loved and you can feel those loving energies.
I believe our feelings can tell a great deal about the story of a house, although nothing can be proven.
And I still believe each house has a soul.
Sharon Posius is a Realtor with Century 21 B.J Roth Realty in Barrie, Ont.. She is a former broadcast journalist who keeps up her writing chops as a contributing writer to the monthly Focus 50+ News Magazine. She also hosts and writes her own blogsite, SharonsBlurb.org.
