Houses numbered ‘unlucky 13’ are valued £5,000 lower on average

Friday the 13th, the ‘unluckiest day’ in the calendar, happens at least once a year, and in 2023 we’ll see it twice: in January and October.

While it might pass by unnoticed for some, the superstitious among us are busy avoiding black cats, walking under ladders, and stepping on cracks in the pavement.

And when it comes to having the number 13 on a front door, we’ve found that non-superstitious buyers may be temped to seek out homes numbered 13 and potentially bag a relative bargain.

We looked at how estate agents valued more than 10 million properties across Great Britain, and found that out of door numbers 1 through to 100, houses numbered 13 typically came in with the lowest average valuation. The average valuation for a number 13 property is £354,793, which is more than £5,000 lower than the average for this sample of £360,126.

Our property expert, Tim Bannister, says: “The majority of buyers are unlikely to be put off being the owner of a number 13 home, but it’s interesting to see that there does appear to be pockets of Great Britain that are more on the more superstitious side. Owners of number 13 properties may find that it adds a unique aspect to their home, and it could even be a conversation starter with the next owner when the time comes to sell.”

In contrast to 13’s slightly lower valuation, we found that door number 1 had the highest value on average: almost £40,000 more than its street mate.

And interestingly, some streets and developments in Great Britain are going as far as to skip the notorious door number altogether. You’ll find almost double the number of houses with door number 14 than its ‘unlucky’ neighbour.

Edward Thomson, Director at Strutt & Parker Sloane Street, says, “It’s common for new developments to skip number 13, going straight from 12 to 14, to remove the element of superstition. Whilst thankfully it is only a very small minority of buyers that are disaffected in this way, there will always be those who avoid 13, never walk under ladders, and salute every magpie!  If living at number 13 doesn’t faze you it is possible you could find yourself buying against a smaller proportion of the market and therefore do a better deal – but only if you’re lucky of course!”

Ready to hunt for your next number 13, or any other number, for that matter? Take a look at homes currently for sale.