The 2-Minute Home Vastu Checklist: What to Check Before You Rent or Buy

You rarely get long in a home you might rent or buy. The broker is waiting, your phone is full of other listings, and you have a few minutes to decide whether this one deserves a second visit. This checklist fits into two of them.

It works for a studio, a flat, a house or a villa. You only need your phone with a compass, and Aroha's Quick-Check open if you want the zones drawn for you.

1. 1

   Second 0 to 30

   Lock true north at the centre (Brahmasthan)

   Stand in the middle of the living or dining area and open Aroha's Quick-Check, which maps the 8 zones for you. Look at the centre of the home. A heavy pillar or a dark storage room there is a warning sign.

2. 2

   Second 30 to 75

   Check the three big rooms

   The master bedroom, the kitchen and the main entrance tell you most of what you need.

3. 3

   Second 75 to 120

   Tap the walls in 3D

   Tap any room in Aroha and the camera flies to its wall. You can preview colour remedies that change nothing permanent before you sign the lease or pay a booking token.

Why the centre comes first

Vastu calls the middle of a home the Brahmasthan and wants it open and light. It is the one place every room opens onto, so a pillar, a stairwell or a cupboard block there is felt everywhere. You cannot fix it in a rented flat, which is why you check it before anything else.

Take a compass reading while you stand there. Phone compasses drift near metal and speakers, so step away from the fridge or the television and let the needle settle.

Master bedroom

The ideal place is the South-West. It gives the main earner grounding and deep sleep. If the bedroom is in the North-West or South-East of a rented flat, use Aroha's Rent Mode to settle it with Warm Sand bedding, a Walnut Wood frame and a headboard that points south.

• Warm Sand#E8DCCB
• Walnut Wood#8A6246

Kitchen

Fire belongs in the South-East, and the North-West is the next best place. If your rental kitchen is in the North or North-East, there is no need to walk away. Put a wooden board or a green plant between the sink (water) and the stove (fire), and use Soft Cream or Pistachio on the details.

• Soft Cream#F9F6EE
• Pistachio#D9E4C9

Main entrance

The best directions are North, East and North-East. Then check how the door's direction sits with the owner's Ascendant (Lagna), since the same door can suit one family and not another.

Also look at what meets you at the door. A clear, well-lit entrance with room to step in is a better sign than a door that opens straight onto a wall or a dark corridor.

What to do with the result

A home that passes the centre test and gets two of the three big rooms right is worth a second visit. If one room fails, ask whether the fix is something a tenant can do. Moving a bed, adding a plant or changing the cushions costs almost nothing. A toilet over the centre of the home is a different matter.