In case you need some conversation starters, here are a dozen interesting facts about homeownership that may surprise you…or at least they will provide you with some memorable minutiae to use at the next get together.
- New York homeowners are required to comply with a “Ghostbusters Ruling” when listing their property for sale. This involves disclosing whether any ghosts inhabit or frequently visit the home.
- When you first enter your new house, bring bread so those in the home will never know hunger.
- Take along a new broom; bringing an old broom into a new home is considered an invitation to bad luck.
- It’s considered bad luck to give a knife as a housewarming present. The superstitious believe it will turn the recipient into your enemy.
- A red door has been a historic symbol of protection and refuge. However, in Scotland, it signifies that the home’s owner has paid off the mortgage.
- Only 30 percent of Americans have home security systems. 60 percent of burglars said that if they had noticed an alarm, they would have moved on.
- Americans tend to stay close when they move. The median distance between the homes people purchased and those they moved from is just 15 miles.
- The most common street names in the U.S. are “Second” in first place “Third” in second place, and “First” is in third place.
- The median size of a new home for the U.S. in 2021 was 2,297 square feet.
- Brass, copper, aluminum, iron, and silver are essentially self-disinfecting materials. It’s called the oligodynamic effect, and as an antimicrobial metal, brass leads the list of sanitizing materials.
- The concept of a housewarming party began due to the need to literally warm up the house. Guests brought firewood for the new fireplace.
- Interest rates on 30-year mortgages have dropped to historic lows, the high was in October 1981, a whopping 18.45 percent.
Which one of these facts were your favorite to learn?
