# Does a No. 13 House Number Affect Value??



## Becca (21 Jun 2005)

If a 3-bedroom terraced house with gardens, is located in a popular and convenient location, would the fact that it has a number 13 house number affect the value?

e.g. assume all other terraced houses in the street are worth €200,000 and are in identical condition.  Would number 13 also be worth €200,000?


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## terrysgirl33 (21 Jun 2005)

AFAIK, yes.  There are enough people who don't care, and enough people who like the idea of living at #13 to keep it's value up.  They could always give the house a name after moving in anyway!!


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## soc (21 Jun 2005)

Becca said:
			
		

> e.g. assume all other terraced houses in the street are worth €200,000 and are in identical condition.  Would number 13 also be worth €200,000?



What??  Is this for real?  I live in a #13.

A number on a house doesn't influence the price of the house - a house value is assessed using the structure of the house.  

Becca, you sound like one who'd believe in psychics as well... yes?

-soc


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## tallpaul (21 Jun 2005)

Heh heh!! This will be the next ruse used by estate agents. 

"This charming semi-d has an elusive air of exclusivity being no.1 in the entire six thousand house scheme..."


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## Gabriel (21 Jun 2005)

soc said:
			
		

> Becca, you sound like one who'd believe in psychics as well... yes?
> 
> -soc



Becca asked a question, presumably based on other people's irrational fear of the number (and not necessarily hers). Nowhere did she mention that she believed this herself so I don't see why you're asking her if she believes in psychics?


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## z107 (21 Jun 2005)

*a house value is assessed using the structure of the house.*

I would have thought a house is only worth what people will pay for it. The most influencing factor is location (value of land), followed maybe by structure.

People are superstitious. If number 12 & 13 went on the market, everything being equal, number 12 would probably sell more quickly.

I remember reading about this on the sky news website a few weeks ago.


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## stobear (21 Jun 2005)

My first house was a number 13, as was my second house, it didn't affect the sale value in either case, and saved me a few coppers getting a new number sign. They houses were picked by location and for their privacy/orientation.


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## Allen (21 Jun 2005)

When my brother lived in Hong Kong he paid a considerably lower rent for his apartment because it had an unlucky number to the Chinese. I can't remember the number but it wasn't 13.

I expect my wife would not allow me to buy a house with a number 13, so I am sure that the potential market for 13's is slightly lower.  However I do not expect it would be enough to have an appreciable effect on the price.


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## Vanilla (21 Jun 2005)

When dealing with building estates in the past, I used to number the houses 12, 14, 15 etc so there was never a number 13. This was because my client, a well established firm of developers considered that a number 13 would be harder to sell.


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## Becca (21 Jun 2005)

Gabriel said:
			
		

> Becca asked a question, presumably based on other people's irrational fear of the number (and not necessarily hers). Nowhere did she mention that she believed this herself so I don't see why you're asking her if she believes in psychics?


Yeah, Gabriel's right. Was just wondering if I bought a house, which happens to be a no.13, is it possible it might be more difficult to sell it in the future than other house numbers...

I'm not superstitious at all, so it's not something that concerns me.  Just concerned in case it concerns others...!


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## Henny Penny (21 Jun 2005)

You might have worse luck trying to sell if it was number 666 ... I think 13 is safe enough. I lived in 2 houses that were no. 13 with no ill effects ... both of which sold without a bother.


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## ClubMan (21 Jun 2005)

Henny Penny said:
			
		

> I think 13 is safe enough.



Why the circumspection?


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## Brendan Burgess (21 Jun 2005)

It does seem that there are enough superstitious people around to occasionally affect the price payable for no. 13. 

Check this Guardian article

and the  Telegraphtells us that as many as 25% of buyers avoid house no 13.

Brendan


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## stuart (21 Jun 2005)

Triskaidekaphobia
- fear of the number 13

So do you suffer from 

Triskaidekaphobia-phobia

Fear of people having a fear of number 13

stuart@buyingtolet.ie


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## Becca (21 Jun 2005)

Brendan said:
			
		

> It does seem that there are enough superstitious people around to occasionally affect the price payable for no. 13.
> 
> Check this Guardian article
> 
> ...



