Many Americans admit to being superstitious when it comes to choosing what home to buy—in fact, they say if a home feels unlucky, they aren’t buying it. More than a third—or 38%—of Americans have decided against buying a home because of superstition, according to a newly released survey from LendingTree of about 1,500 Americans. And consumers who find their self-described lucky house are willing to pay even more for it.

 

Reasons some consumers reconsidered a home purchase due to luck or superstition

                                                                                                                                                               

Source: LendingTree survey of 1,550 consumers conducted Feb. 19-22, 2021. Only those who chose not to buy a certain home due to luck or superstition answered this question. 

Homes a buyer perceives as lucky can nab more at resale. Nearly 47% of survey respondents say they would blow their budget for a lucky house—and are willing to go an average of $38,000 above their range for the home, the LendingTree survey shows. What qualifies as a lucky home? More than a third of buyers say they’d pay extra for a home whose street number was their lucky number.

The younger generations appear to be the most superstitious in real estate—55% of Gen Z and 50% of millennials said they’ve bypassed a home because of something related to luck or superstition. Overall, men are more likely than women to decide against buying a particular home because of superstition, at 51% of men and 37% of women.

Here are some additional findings from the LendingTree survey:

• 39% of homeowners refuse to live next to a cemetery.

• 32% would not buy a home with an unlucky street number. (On the other hand, the majority of respondents did say they’d buy a house with an unlucky street number like 13 or 666, but 20% would prefer to pay less because of it.)

• 30% say they would not buy a home where the previous owners experienced a tragedy inside the home, like death.

• 43% say they have at least one deal breaker related to the home’s feng shui, with the most cited reasons being a staircase that faces the front door, back and front doors in the same path, or a bathroom door that faces the front door.

• 43% of survey respondents who reported being previous home sellers said they’ve had difficulties selling their home due to superstitious buyers.

 

Source: "Nearly Half of Americans Would Burst Their Budget for a "Lucky" Home," LendingTree (March 16, 2021)