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7 Zen-tillating Tips to Feng-Shui Your Home (Guest Post)

8/6/2012

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The feng-shui concept is a 3000-year-old Chinese discipline that was first used for tomb sites. It became involved not only with the remains of the dead, but the way the whole kingdom worked with each other. While a complete feng-shui transformation may be quite difficult- you can start simple. A few items can provide inspiration, allowing you to build your home in the style and conceptual basis of zen living. 

1.) Emptying the Cup: A well-known Japanese practice goes something like this: a visitor wants to experience Zen. The master, serving tea, keeps on pouring the visitor’s cup full- but doesn't stop. When told by the visitor that no more will go into the cup- the master simply replies that similar to the cup- one is full of her own opinion. No one can experience Zen unless the person empties the cup. What’s the relevance, here? It's simple- the clutter must be cleared. As Rodika Tchi asserts, this is an “essential” step to experiencing feng-shui in the home.

2.) Learn the Five Elements of Feng-Shui: By integrating feng-shui inspired elements you can incorporate these time-honored traditions in your home:

  • Wood: try plants, vertical lines, and the color green for new beginnings and growth.
  • Fire: lighting, triangular items, and the color red for passion/reputation.
  • Earth: earth tones and square items for stability.
  • Metal: white and light pastels, metallic items, and rounded objects for focus.
  • Water: sinuous objects and the color black for connections and inner truth.
3.) What’s Your Birth Element? Once you find out your feng-shui birth element you can integrate the accompanying element into your home, expand on the elements in the previous step.

4.) What’s Your Kua Number and Lucky Directions? First, find your Kua number; Then use a feng-shui directions chart to locate your lucky directions. Once you determine both items you can begin to re-work your space to accentuate the direction. For instance, maybe you can turn some sofas to the correct direction to revitalize better energy. From sofas to your bed, the dining area, and much more, these can play a pivotal role in the feng-shui of your home.

5.) Don’t Forget About the Outside: Utilizing the practical guidelines for the five feng-shui elements you can apply them to outside your home as well. For instance, look for triangular items to enhance the fire element in your garden. Do the same for other elements in order to achieve the correct level of energy- feng-shui doesn't only apply inside of your home.

6.) Pay Attention to the Upkeep: In feng-shui, the fluidity of energy and the element is central to the concept. In other words, the energy can easily be influenced with your actions. As, in the initial step, the cup was emptied, one must be careful not to disturb the positive flow of energy. Staying mindful of the elements and energy can allow you to maintain the positive state of feng-shui in the home.


Alan Bryan guest blogs above for Habitat For Hermanity. Born and raised near Silicon Valley, Alan's parent's had high hopes for him. Those hopes did not include gaming. Fortunately, Alan was able to channel his love of gaming into a career as a journalist...focusing on gaming. Both Alan and his parents have accepted this compromise. 
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(VIDEO) Bust Out That Powdered Wig, It's Baroque Decor! 

7/30/2012

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Click image for Baroque Design Tips!
As many of you know, San Francisco Chronicle teamed up with me for their Home Decorating Video Series! First topic is about Baroque interior design tips. Watch as I deftly weave in men in tights & Madonna (Can't help it. It's my frame of reference!). Bust out that powdered wig & enjoy!  

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Madonna's electrifying Vogue rendition at 1990 MTV Awards. I bought a hoop skirt the next day!
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San Franciso Chronicle Partners With Hermanity for Home Decor Video Series! 

7/28/2012

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I'm super excited to announce my new home design video series for the San Francisco Chronicle! Enjoy! 

"Designing your home is a great way to give a fresh new look to an old space, or just open up a room and make it feel larger. Get tips on how to decorate your room and have fun while you're doing it with help from a real estate personality, broker, writer, speaker and video blogger in this free video series." 
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Rockin' my new Tom Ford glasses.....with H&M blazer! Mix & match!
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eHow: Disadvantages of Apartments (VIDEO)

4/19/2012

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As host for Real Estate Web Series on eHow.com, I answer a question we got from a viewer: What are the disadvantages to apartments? Let me know if I missed any! 

