Thirteen really is lucky for some — and specifically for those paying £36,000 less if they're happy to live at No. 13
Every day, I am inundated with emails telling me how to raise or reduce the value of a house. Turns out, superstition was what I needed all along.


I don’t like to consider myself a superstitious person, because superstition seems quite silly. A number is just a number and Macbeth is just a play about two annoying Scottish people. Smashing a mirror is bad luck but only because replacing a mirror is expensive.
This is what I tell myself, anyway, because I like to pretend I am a grown up who is in control of the actions and outcomes in his own life. Or at least that’s what I like to think. I am, of course, telling myself a little lie. I may not be superstitious, but I still have little superstitious habits that I carry out every single day.
I, for example, will not walk across three drain covers in a row, for the sole reason that a pretty girl I once wanted to date told me that doing so was bad luck. Being an ‘impressionable’ teenager at the time, I decided to follow suit, lest she see me as an unlucky omen. 18 years later, I am still doing it (or rather, not doing it).
"It is, on the one hand, just a number. On the other hand, I am afraid of drains, so who am I to judge?"
I don’t walk under ladders, and I have a weird tick where if I am watching football, and the opposing team is taking some kind of attacking set-piece, I tap on a piece of wood in the hope they don’t score. It is the only time I ‘tap on wood’; I assume the reason for this is that I don’t want to waste any ju-ju on other things by knocking on wood recklessly. Got to save it for special occasions.
All of this is relevant because when I receive an email that says something plainly ridiculous such as ‘Properties with the number 13 selling for £36,000 less than wider market average’, it makes both lots of sense and also no sense. It is, on the one hand, just a number. On the other hand, I am afraid of drains, so who am I to judge?
This groundbreaking bit of research comes courtesy of London lettings and estate agents Benham and Reeves. The firm analysed price paid data from the Land Registry, looking at the average sold price of homes so far this year, and how the price paid for homes with the number 13 compares to the rest of the market.
Homes with the number 13 sold for an average of £260,000, which — because they were analysing swish London homes with huge price tags — equates to 12.2% less than homes with non-unlucky numbers. If you could slap a price on superstition, there it is: £36,000 if you're in the market for the average UK house, or over a quarter of a million pounds if you're shopping at the higher end of the market.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
‘Superstitions aren’t to be scoffed at when it comes to potential put offs for homebuyers and we regularly see foreign buyers, in particular, place a great deal of importance on certain aspects of a home due to the superstitions they hold,’ says Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham and Reeves.
‘The Number 13 is a very common one and many buyers will purposely pass up on even viewing a home bearing the number. In fact, in some instances, the Number 13 will even be excluded from new property developments because it can be such a deterrent.’
To be fair, I grew up in an apartment building in Manhattan that just skipped the 13th floor entirely. Which is one way to solve that problem. I suppose my advice would be that if you are not superstitious, buy a house with 13 on the door, and save yourself some cash. Treat yourself to a holiday. Send me some as a thank you. I don’t mind.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
James Fisher is the Deputy Digital Editor of Country Life. He writes about property, travel, motoring and things that upset him. He lives in London.
-
The V&A and Burberry announce landmark Fashion Gallery makeover
The V&A is renovating one of its largest and most-visited spaces — with support from British fashion house Burberry.
By Amie Elizabeth White Published
-
Bestwall Park: The six-bedroom house for sale that lives up to its name
With 17 acres, this Arts-and-Crafts gem is haven for both humans and wildlife.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
Bestwall Park: The six-bedroom house for sale that lives up to its name
With 17 acres, this Arts-and-Crafts gem is haven for both humans and wildlife.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
A converted bothy on the shores of Loch Tay from which to enjoy the fresh tastes of Spring
Waterfall Cottage offers four bedrooms and a garden that stretches right down to the lapping waters.
By James Fisher Published
-
An idyllic home in Hampshire that's perfect for the musical mind
Lyewood House sits in 3.5 acres and comes with a purpose built recording studio and an outdoor heated pool.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
A well-connected rural playground with 23 acres on the edge of the South Downs National Park
Old House Farm is an impressive family home with a wealth of amenities that would inspire any rural passion.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country Life
From a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
By Toby Keel Published
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool
5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
By James Fisher Published
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in Dorset
With 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
By James Fisher Published
-
An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventure
The interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
By Arabella Youens Published