Thanks for the links Brendan.  

The Guardian article states;  





> [font=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Although you can request a change in house number to the less scary '12a'.[/font]



Which is interesting. If I thought it would be a problem selling later on, I could always have it changed to 12a before selling!


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## z107 (21 Jun 2005)

* Fear of people having a fear of number 13*

Is that the second derivative of fear?


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## Marion (21 Jun 2005)

I always thought 13 was "lucky for some"?

There is no number 13 in my estate.

Marion


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## wavejumper (22 Jun 2005)

in Italy 13 is a lucky number, 17 is the one you wanna watch out for.


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## soc (22 Jun 2005)

Becca said:
			
		

> I'm not superstitious at all, so it's not something that concerns me.  Just concerned in case it concerns others...!



Sorry 'bout that Becca...  it just annoys me how some people are so superstitious that they stoop to unbelivable levels... 

I mean - there was one time, where I was getting onto a plane.  I was allocated seat 13A... which didn't bother me.  Anyways.. I board the flight - and start looking at the row numbers as I walk down the aisle.

...16...15...14...12... ?

Huh?  Where's 13?   
The plane actually had NO row 13, even though I had been allocated a seat in that row.  Apparently the seating was for another plane, hence my ticket having a row 13 - but there not actually being a row 13 in the plane we were boarding.  The thing is... that although there was no 'official' row 13... the people sitting in either row 12 or row 14, WERE actually sitting in row 13 - it just wasn't CALLED that.

I don't know...  people are stupid.

-soc


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## ClubMan (22 Jun 2005)

You were allocated seat 13A and it did not exist? Now *that's* unlucky!


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## GeneralZod (22 Jun 2005)

I got £2k or about 1% off the price of my apartment #13. I told them I wanted number 14 and they came back and offered me the 2k off number 13. 

They said they made a mix-up and someone else had already bought number 14. I've always suspected that it was a ploy to flog number 13. I was happy enough to go along with it.

I keep an eye on the cost of "number 13s" and haven't noticed much difference. It's probably only a factor when going up against something almost identical.


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## Purple (28 Jun 2005)

I have lived in and sold toe number 13's with no ill affect. 
If the neighbours own a black cat will that affect the price as well?
Are there really that many stupid people out there?


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## Moneypit (30 Jun 2005)

We live in #13 too, not only that but we moved in on the 13th, we're not the luckiest people alive as in I couldn't win a competition to save my life but we certainly haven't had any bad luck.


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## jdf (30 Jun 2005)

My first house was known as site 5 when I bought it. It turned into no. 13. I loved that house. Never had a days trouble in the 5 years I lived there. Our first child was subsequently born on a 13th too. 

When we sold the house we got slightly more than a house 4 doors up from us, and that house had a £5,000 landscaped back garden (according to the sales puff). The houses had the same aspect and were over looked to the front and rear. 

In summation, you'll always sell if the price is right. In my experience having no. 13 on the door didn't cause me any hardship come sale time.


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## Carpenter (5 Jul 2005)

This subject has probably run out of steam, but for what it's worth I used to work for an architects office where we were told not to use the number 13 when numbering a scheme of houses or hotel bedrooms.  However many years since and many jobs later I'd never omit the number from a drawing of either.  That said I wouldn't opt for house no. 13 if I were purchasing.  I live in no. 14, but my parents in law do live in another no. 13 in another town!


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## casiopea (5 Jul 2005)

Ive noticed on some planes there is no row 13.  Though I think that is for the safety exit as oppose to a luck thing...I hope!


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## jasconius (5 Jul 2005)

Neighbour of mine refused to move into the house because it was a Saturday!


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## tonka (5 Jul 2005)

jasconius said:
			
		

> because it was a Saturday!


sell in May and go away.


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