38real estate Vastu Shastra A few years ago, I wrote a blog and shared my fi rst experiences with clients for whom feng shui or other similar ancient spirituallyarchitectural doctrine for property analysis played a vital role in choosing location for their business. Actually my indoctrination began with an Indian version, when a client relocating from Manhattan to Queens hired a Vastu Shastra expert to examine properties we identifi ed as fi tting for his operation. The fi rst reject, a property that faced west. Only buildings facing north, northeast or east were BY DAVID DYNAK to be considered. Several properties and two weeks later, we were examining another warehouse to ensure “layout for success.” This one faced in the proper direction, but other problems were quickly identifi ed: the staircase must be on the right - this one was on the left. Second issue, the front is wider than the rear. Then 15 minutes later, decision. The building did not meet Hindu requirements for a “successful business atmosphere.” I never did make a deal with that person but I know he did fi nd a space eventually. In Maspeth another client, this one a sink manufacturer and importer from China, brought his trusted feng shui analyst the day before the landlord was to issue a lease. After two hours and covering the entire property top to bottom, there were two points of contention: 1) Round offi ce window facing the street must be closed off and another one facing the warehouse must be put in and 2) Slope of the street is close to unacceptable, Incredible Support That Will Never Be Forgotten Sinai Chapels respects all Jewish traditions and customs, has a compassionate staff that is second to none, and has three generations of experience serving New York’s Jewish families. Preplanning Sinai Preplanning protects your family from unexpected expenses and making complex choices at a most difficult time. Your wishes are reflected in a unique and personal service. Costs are reasonable, all budgets are accommodated, and your investment is FDIC insured. Our staff Rabbi is available to answer your questions. For a no obligation consultation at our office or in your home, please call us. Sinai Chapels 162-05 Horace Harding Expressway, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 718.445.0300 or 800.446.0406 We are here 24 hours, to serve your family. We offer FDIC insured pre-planning. www.JewishFunerals.com FEBRUARY 2014 I LIC COURIER I www.queenscourier.com therefore other feng shui improvements must be made to offset this number’s negative impact. Thankfully, we were successful convincing the old-world Italian grandfather, mason and developer, proud in his family’s signature round windows, that in order to keep this tenant, he had to cement over the exterior window and to install an interior window that served no function other than improving good fortune of the space, at his own cost. The tenant is still at the location successfully fi ve years later. And just recently, in Manhattan, on 60th Street and Madison Avenue, a dentist put in an offer to lease an offi ce space. Layout and square footage are fl exible. Which way it faces is not. East, facing Jerusalem, only. Never mind that doing so created a strangelyshaped dental offi ce with few windows and a lot of hallways and interior rooms. As in many deals that require a little extra maneuvering, creativity and patience—the landlord needed to see this tenant’s fi nancials and waited for the third round of negotiations. Once he liked what he saw, he too, accepted the layout and never again questioned the placement of the offi ce. The tenant, of Russian descent, and a very successful dental practitioner, never hired an expert or explained the connection between their need to face East and themselves, and I never inquired deeper. And I, having worked in New York City’s real estate with persons of such a wide range of beliefs and backgrounds, have learned to respect and even embrace the spiritual ideas of the ancient world as they relate to physical space. Success and happiness in business can be found in many folks of different backgrounds, and any time I can get advice from them that goes beyond the generic “work hard” and “network,” I listen. David Dynak is a real estate broker at First Pioneer Properties and an LIC resident. He’s lived in Western Queens since 1993.
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