Bad-luck address changes surge in Ontario

MARKHAM, Ontario, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- City Hall officials in a Toronto suburb say they want to pull the plug on a growing stream of requests to change street addresses to luckier numbers.

It all began this spring when a real estate agent requested a home at No. 4 Dancer Drive in Markham, Ontario, be changed to No. 2 in order to appeal to buyers in the largely Asian neighborhood who see four as bad luck.

The National Post said Saturday the idea has caught on with more sellers following suit with their properties.

"We have to find ways to show leadership and find ways to get beyond these things," said Deputy Mayor Jack Heath.

According to Chinese folklore, the word for "four" sounds an awful lot like the word for "death," which may make some Chinese buyers leery of moving in. Some Realtors told the Post that a "four" address can translate to price cuts of as much as $30,000.

But Heath would still like to put the kibosh on requests for lucky number address changes. He said different cultures have different lucky numbers, which could lead to even more address changes.