In an industry as old and established as the buying and selling of your home, there are bound to be rituals and superstitions that have attached themselves to affecting the buyers or the sellers best results. Here are just seven “lucky” superstitions from around the world involving a home purchase.
Forget the old broom
There are some who believe that one should budget for a new sweeping tool as part of buying a new home. Superstition states if you’re bringing an old broom with you into a new house, all the negative aspects of life at your old place comes with it … not to mention year-old dust bunnies caught in the bristles.
Don’t play with knives
When thinking about what to give friends or family for a housewarming gift, even if they consider themselves budding chefs, forego getting them a congratulatory knife set. It’s thought to bring bad luck and cut the friendship between giver and receiver.
Weekend warriors not welcome
The luckiest day to move? Thursday. The unluckiest? In western culture, it is believed you can’t fully settle into a house if you move on a Friday. And if it’s Friday the 13th, well, home finders might as well renew their search.
Bake cookies
Baking cookies obviously leaves a delicious smell in the air but folklore states it brings good luck before a showing. Again, there could be a strong correlation between a fresh batch of cookies and ensuring potential buyers don’t leave with a bad taste in their mouth.
Water features and blue paint
Ghosts can go through walls, but they can’t travel across water, so legend states. It’s seen as a good sign if you have something blue at your entranceway — or, better yet, a big, old fountain — which is believed to help keep evil spirits away.
Staircase faces the front door
Those who master the art of feng shui will tell you this is a no-no for your entrance. Apparently when a staircase faces the front door, the energy of the house vanishes up or down those stairs, robbing the main floor of positive vibes.
Close the door on number four
Buying a home revolves around numbers: the asking price, the selling price, the mortgage rate, the street number, etc. But do everything you can to stay away from the number four. In Chinese culture, four is considered unlucky due to its phonetic resemblance to the word, “death.”
— Canadian Real Estate Association