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13 Superstitions Of Buying A Home

Whether you’re superstitious or “just a little stitious,” the number 13 certainly has an impactful meaning. For pastry fans, the number 13 is a beautifully round number, whereas many see 13 as a couple of digits to steer clear of.

With Friday the 13th right around the corner, let’s look at some fun and more serious superstitions of buying a home.

1. Horse ShoesThe lucky horseshoe is a big part of Irish folklore and history (despite being typically associated with western cowboy culture) and a staple of most home decore. The story of Dunstan and the horseshoe varies greatly as most of these stories do; but the gist of the story is that in the 10th century, St. Dunstan (a blacksmith at the time) was visited by the devil himself. The hoofed devil asked for a horseshoe for himself. So then, Dunstan nailed a red hot horseshoe tightly on one of his hooves, and the devil howled in pain. The devil begged for Dunstan to remove it. Dunstan agreed under one condition — the devil must respect the horseshoe and never enter any place where one was hung above the door.

2. Critters in Your House

Doubtless, there will be abundant life on your new property, but depending on what creature inhabits your new digs can be a sign of things to come. Ants represent financial fortune, bees represent fire down the road, and a bird slamming into your window indicates bad luck to come.

On a more serious note, take heed to any signs of creatures before you close on your home and take the necessary measures to take care of unwanted pests.

3. Bread and Salt

Jewish tradition says that you should carry bread and salt with you upon entering your house for the first time. The bread represents the idea that the homeowners will never know hunger while salt keeps there lives full of flavor. Furthering this tradition, you should sprinkle some of the salt at the threshold of the doorway to prevent evil spirits from entering. Of course, that necessitates sweeping it up.

4. Leave the Broom Behind

Which brings us to our next superstition. Many Americans believe you should leave your old broom behind at your old place. The belief is that bringing an old broom into a new dwelling brings with it the old things that have been swept away: i.e. more bad juju. If you’re already buying a new home, do yourself a favor and splurge on a new broom too!

5. The overflow of Milk and Rice

Indians believe that you should boil a pot of milk and rice until it boils over. This act represents purity and a clean slate. To be perfectly honest, though, we can’t think of a much stickier cleanup. On the other hand, you can bring your entire milk cow into the house and wrap a garland around its neck. Pick your poison.

6. Smudge Your House

Native Americans traditionally “smudged” their dwellings by lighting dried sage and allowing it to smolder releasing an aromatic, cleansing smoke throughout the dwelling. This was thought to drive away evil spirits while cleansing the home for the new homeowner. It’ll certainly get rid of that dirty sock smell from the previous tenants.

7. Build Afresh

If you’re looking at building a home on a lot or plot of land, be very careful. This superstition says that you should never build on a site where a home once stood. Violating this could result in a premature death in the family! Probably best to walk a few hundred (thousand) paces away.

8. Don’t Walk Under a Ladder

As a homeowner (or soon-to-be), you’re likely to embark on some sort of project requiring an ascent to heights otherwise unreachable by your sheer stature. Enter a ladder. Regardless of how tall (or short) it may be, avoid walking under it or bad luck will surely ensure. Plus, you may end up like Clark Griswold trying to hang lights on Christmas Vacation.

9. Steer Clear of the 13th Floor

13 is the traditionally unlucky American number and while, as a homeowner, you’re unlikely to own a 13 story home, this still is relevant to some owners in high rise metropolitan areas. But this begs a question: if the 13th-floor button is missing on an elevator, does that mean the 14th floor is actually the 13th or do we skip the 13th floor altogether? Probably best to stay on the ground level.

10. Spooky Disclosures

In Hawaii, sellers are “required” to disclose if their home has had any paranormal or ghostly activity in the past, but does not require a seller to disclose if there was a death, murder, or crime committed in the house as those facts are considered “material facts.” In either case, it’s probably best to leave the broom and smudge the house.

11. Beware the Nightmarchers

Another Hawaiian superstition states that you should plant ti plants around your home to keep the undead Hawaiian warriors from harming your dwelling. Additionally, creating a path around the home from the ocean inland is said to help them find their bath to their ancient battlegrounds. As if that isn’t creepy enough, it’s said that nightmarchers can actually kill mortals who don’t show them respect.

12. Coins in the Living Room

One widely-held superstition is that you should scatter coins in your new living room which allegedly leads to prosperity down the line. If you’re like many new homeowners, you’ll throw an area rug over those coins, forget about them, and unearth them years later to reveal that very wealth you always expected!

13. Money Where it Counts

Putting superstitions aside, put your money where it counts when it comes to buying your first home. One thing to never be superstitious about is choosing the right financing option for you, your family, and your new home. To learn more about financing, get in touch with one of Tidewater Mortgage Services, Inc loan officers.

Your call can get you pre-qualified for the loan you need to buy your first home and get you moving on the path to homeownership!

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