Call Kurtis: How Lucky Numbers May Help Sell Homes Quicker
What's in a number? When it comes to the housing market... a lot.
We call on Kurtis Ming with superstitions and the psychology of home digits.
From the actual address to the price, tonight, we've got inside info to the numbers that can help move homes.
"I think this is totally a mind game," said Jesebel Qiu, Elk Grove resident.
When Jesebel bought her home last year, location and price were key but also the address.
"If there's an 8 in the house number, it would be perfect," said Jesebel.
That's because in certain Asian cultures, 8 is a lucky number, while 4 isn't.
"In the Chinese culture, the 8 is a number that means prosperity and the 4, it sounds like death, when you're saying the number 4 in Chinese," said Mona Gergen, Dunnigan Realtors.
But it's not just address numbers.
Real estate web site Trulia studied the use of marketing psychology and found certain numbers are more common in asking prices.
The majority of home prices end in zero and the next most popular number is 9.
"Many times I use the number 9, it just sounds better. I know you're not really fooling anyone or tricking anyone," said Gergen.
In gambling cities like Vegas and Reno, home sellers are three times more likely to include triple 7's in their asking price.
In the bible belt, a quarter of homes for sale have 316 in their asking price, which stems from the popular bible verse John 3:16.
What's odd? In that same region, the devil number of 666 is more prevalent.
Gergen believes numerology isn't everything.
"I don't think it makes a huge difference. If a house is priced right, it should sell quickly. If it's overpriced, it will sit on the market."
Jesebel feels buying a home is more of a matter of the heart.
"You just go for it, as long as you find something you really like it," said Jesebel.
While 4 is an unlucky number in Asian cultures, it's no surprise you probably won't find the number 13 in asking prices either.
