I don't believe an "energy" is inherent to a house. I believe there are a number of factors that give a house more of what I'd call a "vibe." That vibe may or may not resonate with you, and what gives one person a sense of energy or creativity or calm might not give the same senses to someone else.

Yes...I believe it, and my house is full of good energy. Almost 100 years of it.

I'm quite certain that many of the past owners have died there, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Judging from their grave markers, it was likely old age.

I love my place & I'd never want to live anywhere else.

Isn't it funny how the "negative energy" post has so many comments, while this one has only 2 prior to this one....

bungalowmo....It is an interesting commentary, isn't it!!!! I was just this moment thinking how negative "the trend that should end" thread is! The initial question seems to invite people to insult and argue with each other? Why not a "trend I love" thread? Maybe Mark could research this for us?

bubbasgma, haven't you noticed that people tend to buy houses with good energy when you are showing property? I can literally see the glow on their face as we are walking in the door and know that this is "the one". They don't have to say a word. I always attributed that to the feeling the house gives because it isn't always the prettiest house on the block, although that helps. :)

Denita..I've "worn several hats" over the years, but have never been a realtor. But maybe there is still time to try that one "on" too!

Oops, sorry. There goes my intermittent loss of memory again...lol

In a way, I hope the reason the "bad energy" design dilemma gets more comments is that people like Emily more than me.

We love you Mark. :)

I'll take "good energy" over "bad energy", anyday.

I know that when we house hunt I'm always conscious of how I feel when I'm in a particular house. There was one house that I couldn't wait to get out of. Nothing that I could point to, and nothing that's ever been in the news, but I still get the creeps when I drive by it.

By contrast, within about 30 seconds of walking into our current house I knew it was the one. A sense of calm came over me that's still there 6 years later...kind of like the sense of calm I got when I found "the" dress for our wedding!

So Mark, inquiring minds need to know....do you believe that there is just something about some houses that give them a good vibe or energy?

Not sure about our house's energy, but my husband has always said that the house was happier once it had kids in it. I guess that means it is about time to move, now that our youngest is going to graduate from high school soon.

Mark...From the beautiful photo you posted, I'm assuming you have lots of expertise on this topic!!

We are closing on our first house next week, and when house hunting I definitely had a similar experience to Annmarie. When we walked into the house we are buying I felt good, just sort of even and calm and like "I could live here" -- even though the house has not been updated in terms of appliances or decor since the previous owners (who lived there since the house was built in 1950) added on and redecorated in 1975! It just felt solid and safe. My partner and I both felt it, and even though it doesn't have all the bells and whistles and was vacant so we didn't see furniture in it, we knew it was the one.

We also went into a house that just felt creepy -- it was empty of furnishings,too, and there is no news-related horror story attached, but I was nervous the whole time I was in it and got the feeling that bad things happened in it. I thought our agent would laugh at me when I told her I couldn't live in it, but she didn't do her usual devil's-advocate thing, and said she had a similar feeling.

I am excited to go home on 5/16 -- that's move in day! A sign of the house's energy that I already think of it as home.

When we sold our last house the couple that bought it had looked at over 30 houses and said the minute they saw ours they knew it was the one. It reminded them of growing up in the east, four fireplaces, clothes chute and all. We built that house with so much care and consideration and thought we'd stay there forever but had an opportunity to buy more acreage, so we decided to move. I still drive by and check on the house.

If a house looks loved and appears to be occupied by happy people that helps to create a good vibe. Sometimes you can't put a finger on it though. Some places instantly put you at peace and others will make your hair stand up. We're either tuned in to something beyond the five senses, or maybe what we're seeing or sensing in some other way (smelling?) is unconscious. Some places just seem flat out haunted though. You ever seen a building that houses failed restaurant after failed restaurant, despite being in a good location in a thriving area?

I think the bad energy thread got so many comments because who doesn't like a good ghost story? Maybe it's just me and my somewhat cynical and irreverent nature, but I'm fascinated by eerie and unexplained things as well as the weird things some people do. I can take only so much sweetness and love....

I absolutely believe that some houses have good energy! A lot has to do with the house's design and a lot has to do with the people that live in the house. Any bad energy residue from previous owners can be overcome by a positive energy of the new owners, and it is easier with a good design to start with.

