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The Inspector

By NPI, Inc.


Melisa Rana
Melisa Rana

    

4 Lucky Traditions and Superstitions When Moving Into A New Home

4 LUCKY TRADITIONS AND SUPERSTITIONS WHEN MOVING INTO A NEW HOME
 March 11, 2024 |  Holiday, Just For Fun |  spring, foundation, walls, painting, first-time homeowner, moving

Between wearing green, spotting four leaf clovers, and being surrounded by little men with red beards, St. Patrick’s Day is full of lighthearted and strange traditions for families and friends to enjoy. Everybody can always use a little extra luck in their lives, and throughout the years, families have come up with plenty of unique traditions to usher in some good fortune as they move into their new homes. In the spirit of the season, let’s take a look at some of these superstitions to make your next move jinx-free!

Lay a Positive Foundation
Depending on how early in the process people begin to interact with their new home, many believe in writing positive messages on the frames of their houses and behind the drywall, and even scattering coins in the foundation in hopes that good, fortunate days are ahead. These traditions may be traced all the way back to “foundation deposits,” where groups in ancient Egypt and Sudan buried sacrificed animals, valuable tools, and pottery underneath cornerstones of important buildings in blessing rituals (according to historians at the Egyptian Museum in Manchester).

Today, items that new homeowners place within their foundation and in their framing are a bit more mundane, but are packed with symbolic power. Before drywall goes up, families have a perfect opportunity to grab a marker and write meaningful quotes, inside jokes, and aspirational sentiments inside the bones of their new home. Whether this practice brings real blessings over the house in the future or not, this tradition is a great activity to bring the family together and can be a positive reminder during any tough times down the road.

Paint Your Porch Blue
Positive vibes and family time are all well and good, but when it comes to moving into a new home, many people just want to make sure their house isn’t haunted. While there are a few tried and true techniques to identify a haunting, some claim to know a foolproof way to ward off any new spirits from entering the home as well. In many southern states, the most proven method is through painting your porch ceiling blue.

According to local folklore, “haints” (another word for ghosts) can’t cross rushing water, so in lieu of digging a moat in the front yard, American southerners discovered that the right shade of blue paint did the trick just as well to fool any dastardly phantoms that might enter their property. While there may be other benefits to painting your porch blue (such as a sense of calm per Mental Health America, and the thought that it may keep bugs away), most people are unaware of why their families have always painted their porches blue.

Regardless, if you’ve moved into a new home and wondered why your front porch doesn’t quite match the rest of your home - maybe consider keeping the color scheme as is!

Ditch the Old and Welcome the New
Taking a page from another full set of traditions, feng shui preaches finding the natural “flow” of your new home, and doing whatever you can to discourage any negative disruptions. Part of this philosophy focuses on starting fresh when moving into a new home and ridding yourself of any unnecessary baggage that you might bring along from your old residence.

A simple way to take part in this tradition is to leave behind any brooms, mops, or other cleaning materials at the old house - saying goodbye to old dust and hello to new possibilities! From a practical perspective, homeowners tend to collect a shocking amount of unneeded “junk” in their homes that they only really become aware of when moving. Transitioning to a new city, neighborhood, or just a new home is a fabulous opportunity to rid yourself of excess clutter in preparation for an exciting new chapter in life.

Keep an Eye Out for Housewarming Gifts
When finally moved into your new home, it’s always a pleasure to receive gifts from neighbors and friends, but certain mediterranean superstitions suggest that there are some housewarming gifts that might be best avoided. According to tradition, receiving knives, scissors, or other sharp tools as gifts foreshadows upcoming life conflicts or even the end of your relationship with the gift-giver in the future.

Find the perfect gift for your first-time homeowner friends as they move in this spring and summer, but maybe opt for something a little less sinister than a knife set - just to be safe!

The best way to stay ahead of unfortunate home mishaps and unexpected repairs is to order a home inspection from your local NPI inspector!Enter your Zip code here and request a quote today!



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