"In Mandarin, Cantonese and several other Chinese dialects, the pronunciation of the number four sounds very similar to the word for 'death.' There's even a name for the fear of the number four: tetraphobia. And it's why Richmond Hill, Ontario, passed a bylaw this summer outlawing the number four in all new street numbers."
"At the same time, when the number above the door ends in eight, which is phonetically similar to the word for 'prosperity' or 'wealth' in many Asian tongues, the house tended to sell for a 2.5% premium."
"Setting the right asking price for your home isn't all science and it isn't all art. Sellers and agents pick numbers to signal their strategy and to appeal to the traditions and superstitions of local buyers."
Cultural superstitions significantly influence real estate prices in neighborhoods with high percentages of Chinese residents. In Mandarin, Cantonese, and other Chinese dialects, the number four sounds similar to the word for death, causing a phenomenon called tetraphobia. Houses with addresses ending in four sell at a 2.2% discount according to University of British Columbia research. Conversely, the number eight, phonetically similar to prosperity or wealth in Asian languages, commands a 2.5% premium. This cultural preference extends beyond residential real estate to casinos and office buildings, which commonly omit unlucky numbers. Real estate professionals strategically use lucky numbers in pricing to appeal to local buyer traditions and superstitions.
#cultural-superstitions-in-real-estate #chinese-numerology-and-housing-prices #lucky-and-unlucky-numbers #real-estate-pricing-strategies
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]