Today is Friday the 13th. I am making no reference to the iconic slasher movie first released in 1980 and carried on to oblivion for an ironic total of 12 in a series (Jason refused to really die). I am referring to the widely spread real fear, deeply rooted in the distant past, termed triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13) or, more specifically, paraskavedekatriaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th). This is a real thing, especially in America. In fact, it is so real, people postpone flights on Friday the 13th, and software manufacturers release the 14th version after the 12th one. This is a costly superstition as well — an estimated $800 million annually on this day due to people’s refusal to travel or conduct business. However, nothing proves the authenticity of this fear more than real estate.

The source of 13’s unreputable rap is murky at best. Some sources say it could originate clear back from biblical times when a famous but undesirable dinner guest, Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th person to arrive at the Last Supper, on a Friday (Good Friday) to boot. In Norse mythology, the trickster god Loki, was the 13th guest to arrive, uninvited, to a dinner party and whose reckless actions plunged the world into darkness.

There could be a more logical reason for this somewhat impetuous aversion to a numeric symbol. In everyday life, the number 13 really is less common than 12. There are only 12 months in a year, there is no 13 o’clock, and a ruler stops at 12 inches. Since we favor what is familiar and disfavor what is not, we assign negative attributes to this poor, faultless number. However, disfavor is likely not enough to cause full-blown phobia. Honestly, the way our society works, we can choose any random number to associate with bad luck and if the conditions are favorable, with the help of Hollywood, social media and the rumor mill, a full-on urban legend can be born.

In real estate, the number 13 appears in asking prices 13% less often than the number 12. It would be best to skip the number 13 and round up if in question. That is exactly what many commercial buildings have done. It is an anomaly indeed to ride an elevator up the 13th floor of an office building or hotel. Many building owners simply remove this level from their plans. In fact, more than 80% of high-rise buildings in the United States do not a have a 13th floor. This is also the case in hospitals, hotels and even airports that have omitted the 13th gate.

Admittedly, I don’t get it. Can we really fool ourselves into thinking that the 14th floor isn’t just the 13th with a fake name tag? This is reminiscent of the time my 50-pound husky puppy stood behind a twig and thought I couldn’t see her. What am I missing? I have a closing scheduled for today. When I wrote the contract, I simply scheduled the settlement for 30 days from the day of acceptance per my client’s request. I have things to do that I have calendared in for today. I didn’t black this day out or refuse to look at houses with the number 13 in the address. In fact, if I were to find a piece of real estate listed for $131,313, I would buy it in a heartbeat. I haven’t seen those prices since 2013. I’m just not superstitious.

Something strange did happen, however, while writing this article. My computer glitched and started randomly opening windows like it was suddenly possessed and then it shut down without saving a word of my painstaking writings about Friday the 13th. Do with it what you will. Although this has never happened before, I’m chalking it up to simple operator error.

Jen Fischer is an associate broker and Realtor. She can be reached at 801-645-2134 or jen@jen-fischer.com.

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