If you are buying a house, look at the number carefully, writes Dick Skellington.
I have long suspected that superstition may have a negative impact on property value, but have no idea why odd-numbered houses are more expensive than even. Anyone with any ideas why please contact the blog.
Research by the UK property company Zoopla has found that odd-numbered homes are worth £538 more than even-numbered homes. A typical odd-numbered dwelling is worth £207,202, but the even-numbered dwelling is worth only £206,664. Number 13s on average gross only £203,892 at sale.
I never thought about the number when buying my home 27 years ago, and nothing bad has happened to me since, apart from those blows and misfortunes caused by my own stupidity, and the long delay in replacing the roof, now a task completed along with installing a new bedroom and landscape designed small garden. In 1985, the terraced Edwardian property in a quiet conservation area of Stony Stratford was affordable, in good condition, and felt right. And in case you ask, no, I did not buy it on a Friday.
It seems the British, along with other people in Europe, still find the number 13 unlucky. The origins for the superstition are contested but it seems to have something to do with the fact the there were 13 people at The Last Supper, and fear of 13 was widespread in medieval times.
Number 13 even has its own phobia. People who have an abnormal fear of the number are suffering from something called triskaidekaphobia. Some new-build estates now avoid the number 13 like the plague. Many skyscrapers do not have a thirteenth floor.
And did you know the price of a property decreases as its number increases? So if you live at number 898 I fully empathise (the reason is that high numbers are generally further away from amenities and shops). However, should you reside at a number 1, I envy you (the implication is that you only have neighbours one side, or you live on a corner). See the table below:
AVERAGE VALUES BY PROPERTY NUMBER
Property Number Average Value
1 £229,411
2 £222,273
3 £218,724
4 £217,662
5 £215,605
6 £213,476
7 £212,292
8 £211,711
9 £211,026
10 £210,864
Maybe I should give my number 13 a name. I could be ironic and call it Sea View (the sea is 120 miles away), or I could have a laugh and call it The Haunted House, or even better Triskaidekaphobia. But I would probably settle for something less alluring and compelling. Ousebank Terrace, after the nearby River Ouse, should do, or even Society Matters.
If I put a name on my house it should compensate for the number 13 factor. You see those smart-asses at Zoopla found that a property with a name is nearly £100,000 more expensive than a home which only has a number. So I am off to B&Q to buy a plaque.
Dick Skellington 30 May 2013
The views expressed in this post, as in all posts on Society Matters, are the views of the author, not The Open University.
Cartoon by Gary Edwards