The Disadvantages of Apartments -- powered by ehow
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Hermanity's Home Decor 2012 Forecast for Frontiers Magazine

3/20/2012

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Read my feature article for Frontiers Magazine, where I round up the top trends in decor in their annual "Our Home Design Guide" issue. 

-What colors are hot? 
-Has Madonna brought gold back into vogue? 
-Is indoor wicker furniture the next hot trend? 
-Why locally made pieces are cooler!

I love writing for this publication cause they let me be me. ("Love Your Small Unit", "Turn Your House into A Green House")


Side note: I love that the cover is an Asian hottie! Who was the last Asian Cover Boy? Probably me. 

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The Wrong List Price Means Your House Will NEVER Sell! Tips How to Avoid That!

3/13/2012

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My new column for Show Stopper Magazine (March 2012 Issue, page 13). Spring is around the corner which historically is the kick off the real estate high season! Check out my 3 tips before you blindly throw your house on the market. The wrong price could mean a house that never sells! 
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The Sassy Suit Asks Me How To Have a Career As a Real Estate Agent

2/29/2012

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America's favorite HR Exec & Career/Workplace Expert Reese Alexander (aka The Sassy Suit) interviews me for Examiner.com about how to have a career as a realtor.  If you want to get a taste of real estate but don't want to go thru getting licensed, read my tip in her article! 


Reese always has the best-est job advice. Sassy, classy but never trashy! Follow her here twitter.com/thesassysuit. 

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How to Dress to Sell a Home: Be Sure Clients Know the House is for Sale....Not You!

2/23/2012

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I am shocked how agents dress! I can not tell you how many times I've walked into an open house and have seen agents in sweats, halter tops or flip-flops. You don't have to wear a 3 piece suit, but you want people to know you are hockin' homes...not hockin' hooters!

eHow asked me to do a video about this very tragical dilemma facing our industry. Watch!

How to Dress to Sell a Home -- powered by ehow
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Advertising Yourself or Your House On-Line: No Pix Usually Means Fugly!

2/22/2012

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Real phone conversation with clueless listing agent

Herman: Hi, I'm calling about listing on *&^@& St.  Is there anything wrong with the property? 
Agent: It's gorgeous! 
Herman: How come there  are no photos?
Agent: Didn't you read the pretty description I wrote?
Herman: (rolls eyes) Um, a picture is worth a 1000 words. 

I feel so sorry for his clients! People are visual creatures. If your house is for sale, make sure you have TONS of pics. It's like online dating, you  are more likely to click on the guy with attractive photos and sparse bio, than a guy with no pix and long flowery bio (TMI or over compensation). Let's face it. No pix implies fugly! 

Case in point: Notice how boring this blog post is without any images?! 
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Herman's Exclusive Feature for Wealth Magazine: Condo Investing Tips!

2/19/2012

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Wealth Magazine  allots me a beautiful full 2 page spread in their Winter 2012 issue. Check out my exclusive web video "Condo Investing Tips" for this esteemed publication dedicated to "financial intelligence for life". 
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ShowStopper Magazine: Showcase Your Home to Sell!

2/16/2012

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Direct Shopping Network TV Hosts Brook Roberts & Tara Gray have launched a new magazine called Show Stopper!  With already over 300,000 subscribers, I'm so flattered my friend Tara (former Miss Alabama!)  asked me to pen a column about home & design. See page 14-15 here.  Got a question for me? Post in comments & it just might be next month's topic! 

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Herman's Quick Decorating Tips to Sell Your Home for eHow.com!

2/3/2012

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With winter slowly melting away, eHow asked me to do a quick vlog for sellers who are prepping their homes for the traditional high season in real estate: Spring & Summer! De-clutter, de-personalize, stage & match your decor with your house style. Good luck! 

 


Decorating to Sell Your Home -- powered by ehow
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How to Find an Interior Designer...on the Cheap!

