An article in the Wall Street Journal (Nov 9, 1012) describes how real-estate agents price properties to include propitious numbers in ethnic neighborhoods. Among Chinese people, the number 8 (which is similar to the Chinese word for prosperity) is considered lucky, while 4 (which is similar to the Chinese word for death) is considered bad luck, so the prices in Chinese neighborhoods reflect this superstition. The last non-zero number is usually the key, as in $380,000. But sometimes, if a broker suggests a 2 million dollar asking price, the client may propose $2,188, 888, to get in as many 8s as possible.

Not only Asians are superstitious. Homeowners in Las Vegas want the lucky number 7 to figure in the listing price. In the Bible-Belt, homes are more likely to include 316 in the price, a reference to John 3:16, a key verse for evangelicals (“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”). Oddly, prices in that region also frequently include 666, a evangelical reference to evil. Why would that be?

But Asians do seem to consider numerology more than others. Not quite as surprising, they will often pay a premium for addresses that contain the number 8; after all, the lucky number will be associated with the dwelling forever. According to Nicole Fortin, professor of economics at the University of British Columbia, Chinese buyers will pay 2-3% more for a home with an 8 in the address; sellers will have to accept a 2% discount for houses with a 4 in the address. I wonder if this fixation on luck accompanying specific numbers will fade as younger generations become more American. Las Vegas residence we can understand: if they gamble, they live by numbers.

topics: culture