Who is Dr. Sandy Bond?

Sandy Bond was born in Wellington, New Zealand and graduated from Massey University with a Business Degree majoring in property valuation and management. She has a long history of property dealings from valuing residential, commercial and industrial property to assessing and negotiating rental levels and lease terms on commercial space. In 1988 Sandy went abroad for her “OE” (overseas experience) and spent two years travelling the world visiting many countries including Canada, South America, the UK, Germany, India, Nepal, Thailand and Malaysia. On her return to New Zealand she became a University academic and gained her Masters degree and Ph.D. in property valuation. Her thesis was on the assessment of stigma relating to contaminated land. She is currently the Professor of Property Studies at Lincoln University.

Her current research interests focus on building sustainability. She has also extensive research interests in the risk perception relating to cell phone towers and similar structures that emit electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and how these perceptions impact on property values. Studies show that devices that emit EMFs are no longer seen as a welcome sign of progress due to the potential health hazards from these. In particular, the siting of cell phone towers has become very contentious in the western world (see the Publications link for more detail).

Sandy has published widely in refereed property journals and has presented numerous papers at both national and international conferences. In 2002 she was awarded the Pacific Rim Real Estate Society (PRRES) Achievement Award. This latter award is the highest honour that PRRES can bestow on one of its members. Sandy sits on various boards: she is the secretary of the International Real Estate Society (IRES), on the Board of the Pacific Rim Real Estate Society, and on the Editorial Board of the Pacific Rim Property Research Journal.

The Discovery of Feng Shui

In 1997, while teaching an appraisal class, one of Sandy 's students asked the question “how does feng shui influence property values”. Not having heard of feng shui, Sandy went about a long educational process to find out what “feng shui” was all about. With her extensive background in property it is little wonder Sandy was attracted to studying the art of Feng Shui combining her interests in both property and environmental issues. The more she learnt the more she was drawn to study it further. That opportunity came when she took a break from her academic career in 2005 and moved to the US.

In 2005 Sandy became a certified Feng Shui Consultant and Ecological and Holistic Advisor after completing the world's most comprehensive and longest-established curriculum in classical feng shui and Taoist philosophy, with Roger Green at the New York School of Feng Shui. Sandy has also studied with Feng Shui Masters in New Zealand, Australia and the USA including Carol Cannon in Florida, Raymond Lo in Perth, Western Australia and Danny Thorn in Auckland, New Zealand.

The student's question about how feng shui influences property values remained with Sandy as an idea for future research. In 2005 she commenced a research project using Kanaya, a 35 unit, health inspired, exclusive residential complex situated in downtown Sarasota, Florida as a case study. The building was designed with feng shui principles and incorporates healthy "EcoSmart" building techniques. Sandy compared the selling prices of similar units in the area to determine if feng shui designed units sell for more than conventionally designed units. The results have subsequently been published (see the Publications link for more detail). 

Living in Balance

While Sandy is strongly achievement oriented she strives to align with the principles of Feng Shui by maintaining balance in her life. She is a dedicated health proponent having taught aerobics for over 7 years and completed numerous running races, including the infamous 100th Anniversary Boston Marathon in 1996. Sandy has recently returned to her home country of New Zealand as Professor of Property Studies at Lincoln University having spent the previous 3 years in Perth, WA, and 2 years prior to that living on Anastasia Island in Florida, USA. She enjoys running in the Port Hills, cycling, kayaking, jazz music, wine tasting and travel.