Siimon Reynolds hopes his auction number comes up right September 18: Title Tattle

Los Angeles self-betterment entreprenuer Siimon Reynolds is selling his Double Bay bachelor pad (pictured above). Last traded for $788,000 in 1997, the two-bedroom 1930s apartment was then renovated by BKH architect Ian Halliday in collaboration with architect and feng shui master Howard Choy. His late mother, Jennifer, had spent years house-hunting with her numerical disciple son indulging his quest to find the perfect property, with the right "lucky" number: apartment 3, number 1.

Title Tattle recalls the then Nationwide Realty auction, which had a total 133 bids, ending the six years of searching.  It was deemed the location had good feng shui elements; it’s near water, with a hill behind and a park nearby. The apartment is also a pure rectangle, which is apparently considered auspicious. Sydney architect Howard Choy had been applying classical feng shui principles in his local practice for more than two decades when he was commissioned by Reynolds.

“Feng shui is defined through energy,” he once said. “It’s the flow and containment of energy in our environment.” 

Practised widely throughout China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other Asian countries feng shui – literally "wind" and "water" – is the belief that aspects of a living environment can affect a person's health, happiness and prosperity. Among the beliefs commonly held by Chinese about properties include not having the front entrance directly opposite the back door because the family's earnings will pass through the house

The Wiston Gardens, Double Bay abode has been listed through BHR agents Daniel Baran and Reece Coleman, who expect more than $1.5 million. It has just the aeroplane galley kitchen given Reynolds typically ate out during his bachelorhood and a bath as big as a room given his predilection to read during lengthy baths. The Double Bay offering had been scheduled to be auctioned by BHR Estate Agents on May 30, but who knows why, its instead rescheduled to September 18.

Reynolds, who married the writer, pop culture commentator and television presenter Kathryn Eisman in a ceremony at Palm Springs in the US last year, came to fame at 21 when appointed creative director at Grey Advertising in 1986. His belief in numerology saw his adding another "i" to his name on the advice of a fortune teller/numerologist, whom he found when he was 17. He'd been told  if he put an extra 'i' in his name, he'd be famous and successful. Of course many have since tried since to emulate his numerological pathway, as noted by Doug Anderson, the irreplaceable SMH television columnist, who recently referred his devoted readers to Dannii Minogue and The Shire participant Beckaa.

 Even the selling price – not just the street number and name of the owner – means much when it comes to property nunerology, which could put Siimon in a quandry. Preferably without any 4s in the sale price as of course in Chinese numerology four means death. Something with a 3 and 8 could be a good figure because three is a lucky number and eight stands for riches. Last year in Castle Cove on Sydney’s Middle Harbour a mainland Chinese buyer paid $6.006 million through Adam Ross and Shayne Harris of Savills Residential, in conjunction with Raine & Horne World Square, for the impressive Neerim Road offering. Its Hong Kong-based expatriate owner had no qualms about there being no rounding down, as one would typically expect. Neerim House, an even more opulent estate in Castle Cove, last sold in 2005 for $9,008,000. Its an eight-bedroom mansion on 9,400 square metres of waterfront reserve overlooking Middle Harbour thats currently listed for sale. This year's oddest price in Castle Cove has been $1,291,588.   

Numerology isn't just about mystic well being as Title Tattle recalls the strong opposition from residents of Churchill Street Jamberoo a few years back when Kiama Municipal Council sought to re-number properties in the street to allow four new lots. When first proposed the Churchill Street residents expressed concerns over several issues surrounding the re-numbering including the legal status of property records, even the postie's likely confusion. One resident expressed an unwillingness to change because his house number served as his "lucky number". The council's response was: "Council ... and many other organisations make no allowances for the application of numbers in regard to lucky numbers, religious or cultural value, astrology, numerology or otherwise." Apparently renumbering had happened in Riverside Drive without a fuss. Title Tattle recalls that Cr Monique Dare-Ward was a Churchill Street resident and was living at number 50 – rather than 38 – until her house sold in May this year for $565,000. As she was a Churchill Street resident, Dare-Ward was excluded from the vote – a spooky 4-4 deadlock – only split by mayor Sandra McCarthy's casting vote.

Smart real estate agents have learnt much about feng shui since Asian migrants started to see Australia as a desirable residential destination.  Although few agents still know much about the spiritual origins of feng shui (pronounced fong shwee), it's now almost part of our real estate cliches along with position, position, position. Just recently the penthouse in the Residence overlooking was marketed through CBRE by the developer Galileo Group with emphasis on it being apartment number 88 at 18 College Street. Not that it's all gone perfectly to date, as the 800-square-metre penthouse came close to setting a new price record for an apartment last year but at the last minute an offer fell through. The block's most recent developer stock sale was $3.85 million for a three-bedroom 14th-floor apartment through Simon Polito at Laing Estate Agents. He's yet to see the need for any extra 'i's!