When purchasing a home, leasing an office space or renting an apartment, the energy of the building is worth considering when making a decision.

Our ability to be happy and effective in a home or office is affected not just by physical concerns such as floor plan, amount of storage space and financial terms, but also more intangible concerns such as how the space feels.

Many things affect the energy of a space – including the lighting, the purpose of the space, the outdoor environment, and the amount of clutter.

Because our living and working spaces hold the energy of what happens there, the previous occupants and the circumstances of their lives at the time also affect a building’s energy.

The energy and emotions of the occupants soak into a space and become embedded in the building’s walls and energy field. If previous occupants experienced happiness, joy and abundance in their lives, that energy becomes imprinted on the home or workplace. Likewise, if previous owners and tenants were going through bankruptcy, divorce, violence or major illness, that energy tends to carry forward and affect the new owners.

Your best guide will always be your intuition. Open up your senses and invite them to share with you what they perceive about the energy of the space. What do you feel the first time you enter? Does it feel cheerful and inviting, heavy and sad, peaceful and supportive, or chaotic and wild?

Also consider your intention for the space. For instance, a home with active energy might not serve your purpose if you were looking for peace and sanctuary in your living space. Is your intention for the space a good fit with its energy?

Then do some investigation about the history of the space. Talk to neighbors, look up the address in city records, do an online search in local news sites. Was the house ever in foreclosure? Has anyone ever died there? Have there been major fires or floods? Has a violent crime been committed there? If it’s a business space, what were the reasons the previous businesses left? The energy of these situations can set up a pattern which repeats over time.

While it is possible for space clearing and land healing to work with and improve the energy of a place, it’s best to avoid such places to begin with. Heavy, long-term energy patterns can be difficult to shift.

There’s an adage in the business world about doing your firing at the interview –circumventing potential headaches down the road by weeding out bad hires in the interview process. The same applies in real estate. Hold out for a home or business space with happy, healthy, abundant energy, and you will have no regrets later.