31 “Door Shutting” Superstitions For Buying a Home

superstitions about buying selling or moving into a house

If you are buying a new home, these 31 new home superstitions will help to ensure that you have years of good luck in your new house!

Here’s how to bring good luck into your new home:

  • When Shopping for A New Home
  • At Your Closing
  • While You Are Moving In 

When Shopping For A New Home

  1. Look for an eight in the listing price or use eights in your offer to bring you luck and/or wealth.The number 8 is the luckiest number in Chinese and Eastern culture because 八 sounds like 發 (fa), which means “wealth”, “fortune”, and “prosper” in Chinese.  The more eights there are, the better.
  2. Don’t buy a home with the number 13 in the address or street name or you’ll have bad luck.The appearance of a 13th guest at two ancient events gave the number 13 its unlucky reputation.  Judas was the 13th guest to arrive at the Last Supper and was the person who betrayed Jesus.  In ancient Norse lore, evil and turmoil were introduced at a dinner party in Valhalla by the mischievous god Loki who was the 13th guest.There are some exceptions:

      • In Italy, the number 13 is considered lucky, but you’ll want to avoid the number 17 instead.
      • In China, you’ll want to avoid the number four instead due to the Cantonese and Mandarin word for death closely resembles the word for four.
  3. According to Filipino beliefs, you should avoid dead-end lots.A dead end lot can cause financial misfortune and/or a death in your family.
  4. In order to have good luck, Feng Shui dictates your home must have east-facing windows.Besides the sun rising in the east, the “East” symbolizes new beginnings and family.
  5. The number of steps on any staircase should not be a multiple of three.In keeping with Ancient Chinese traditions, the steps are counted as oro (gold), plata (silver), and mata (bad luck or even death). The last step must not be on mata.

At Your Closing

  1. Keep pen strokes upwards for good luck!Choose a closing date that ends with an upwards pen stroke (0, 3, 5 and 8 ) to “keep things looking up”.
  2. Make sure you pick the perfect day to close/moveThursday is considered  to be the luckiest day of the week for moving into a new home and in India, it’s said to be bad luck to move on a Friday, Saturday, or rainy day.  Moving on Friday is also a bad idea in Western culture too.  You will never be able to fully settle into your new place if you move on this unlucky day.  According to Filipino legends, make sure to move into your new home during a new moon too.  Your prosperity will increase as the moon waxes.
    And no matter which day you move, it’s good luck if you finish moving before sunset. 

While You Are Moving In 

  1. Your first step onto your new property must be with your right foot first for good fortune.In Jewish, Aztec, Inca, Japanese Shinto, Egyptian, and Roman customs, your right side is your fortunate side. 
  2.  Let a cat walk across the threshold of your new home for good luck.In Russia, it’s good luck for the first creature to cross the threshold of a new home to be a cat.  A Russian bank even offers a loaner cat for two hours to any mortgage customer for this!
  3. Ring a bell on your arrival to clear the space.

    Feng shui tradition says you should ring a Tibetan bell to allow positive energy to flow.   The Celtic culture also believes that ringing a bell frightens away evil spirits.Open all of the doors and windows for a few moments to allow the energy to flow through.

  4. Let the air out of your new home when you first step inside.

    This Chinese tradition allows the flow of positive qi energy inside your new home.

  5. Roll a pineapple into your home and say “Huat ah” for prosperity.

    Rolling this fruit is a Hokkien tradition and a blessing for your new home. Your home will be more prosperous and more welcoming for guests.

  6. Place an acorn on a windowsill for protection.

    The ancient Norse believed that if you placed an acorn on your windowsill, it would protect your home from being struck by lightning.

  7. Leave your old broom behind for good luck.

    To be able to start new, you need to get rid yourself of past troubles first according to Feng Shui tradition.  An old broom brings along all of the bad luck you want to leave behind where a new broom symbolizes a fresh start.  And whatever you do, if you live in India or West Africa, don’t sweep at night.  You’ll brush away good fortune.

  8.  To ensure financial prosperity, scatter coins around your new living room.

    Like other Filipino legends, scattering loose coins around brings good luck and prosperity.