1/20/2012

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Last week I dropped in on a friend  who closed escrow over a year ago. It was a fabulous property & I couldn't wait to see how she decorated it. I walked in...and it looked the same. Whomp, Whomp! I said, "Girl, what happened to all those design plans you fantasized about!? Didn't you TIVO like 800 hours of ColorSplash!?" She had no time, no money & no idea where to start. What a shame! But I see this all the time. Folks spend thousands a month on house payments but don't do a darn thing to make it nice. 

So, eHow asked me to share some quick tips on how to find a designer to help you dress up the biggest purchase of your life! And it won't cost you an arm & a leg either. 



How to Find a Room Designer -- powered by ehow
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My Exclusive Video for Sold Magazine: Tips for Real Estate VideoBlogging

1/11/2012

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I've been in the vlogging game for a few years now, so I often get asked by realtors how to videoblog. Sold Magazine incidentally had me do an exclusive clip for their readers about this very topic. Here some quick easy tips. Don't miss the last one. It's the most important, and most hilarious, tip! 
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How to Promote Yourself as a Real Estate Agent

1/5/2012

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According to the National Association of Realtor's latest info from Oct 2011, there are 1,024,669 Realtors in the United States.  Seems like a substantial number but let's not kid ourselves folks! A lot of these peeps are part timers. And many of these are older agents trying to catch up to real estate in 2012. (Average age of a realtor is 56, while the average home buyer is 31.)   It's often quoted amongst us real estate professionals that 80% of the business is done by 20% of the agents. If you happen to be that 20%, then good for you. You may skip this video!  

But if you are just eking out a living in real estate, you wanna promote yourself differently in 2012.  Ditch those cheesy calendars & tacky magnets. I've never heard of a seller who decided to list their house with an agent because they found her name on a Safeway shopping cart (aka "cartvertising"...yes, it's a real thing!).  Watch my new video for eHow for some promotion suggestions.   It's a new year, try something new!

Stop moonlighting at other jobs to make ends meet. Commit to going full force hocking homes! I know you can do it! Have a prosperous exciting 2012! 

How to Promote Yourself as a Real Estate Agent -- powered by ehow
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Tips for Selling Your Unit: Make Sure Your Condo Isn't a Condon't!

12/21/2011

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There are special considerations when selling a condo! When you are hocking your goodies out there, a lot of it is preparation (H). Watch my latest video for eHow.com.

How to Sell My Condominium -- powered by ehow
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Herman Explains 'How to Fight an Incorrect Appraisal' for eHow.com

12/9/2011

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Did you know 1 in 5 real estate contracts get cancelled due to appraisals?! I'm in a deal now where the purchase price is $550k, but the appraiser used 300k and 800k comps. Seems like there is no rhyme or reason! There are indeed some fine appraisers out there who take there job seriously. However,  I'm noticing a new crop of lazy appraisers who breeze in fast and crank out lackidasical reports, which wreck utter havoc on sellers, buyers, agents, loan brokers, etc! They do a sloppy job and leave it to us to clean up their mess! But do they care? Heck, no. They got paid and have moved on to another house. No skin off their back!  AGBeat quotes Mike Evans, the former president of the American Society of Appraisers, who says, “Some guy blows in from 300 miles away and grabs three comps that may not be in the right area, and leaves.” It's an epidemic!

If you get a lemon of an appraisal, try these remedies I filmed for ehow.com:

How to Fight Incorrect Appraisal on House -- powered by ehow
Click Read More to see Video Transcript

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How to Decorate a Tiny Teeny Apartment - by Herman for eHow.com

11/28/2011

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If you follow my blog, you know I've blogged many times about the small space movement. I've even written some published pieces about this. What can I say, I'm anti-McMansion!  Anyhow (or should I say any-ehow), eHow.com asked me to do a video about how to decorate a tiny weensie apartment, so here it is!

If you have any photos of videos of your bite sized abode, please share! I'd love to feature it on Habitat For Hermanity.

How to Decorate a Teeny, Tiny Apartment -- powered by ehow
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eHow.com: How to Find Out What Your House Will Appraise For

11/12/2011

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If I had a penny for each time I got asked this question, I could buy a foreclosure all cash! LOL. For (m)any homeowners, it's the million dollar question (so to speak): What's my house worth? 

