Could the Sale of Your House Come Down to a Lucky Number?

Many people think seven is a lucky number but if you are looking to get the most bang for your buck the number you want in your address is an eight.

According to a study done by the University of British Columbia, houses and street numbers ending in eight sold at a 2.5 per cent higher rate than homes and street numbers ending with any other digits. In fact, the study also found homes and street numbers ending in four sold at a 2.2 per cent discount.

House numbers have recently become more important with the influx of Chinese buyers in the marketplace and the increasing popularity of Feng Shui. Numbers that sound similar to Chinese words that have positive meanings are believed to be lucky. The number eight sounds similar to the word for prosper or wealth. The fear of the number four, or tetraphobia, is because the pronunciation of the word for four is similar to the word for death in Mandarin, Cantonese and several Chinese dialects.

Thinking of rolling the dice on the number 13? Many large casino hotels in Las Vegas omit floor numbers 4, 14, 24, 34 and 40 to 49. The number 13 is not however, considered unlucky in the Chinese tradition.

Other numbers with perceived good luck are two, three, five and seven. Two because of the Chinese saying good things come in pairs. The number three sounds similar to birth and the number five is associated with the five elements (water, wood, fire, earth and metal). Considered the luckiest number in the West, 7 symbolizes togetherness.

Even though house numbers may influence a buying decision there is no evidence to support actual bad or good luck in homes with certain numbers. The thought of good or bad luck has more to do with the psychology of people than actual events.