Friday the 13th has a way of making people nervous, and if you have ever scheduled a closing, a key handoff or a moving truck on one, somebody has probably given you a hard time about it. Superstitions run surprisingly deep in real estate. Buyers walk away from homes over a house number, sellers bury statues in the front yard, and plenty of people would rather pay a little more than risk bad luck. Here is a fun look at the most common ones, and what actually helps a home sell in Garden City.
More People Believe Than You Might Think
Superstition is not just a punchline. In a LendingTree survey of 1,550 Americans, 38% said they had decided not to buy a particular home at least once because of something luck related or superstitious. The same survey found 47% would go over budget for a house that felt lucky, by about $38,000 on average (LendingTree). Luck, it turns out, can move the price.
1. The Number 13
Fear of the number 13 is the big one. Many buildings skip the 13th floor entirely, and some developers and towns skip 13 on house numbers too. In the LendingTree survey, about 7 in 10 people said they would buy a house with an unlucky street number like 13, but 1 in 5 of them would want to pay less for it. A large study of home valuations in the United Kingdom found houses numbered 13 had the lowest average value of any house number from 1 to 100, about 5,500 British pounds below average (Rightmove via Property Industry Eye).
The flip side: if you are not superstitious, a number 13 address may give you a little extra room to negotiate.
2. Closing or Moving on Friday the 13th
Some people simply will not do anything big on Friday the 13th. A Lloyds TSB survey found 35% of Britons would not risk moving house on a Friday the 13th, and one moving company reported bookings down 14% on a Friday the 13th compared with the year before (BRIN). If you are flexible on your closing date, that kind of hesitation can work in your favor: fewer people competing for movers and closing appointments.
3. Burying St. Joseph in the Front Yard
This is probably the best known real estate superstition in America. St. Joseph is considered the patron saint of home and family, and sellers across the country bury a small statue of him in the yard to help the house sell. Nobody agrees on exactly how it is supposed to work. Some people bury the statue upside down near the For Sale sign, some face it toward the house and some face it toward the street. Once the home sells, tradition says you dig St. Joseph up and give him a place of honor in your new home. Religious supply stores even sell home sale kits.
4. Leave the Old Broom Behind
An old moving superstition says you should never bring your old broom to a new house, because it will sweep your old bad luck right in with you. Buy a new broom for the new place. As excuses for new cleaning supplies go, it is a pretty good one.
5. Housewarming Gifts for Good Luck
Plenty of families bring bread and salt to a new home so the household never goes hungry, and some add a coin so it never goes without money. Others carry a new broom, a plant or a candle over the threshold first. Whatever the tradition, it is a nice way to welcome neighbors to the block.
6. Cemeteries, Elm Street and Bad Vibes
LendingTree found 39% of homebuyers say they would refuse to live next to a cemetery, and of the 71% who would happily live on Elm Street, 1 in 5 would still expect a discount. Among people who passed on a house for superstitious reasons, the most common explanations were worrying something bad would happen in the home and simply feeling bad vibes during the showing.
7. Haunted Houses and Homes With a Past
Some buyers want nothing to do with a home where a death or a crime took place. Others are not bothered at all, and a few are actually curious about a house with a story. Homes like these are often called stigmatized properties. What a seller has to disclose about a home's history is different from state to state, so if a home's past matters to you, ask your agent and ask questions before you write an offer.
What Actually Sells a Home in Garden City
A statue in the yard will not hurt anything, but the homes that sell here have a few things in common, and none of them involve luck:
- The right price from day one. In October 2026, Finney County sellers made 45 price reductions while buyers signed 29 contracts (October 2026 market recap). Homes priced right the first time usually avoid that list.
- Great photos and a good first impression. Most buyers see your home online first. Clean, bright and decluttered wins every time.
- Easy showings. The more buyers who can get through the door, the better your odds.
- A well maintained home. A sound roof and a serviced furnace matter more to an inspector than the number on the mailbox. Our fall home maintenance checklist is a good place to start.
Want to know what your home is worth today? Try our instant home value tool, or keep up with the local market in our weekly Finney County market reports.
Lucky or Not, We Can Help
Whether you would happily buy number 13 or you plan to bury St. Joseph next to the sign, MBA Real Estate is here to help you buy or sell in Garden City and Southwest Kansas. Browse Garden City homes for sale, schedule a showing on any home on the market, or contact MBA Real Estate. You can also call our office at 620-275-7440.
What superstitions has your family followed when buying or moving? We would love to hear them.
Buy. Sell. Local.