In fact, I was on an HGTV show with Celebrity Apprentice winner Kendra Todd called called My House is Worth What, whose premise was we'd go assess how much value a homeowner's recent renovations was added to the property. Back in the hey-day, you could buy a busted up shack and it'd appreciate 20%! Then the market tanked.  With property values plummeting, ummm,  that show wasn't as happy anymore, so it went bye-bye.

Regardless, it is still important to find out the correct value of your house. Ignorance is NOT bliss! Watch my quick tips on eHow on How to Find What Your House Will Appraise For.

How to Find Out What Your House Will Appraise for —powered by eHow.com
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eHow.com: How to Find a Room Designer by Herman Chan

11/1/2011

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While you're taking down your Halloween decorations, this might be a good time to give your home decor a facelift! Some of your homes might have got trashed and there is nothing wrong with asking for a little help (Ain't got no shame!). So, here are my tips on finding a designer from a video I did for ehow.com. From celebrity designers to designers on the cheap, check it out!

How to Find a Room Designer -- powered by ehow
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Do not wear tube tops & mini-skirts to your open house! How to Dress to Sell a Home

10/26/2011

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I've videoblogged about this before but STILL I walk into open homes and am flabbergasted by what the Realtor is wearing! One gal had on nothing more than 2 band-aids held together by some string, and mini-skirt so short it might as well have been a belt. Seriously, how do you politely ask "Are you hockin' homes or hockin' hooters!?" If clients can't tell whether the house or you is for sale, you're in big trouble. 

Here is my new video for eHow.com on how real estate agents ought to dress. (However, if you are selling a house to Hugh Hefner, then go for the daisy dukes & halter tops. Know your clientele!)

How to Dress to Sell a Home -- powered by ehow
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Hermanity Scores Another Cover for SOLD Magazine!

9/17/2011

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SOLD Magazine features Hermanity in an article by Samantha McLean called Video Marketing: Herman Chan Makes it Simple.  If you happen to be in Australia, pick up a copy for me.  (And while you're at it, pick me up an Aussie man too!)

Australia has churned out many break out real estate videos. Who can forget the salacious video vixens used to hock property?  Or Chris Gilmour's glossy high production videos that help him sell/list a property every 26 hours? Our friends down under certainly have a flair for the visual! 

It certainly helps that these women are centerfolds incarnate and that Chris Gilmour is a walking Ken Doll! Eye candy never hurts. I'm not as pretty as these folks. Honestly, if I did video down there, I would be totally hit by the ugly stick.

Nevertheless,  I can't wait to go back there again. Someone send me an invite!

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Don't Forget the Foyer! My article for Times Interior Magazine

9/13/2011

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We are glad to let our readers know that Herman Chan International Interior Design Expert will be giving us design tips through our website. Welcome Mr. Herman Chan

Foyer Design Tips
"Sometime people focus so much on the big rooms like kitchen, living room, master bedroom suite that the smaller spaces in a house get swept under the rug. One small space that I urge you not to forget in decorating your house is the entryway foyer...." 


Rest the rest here. 


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How to Buy a Condo: Make Sure your Condo is not a Condon't!

8/30/2011

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Condominiums can be a terrific way to get into the real estate market. And let's face it; they also are a great way for people to downsize in these lean times!  However, they are not without their pitfalls.  Before you dive into the condo pool, what are the red flags to watch out for? Watch my video & find out, y'all! 

Have any good tips about buying condos? Please share, we'd love to hear!
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Q: Should I do a pre-inspection before I sell my house? A: Yes! No one likes surprises!

8/23/2011

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Another fabulous LogoTV viewer pops Hermanity a question.  I love hearing from you guys! 

Question:  I'm selling my house soon. Should I do a pre-inspection? 
Answer: Yes! It's like getting tested at the clinic. No one likes surprises! Trust me, it'll save you a lot of heartache & pain down the line. A pre-inspection gives a seller a chance to correctify any outstanding repairs, gives the buyer a more clear picture of the house's condition and helps mitigates negotiations in escrow. 

Has a pre-inspection ever saved your deal? I wanna hear! 
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