How Lucky Is Your House?
Burying a statue of St Joseph upside down in the front yard is a well-known practice meant to benefit home sellers—but superstitions also have a major influence on the actions of buyers.
A Qualtrics survey commissioned by LendingTree reveals that buyers definitely let their superstitions guide them when purchasing a home, and some buyers are pretty serious about it.
40% of all Americans admit to having passed on a home because of its sketchy juju.
Which lines up perfectly with the 4-in-10 sellers who report having encountered superstitious buyers.
Men are far more likely to avoid a home for superstitious reasons than women.
Gen Zers are the cohort most likely to say “nope” to a bad luck house.
If you know, you know
A third of all buyers describe themselves as “very superstitious.” In fact, 89% of this group have backed out of a purchase because they got a bad feeling about the whole thing. Their top reasons are:
Something bad happened in the house
Got bad vibes inside the house
Unlucky street number
Unlucky street name
Bad feng shui
Located next to a cemetery
For a significant number of Americans, feng shui has everything to do with a house’s luck. More than 4-in-10 homebuyers will say “thank u, next” to bad feng shui. Here are the top four deal breakers for these buyers:
Staircase faces front door
Front and back doors are on the same path
Bathroom door faces front door
House sits at end of cul-de-sac
Let’s make a deal
Then comes the 23% of buyers who maybe don’t love the perceived risk of purchasing a bad luck house, but could possibly be swayed by a price reduction.
71% of homebuyers would live on Elm Street, but 1-in-5 of these buyers would expect a discounted price.
69% would buy a house with a street number like 13 or 666, but 20% of this group would not be willing to pay full price.
61% would live next to a cemetery, but a quarter of them would expect a price reduction.
If you have doubts about whether your home’s lucky, there’s good news—45% of buyers aren’t too worried about it. But, what if I told you that
47% of buyers would pay an average of $38,000 over their budget for a house they deem lucky
Make it happen
There’s a laundry list of features that superstitious buyers deem unlucky, but what makes a house lucky enough to command $38,000 more from a buyer than they had intended to spend?
Top of the list is a lucky house number. Lots of times, what constitutes a lucky house number is in the mind of the buyer—maybe it’s a number related to their birthday or the jersey number of their favorite athlete.
Superstitious buyers also invoke numerology to determine whether a house has a lucky number. The numbers 11, 22 and 33 are the master numbers, believed to provide exceptional strength and protection. Other lucky numbers include:
SEVEN There’s 7 wonders of the world, 7 days in a week, 7 colors in light, 7 nails in a horseshoe, etc.
EIGHT For many, 8 is considered a lucky number to the point of obsession. The Chinese word for 8 sounds like “wealth.”
NINE Multiply 9 by any number and get a number whose digits add up to 9. The Chinese word for 9 sounds like “long-lasting.”
A most auspicious direction
Superstitious buyers believe that the luckiest direction for a house is south-facing.
The luckiest houses sit squarely on the lot, with the front of the house parallel to the road. All the better if your garage doors face the side or rear, not the street.
Water represents money. If you don’t live on a lake, a fountain will do just fine—just make sure the water flows toward the home. Houses with fountains near the front door are extra lucky.
Close counts in horseshoes
The horseshoe has always been a lucky charm for homeowners. Some believe that the iron wards off evil spirits. Others believe that the number of nails in a horseshoe—seven—is what imparts the good luck.
Either way, there are two ways to hang a horseshoe: 1) In a U shape so the luck never runs out, or 2) Pointing straight down so the good luck will flow out onto everyone who walks under it.
A horseshoe over your door probably won’t inspire a buyer to toss their budget aside—but it could signal that good luck has been firmly established in your home!
Christy Rosen Clement is a Pricing Strategy Advisor®, Seller Representative Specialist®, Military Relocation Professional® and REALTOR® at Palermo Real Estate Professionals in South Tampa