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And why whenever I see that I want to eliminate all those differences.
50 different sets of rules on every topic imaginable. An absurdity.
Eliminate "all those differences"? A very slippery slope. I believe I'll continue to keep State's rights thank-you-very-much! People can do their homework and make themselves educated when they do business in another state.
What kind of an idiot would divulge that information to children? Not only her children but her kids' friends. What purpose did that serve ? Some people have cotton candy in the space where a brain should be.
Can you imagine all the people who had sex in your house? In the same bedroom? Should that be disclosed as well?
How people acted or what people did inside the house, has nothing to do with the condition of the house and does not need to be disclosed. If you want a house with no history, buy a new house.
There is an old saying that a house is not a home until a birth, a wedding, and a funeral have taken place within its walls. Obviously, few of the above take place at home nowadays, but there's still more than a bit of truth to this old belief.
Anyone purchasing an older house (as in pre-1920) should be aware that it is quite likely that any or all of the three once took place in it.
As for recent tragedies such as that described by the OP, local residents would know - however, newcomers to the community would be unlikely to know unless disclosure is made, whether voluntarily or by requirement. It's never a bad idea to talk with your prospective neighbors when considering property in a new-to-you community.
It would probably have been a good idea to disclose, because there are some people who have weird ideas that if something happened in a house that makes the house itself undesirable and in case you get a buyer who is both one of that kind AND sue happy you've covered yourself. There will always be plenty of buyers who realize that the house didn't cause the problem, and also those who, if they think the house is somehow tainted, can simply smudge it or whatever ritual clears it in their customs.
In Texas, the law is quite reasonably that if the death was caused or potentially caused by the house (fell down stairs and broke their neck, say, or something equally attributable to construction issues), it is required to be disclosed. If not, if it was caused by illness or by the actions of a human being (murder or suicide), it is not required to be disclosed.
Anyone buying a house over a certain age should assume that someone died in it, by the way, as stated above. In times past, they didn't compartmentalize life and death as much as we try to do, and birth, life, and death often happened in homes.
It would probably have been a good idea to disclose, because there are some people who have weird ideas that if something happened in a house that makes the house itself undesirable and in case you get a buyer who is both one of that kind AND sue happy you've covered yourself. There will always be plenty of buyers who realize that the house didn't cause the problem, and also those who, if they think the house is somehow tainted, can simply smudge it or whatever ritual clears it in their customs.
In Texas, the law is quite reasonably that if the death was caused or potentially caused by the house (fell down stairs and broke their neck, say, or something equally attributable to construction issues), it is required to be disclosed. If not, if it was caused by illness or by the actions of a human being (murder or suicide), it is not required to be disclosed.
Anyone buying a house over a certain age should assume that someone died in it, by the way, as stated above. In times past, they didn't compartmentalize life and death as much as we try to do, and birth, life, and death often happened in homes.
I have always gotten the "feel" of a house when looking to rent or buy. Some houses feel bad; others give off a comforting vibe. If you've never experienced it, it is very hard to explain. When I asked my sister about the feelings she experienced while accompanying me in house hunting, she told me she never felt anything about a house. I suppose some people are more sensitive to the energy of a place than others. A normal death in a house shouldn't create any problems, but a murder/suicide is loaded with negative energy. Not everyone will be affected by it, but some people will. I'd want to know if something that horrific happened in a house I was considering buying.
A normal death in a house shouldn't create any problems...
...nor create any need for specific notice let alone any sort of formal disclosure.
Quote:
but a murder/suicide is...
Is something completely different. The terms notorious and heinous come to mind.
Quote:
I'd want to know if something that horrific happened in a house I was considering buying.
Which is the bottom line point and well with the "reasonable expectation" for anyone who lives
and works in the area to a) know about and b) mention in one form or another. This is especially so
if the person who knows something wants to assert that they represent the buyers interest.
California requires disclosure if someone died in the house within the last three years. Yes, death is a big deal. I find it pure insanity that people do not think it should be disclosed.
aquietpath, I actually know exactly what you're talking about. However, I also know (because of some of the paths I've followed) that such can in almost every case be dispelled with the appropriate practices (and maybe some feng shui if there's truly something about the house or its placement that is causing the feeling).
Because of this, I know that if someone is particularly sensitive to such things, they would notice it immediately upon or shortly after entering the house, as you say you yourself do, and would most likely not purchase it, never mind live in it for some time and only feel that it was an issue once they were told about it.
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