Do units on floors and blocks with unlucky numbers 4 and 13 sell for less? 

The number 13 may just be like any other number to some people. But for the more superstitious (or have triskaidekaphobia — a phobia of the number), it’s a number to be avoided. Likewise, people of Chinese ethnicity tend to avoid the number four, as it sounds similar to death in the language.

And since today is Friday the 13th, and we’re in the beginning of the seventh lunar month (aka the Hungry Ghost month), we wonder, do these superstitions affect home buying decisions? Do houses with such unlucky numbers sell for less?

So we did some research and found a few things.

Number 13 homes fetch a lower price in the UK

In western countries such as the UK, people tend to avoid the number 13. This includes buying a property that’s numbered 13 or completing a transaction on Friday the 13th.

According to a 2017 report published by a UK-based property website, 30% of British people were less likely to buy a number 13 property. This superstition might also have led to properties at number 13 being £8,974 cheaper than the average property in the country.

Houses with addresses ending with “4” are cheaper in Canadian neighbourhoods that have a higher proportion of Chinese 

The number 13 isn’t the only unlucky number that can affect property prices in western countries.

In a 2014 paper, researchers analysed residential property transactions done in the Greater Vancouver area between 2000 and 2005. It found that the unlucky number four had an effect on property prices in neighbourhoods that had more Chinese residents. Specifically, houses with address numbers that end with the number four were 2.2% cheaper than other houses.

But how about properties in Singapore? Do property buyers here also follow these superstitions, leading to lower prices for these unlucky homes?

In Singapore, new units on the fourth floor tend to be cheaper 

A study published in 2018 by SMU found that people were less likely to pay for an unlucky address. Examining transactions between 2000 and 2009 in the private new sales (developers) market, the researchers found that units with unlucky addresses were sold at a 1.3% discount. These units either had the number four in the unit number or floor number, or both.

The research also found that there were fewer transactions during inauspicious days of the lunar calendar. People tend to avoid making important decisions, including buying property during the Hungry Ghost month.

All these studies got us wondering, does the number 13 also affect property prices in Singapore? Do people also avoid buying homes in blocks that contain the number four or 13? More importantly, do these superstitions also affect the resale market?

So we asked our data team to help us crunch the numbers on the HDB and condo resale market in the past five years, and found similar results.

HDB resale units on floors and blocks with unlucky numbers fetch slightly lower prices

As we compared the median price psf of units in levels 4 and 13 against the overall median price psf across all unit types, we found that these unlucky units generally fetch a lower price psf. But similar to the SMU paper findings, the price differences are actually not that much, at less than 3%.

Except for 3-room flats, prices in these unlucky blocks are generally lower as well. But likewise, the differences are not that significant.

Check out our resale HDB flat listings here. You can filter by the floor ranges (and avoid level 4 and 13) too! 

Condo resale units on floors and blocks with unlucky numbers sell for less

But as we looked at the condo resale market, we noticed that the price differences are more distinct for the units on unlucky floors 4 and 13. The price gap is even wider for the units in the CCR.

It’s interesting to see that among the three regions, RCR units in these unlucky blocks actually fetch a higher price psf, though it’s just a slight premium of 2.25%.

Still, the overall price difference is even more substantial at -5.85% when looking at the units in the unlucky blocks. Just like the CCR units on the unlucky floors, units located in these unlucky blocks in the region register the highest price discount of 11.54%.

Check out our resale condo listings here. You can filter your options based on floor ranges (and avoid level 4 and 13) too! 

So, do superstitions really cause a price drop in these unlucky units in Singapore? 

From the research we found and the data we’ve looked at, it seems that, yes, superstitions do affect housing prices in Singapore. The effect appears to be even more substantial for resale condos.

At the same time, it may not be solely due to the buyer’s belief in superstitions. As mentioned in the SMU paper, people may be less willing to buy these units as they believe the unlucky units may sell at a lower price in future (due to the future buyer’s superstitious belief).

Whether or not you believe in these superstitions, one thing is certain: units at floors and blocks with the unlucky numbers 4 and 13 generally fetch a lower price. So if you’re not superstitious and are looking for units sold at a bargain, you might want to start your search at these units. But you’ll also need to be prepared that these units may not sell as high as nearby units in future.

Would you buy a unit on these unlucky floors and blocks? Let us know in the comments section below or on our Facebook post. 

If you found this article helpful, 99.co recommends Superstitions and their impact on property prices in Singapore and How much more would you pay for an “auspicious” address?

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