Some say a house is just bricks and mortar.
An abode. A place to hang your hat.
But after nearly 17 years in the real estate business, I know 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.
I remember after one home inspection, I was turning out the lights and getting ready to lock the doors. And 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.
And there are other homes where I have felt that something terrible has happened also. Abuse. Or neglect. Or violence.
And 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. You can’t judge a book by its’ cover.
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 the 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, loved, usually the inside of the home is also loved as well. And contains love.
I remember my childhood home was always overgrown with weeds on the outside. Not a happy home, to be sure. And the outside told the story.
And so, I believe feelings can tell a great story of a house, although nothing can be proven.
And I still believe each house has a soul.