I currently rent a log cabin that when I first walked in, had a very neutral energy. I removed the hand-me-down furniture and filled it with arts & crafts antique, and changed the name of the cabin from a name that contained my ex-wife's maiden name to "Bohemian Hill" , and Wah-lah!! one happy cabin.

I like the way you put that, Mark. That it's a combination of the house itself and the people. It shows how important the house design is, something that is difficult at best, and usually impossible, to change.

I agree with Mark. You make the energy that you want. When we bought the home we currently live in the good energy levels were pretty low. There were questionable things in the home and painted on the walls that my husband and I both grimaced at. New paint and our own furnishings have made a big difference in the good energy in our home.

Mark...I totally get "naming" your house. I'm having a plaque made to hang on the porch.
"Casa Utopia"

Grobby...love your analogy of likening it to meeting someone with whom you feel an immediate chemistry. Spot On!!

Good energy ... curb appeal. I think they are somewhat related. Can a house have curb appeal and bad energy, or vice versa, no curb appeal but good energy? Curb appeal, design, and personality all combine to make a first impression. The energy is something unseen, but can be felt, like love. I can feel love in a home, when a house has been loved, and when there love is present in a home.

Sometimes curb appeal is just a facade.


(sorry, I had to say it)

Ok, without getting tooooo metaphorical, I'd have to agree that, like people, curb appeal can be a facade, and what's underneath the curb appeal is just as important as the interior, which includes the design, and the "energy".

So I think that all homes have good, bad or neutral energies. Some of us are more sensitive to energies than others, and just because one doesn't feel an energy doesn't necessarily mean the energy isn't there.

My sister is in a house now that came with a funny story. The pre-pubescent girl who lived in the house before was obviously NOT happy about moving out (maybe giving up her friends? who knows?) This girl took a marker pen and wrote all over every mirror in the house some pretty awful, R-rated things "To the new people" (ie. my sister and her two kids). I'm sure her parents, had they known she had done this, would have been appalled at what the girl wrote. The bedrooms have mirrored sliding closet doors--imagine how much anger-filled commentary was all over them, particularly in what had been "her" room. We called that one the "Room of Angst". :) Sis and I quickly cleaned it up, before the kids saw it, and it became the extra bedroom/playroom. I guess nobody wanted it for their bedroom, haha!

Luckily, that experience has had no bearing on the mental health or positive energy of house's current inhabitants! The house has been a very great blessing for my sister! :)

When I was buying my house I felt she was mine the minute I entered. There was negative energy from the previous owners like a sadness but she felt relieved to see me. Since then she has never let me down, I have found all my "dream characteristics" some of them buried under previous remuddles. Now the house that people said was a "tear down" is a showpiece. When we first moved in people would come up and ask me if the house was haunted - because for decades that was what kids had said - but apart from the odd creaks and the doors that would open and close on their own I've had no problems. Actually the "vibe" in the house is happy and a bit quirky like me - (her upper lights look like eyes following you as you walk up and down the street).

My house that once had a depressed energy is now happy and playful.

Good energy is when things are flowing... think movement! energy cannot be stagnant. That is why homes that are clean and well kept have good energy because things are being taken care of. Look at a hoarders house and you will feel drained. It's stagnant and nothing can move or flow.

I also believe that changing things up and using different colors and styles and not being afraid to do something daring makes a home have good energy. When everything is cookie cutter or too matched there is no life and things are just there obviously, because they needed furniture or something to take up space.

Doing things in an unexpected way add lots of energy to the home.

Using personalized art and items instead of things just bought off the racks add good energy because you are putting yourself out there in your home and that is YOUR energy!!

There is a balance between too sparse (minimalistic) and too cluttered.

Having too many odds and ends and nic nacks will obstruct energy because all those thinks mostly just sit there gathering dust and energy.

I also know that having some light coming in is very important. Being able to see the outdoors is helpful in having good energy in the home.

Having a well behaved pet is good too.

Being able to find things is helpful too. When a person is having to always look for misplaced items it really takes the energy out of the space and out of us too.

I am sure there are plenty more but for now that's all I can think of.