Monday, December 21, 2015

"Where do you live in New York?" (Part 5)

Another answer to the question "Where do you live in New York?

On the Floor Above the 12th Floor:  We live in a rare type of NYC high-rise building.  Our building is among the small percentage of tall NYC residential buildings with a designated 13th floor.  And you guessed it.  We live on the 13th floor. Here is a photo of the directional sign on our floor.
Less than 5% of newer Manhattan and Brooklyn high-rises have a designated 13th floor.  Of course, 95% of all other tall buildings have a thirteenth story but they are designated as floor14 or something else.

Are most developers superstitious?  Probably not, but they don't want any difficulty selling high-dollar units based on a buyer's reluctance to spend a lot of money on a 13th floor unit. 

Why is the 13th floor considered unlucky?  According to the Wall Street Journal,

     The myth of unlucky 13 has multiple origins. In the Christian tradition, some people trace it back to the Last Supper . . . 

     In real estate, marketers and residents have their own 13th-floor horror stories. Philip Spiegelman, co-founder
     and principal of International Sales Group, a sales and marketing firm for developers, recalls a Miami residential
     building in the early 1970s where none of the 13th-floor units sold until he finally renumbered it six months later.

Of course, the current selling boom means units are not on the market for long, whatever floor they are on.

Since we are renting, we are not concerned about sales value.  Having said that, we respect the superstition and will not tempt fate.  We consider our ourselves fortunate and won't be walking under any ladders or crossing a black cat's path.

Wish us good luck.

P.S.  Apparently, the Trump Organization is cautious and perhaps superstitious.  For example, none of the several tall buildings in Trump Place at Lincoln Square has a designated 13th Floor.  Who knew?





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