  9. Paint your porch blue to ward off ghosts.

    While certain door colors will boost the curb appeal and value of your property, according to southern US legends, painting your front entrance blue will keep the ghosts away.  Tradition says that spirits cannot cross water, so painting the color blue is a symbolic way to keep evil spirits away.

  10. On the first day, exit your house through the same door you entered to ensure your good luck.

    This old Irish superstition says entering and exiting through different doors brings bad luck. After you do this once, you can enter and exit through any door.

  11. The first time you enter your new home bring bread (the most essential food) and salt  (the most essential spice) for wealth and prosperity.Bread and salt are symbols of hospitality, wealth, and prosperity all around the world, and your family will have a life full of flavor.  Carrying a full container of uncooked rice with you works the same (as you do in Filipino culture).
  12. Spread a pinch of salt on the floor of every single room and especially over the threshold of your front door.In Hindu mythology, this wards off evil spirits and brings out the flavor of life.
  13. Boil milk and rice in an open pot until it runs over the sides for prosperity, wealth, and abundance.

    Boiling milk and rice symbolizes purity and a long life which will bless the new home.

  14. For continued good luck, there are several things to bring into your new home:  orange tree, horseshoes, evergreen branches, etc.In Chinese, the words for orange and luck sound similar which is why it’s good luck to bring an orange or tangerine tree into your new home. Also, planting a pomegranate tree in your new yard is good for fertility and having a good life.

    According to Irish folklore, hanging a horseshoe facing upwards in a “U” shape is said to keep evil out and bring good luck into your home whereas if you hang it upside down, you will have back luck.

  15. Don’t whistle in your new home, or you’ll whistle all your money away.

    In Russian and other Slavic cultures, whistling in your home will bring you poverty.  There is even a Russian proverb that says “whistling money away.” In Estonia, since whistling indoors brings bad luck, your house will be set on fire.

  16.  It is very important what your first visitors bring to your new home.Your first visitor needs to bring cake, so life in your new house will always be sweet.  According to Italian folklore, don’t accept knives, scissors, or other sharp items as housewarming presents, because it symbolizes the cutting of your friendship.  If you must accept it, pay the giver a penny, which will reverse the curse.  (You can use the loose change from #14!)
  17. Use fennel to ward off witches.In New England, put fennel through your keyhole or hang it over your front door to ward off witches.  (Though, this may keep out anyone with a key.)
  18. While moving in, don’t face any of your mirrors towards one another.According to folklore that dates back to the Middle Ages, mirrors facing towards one another open a doorway to hell that the devil can climb through.
  19. Light a candle on the first night in your new home.This house blessing ritual is performed by various cultures around the world. It brings in light and casts out the darkness (literally and symbolically) and chases away evil, sorrow and pain. In many religions, lighting a candle when saying a prayer amplifies the power of your words and sanctifies your home.
  20. Burn or smudge sage in your new home.Practiced in the US by Native Americans, burning or smudging sage is another house blessing ritual.  The burning of dried sage clears out negative energy and protects a home from evil spirits.  (And as a bonus, it removes any lingering odors too!)
  21. Bringing a garden hoe indoors brings you bad luck.This is an old wives tale. If you accidentally do bring one in, reverse your bad luck by walking backwards out the same door while carrying it.
  22. Don’t kill any insects you see in your home while moving in.According to Filipino beliefs, if you see ants while moving in, this represents financial fortune.  Caribbean folklore says that if you see a brown spider or grasshopper in your home, you will also get money.
  23.  According to Chinese tradition, on move in day, don’t do housework or repairs unless you want bad luck.All of your required house repairs can be done a day later but not on the day you move or you will have bad luck.
  24. On the night you move in, don’t use a hammer and nails after sunset.If you are using a hammer and nails at night, you’ll anger the tree gods (and possibly your new neighbors too).  

Since buying and selling a home can be stressful, it’s not a surprise that these centuries-old superstitions are still being handed down.  Now, you can laugh (or cross your fingers) the next time you hear a bell ring while you’re moving or find yourself closing on a home on a Friday afternoon. 

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