Skipping the 13th Floor in Case a Buyer Is Superstitious

Feb. 13, 2015 — Do you live in a relatively new co-op or condo? Does it have a 13th floor? Chances are, the answer is no. According to The Wall Street Journal, although most people don't buy into the idea of unlucky 13, "less than 5 percent of residential condo buildings in Manhattan and Brooklyn have a designated 13th floor." It might be a case of being better safe than sorry. That is, what if a broker is showing an apartment to a potential buyer in a building with a 13th floor? Well, if that potential buying is superstitious, then floor 13 will have caused the broker a sale. So who makes the call? WSJ explains that "the decision to omit the 13th floor occurs well before ground is broken. Both developers and marketers discuss floor layouts in initial planning meetings, but the developer has the final say. Then, if the 13th floor is omitted, developers work off two sets of plans — technical plans that show a 13th floor and marketing plans that don't." Who knew? But don't feel bad for poor old 13 — it's not the loneliest number anymore. WSJ reports that some developers are dropping the fourth floor because the number four is considered unlucky in Chinese culture.