Celebrate Chinese New Year With Feng Shui Home Ideas From Chase International.

Business Editors/Real Estate Writers

LAKE TAHOE, Nev.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 19, 2004

The Chinese Lunar New Year rings in Thursday, January 22 (the year of the monkey). For many the start of a new year is the perfect time to update or implement feng shui practices into their homes.

Feng shui is often referred to as the mother of natural sciences. In fact, it's the Chinese art of placement and is as ancient as the culture and Lunar New Year Calendar. Now widely adopted across the globe, feng shui involves all aspects of our daily lives including our homes, our businesses, our doctor's office and our entire community. It's even a hit with realtors including Lake Tahoe's Chase International, which is recommending it to its clients whose mission is to sell their homes.

"Whether you live in the mountains, near the ocean, in a home or an apartment, the principles of feng shui transcend our everyday lives," said Dr. Ed Sung, Feng Shui Elder Master and co-founder of BTB Feng Shui Professional Training Program in New York and San Francisco. "Feng shui addresses the areas where most of our concerns lie, such as wealth, relationships, fame and reputation and health. It's old knowledge in this new age and it is making an impact on us more than ever."

According to Sung, feng shui is making a significant impact right now on real estate in particular, helping people to sell their homes faster and helping people settle into their new homes more comfortably. Some of the top placement tips one can make in the enhancement of the layout and interior design of a home are:

1. Don't have a side door as a front door -- use your front door.

2. Position the stove so it's not facing the wall, but facing

people while cooking.

3. Keep doors in any one area to a minimum.

4. Position the toilet so it's not seen immediately when opening

the bathroom door.

5. Avoid using double doors in the master bedroom.

6. Make the first impression upon entering your home a warm and

welcoming one.

7. Add mirrors to increase the size of a small room. You will

create a feeling of more space and also endless opportunities.

8. Remember when placing furniture, less is always best. Too much

furniture can make us feel cramped and can restrict the flow

of our opportunities.

9. Add flowering plants, in groups of 3's along the walkway to

your front door. Red is best.

10. Have live plants in as many rooms as possible, if their leaves

look like round coins, even better.

Sung offers a tutorial session to realtors in California and Nevada, and Lake Tahoe's Chase International is among those firms to catch on to the science and recommend feng shui principles to their clients.

"While each home, office or community is different and requires different applied principles, it's amazing to see and feel the improvement feng shui makes on your space," said Shari Chase. "From a real estate perspective, we're of course most concerned with our clients' personal well-being, and taking a little instruction from an ancient Chinese art is just one of the tools we may use to help sell their homes."

Headquartered in Lake Tahoe, Nevada since 1986, with four offices in the region and one in London, Chase International and its exclusive affiliations handle a large share of the world's most desirable property, servicing prestigious clientele including nobility, corporate heads, entertainers and dignitaries worldwide. In 1996, they in fact handled the transaction of the highest priced residential sale in U.S. history -- the sale of Lake Tahoe's Thunderbird Lodge for $50 million.

Chase International is also affiliated with Leading ESTATES of the World, Sotheby's International Realty, Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate and The Registry. Chase International also utilizes its membership opportunities in the National Association of Realtors International Division, Woman's Council of Realtors and FIABCI, the International Real Estate Federation (an international network of 7,000 real estate professionals, attorneys, accountants, banks and related services). For more information about Chase International, contact Shari Chase of Chase International at 1-800-322-6130 or visit the website at www.chaseinternational.com.