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As we are entering into Halloween month, I thought I would ask. I had a friend in New Orleans who was in real estate years ago and she swore up and down she had haunted properties.
Have you ever sold, listed or toured a "haunted" house? What happened?
My Aunt rented a haunted house when I was 12. I spent the Summer there babysitting my younger cousin. It was interesting. Lights go on, but never off. Gusts of wind would slam doors shut after people would leave. Candles moving and pictures going upside down...
The agent was asked about electrical issues, since lights always went on. She said, "Oh, that's just Florence..." She had slipped in the bathtub and died.
I've had a few incidents, but one is the most memorable.
It was quite a few years ago. I was a new agent still, and just excited to have any listing whatsoever. My clients were an older couple that had lived in the home for a very long time 20-30 years as I recall, raised their kids there etc. The house was originally built in the 1700's with a large addition, but the older portions were pretty well preserved. Very large, unusual property on a secluded lot.
Anyway my folks had gotten a ridiculous second mortgage on the home which they eventually could not afford and after trying to work things out for several years unsuccessfully they had gone bankrupt. They had moved out and were hoping to avoid foreclosure with a short sale. It was super emotional for them - they had truly LOVED the house and didn't want to leave. I didn't pay much mind to her talk of "the spirit" in the house at that time.
With no one there it was just a big sad old depressing house. There was a ton of interest in it so I was constantly showing it...but the place creeped me out. It was just so lonely. Cell phone service always shut off as soon as you got within a few hundred feet of the house. I would never go in alone but wait for buyers to arrive and get in and out as fast as possible.
One time I was showing the house to a young couple who were super interested in the old stone basement...on the way down they revealed they were involved with one of those shows about the supernatural and were drawn to the house. I mentioned the spirit the owner told me about and they nodded knowingly. WTH? When I told the owner she wasn't surprised at all and just reminded me of her friendly spirit.
It got so crazy with showings I decided to hold the house open just to get everyone in at once. That day I had to go in alone to open up the house. I was in the kitchen of this massive old vacant house and sure enough I could hear the footsteps upstairs. I tried to remind myself that the owner thought of her spirit as friendly....I'm not sure how, but I got through my open house and was right on the heels of the last person out. I decided never to go back.
So we actually had the property under contract several times and the sales would all just die somewhere along the line. It was very bizarre. Ultimately we ran out of time and the house foreclosed.
It was a few weeks later the REO agent called me to ask what was up with the house...apparently they had sent their appraiser in who had gotten attacked by fleas upon entering the house...in the middle of January in a house that had now been vacant for a couple years...and it was all wood floors, no furniture. Inexplicable.
I didn't believe in haunted houses before this house....But I think what happened is the spirit had grown fond of my clients after all that time and just didn't want the house to convey. I just cant think of any other explanation. Sometimes I wonder whatever happened to that old house.
I'm not an agent, but I hear all the stories around my office. We've had a few agents with clients who "believed" one house or another was haunted. I've also had tenants ask me whether a house they were renting was haunted. But belief does not equate to reality.
In each case, we were able to figure out what was causing the "haunt".
1. Electrical shorts are the most common culprit. We've had several who were sure that the flashing lights were sign of a ghost, but once we fixed the electrical, it apparently also evicted the ghost.
2. We've had one who had a malfunctioning remote control for her TV, which kept turning itself on and off, but once she got a new remote, there was no more ghost.
3. We had one who was hearing rattling noises, but soon discovered that her dog was pawing the shower door in the upstairs bathroom, making it rattle in its case.
4. We've had several absent minded tenants who insisted that either someone had been in their house, or they had a ghost, because things were moved/missing, only to call me later and apologize because either their kids moved something, or they remembered they did it themselves.
Most, if not all, so called haunted houses have a simple explanation. In the 16 years I've worked in a real estate/property management office, I have yet to encounter an unexplained phenomena.
I rented a haunted house and lived in it for 3 years. I was disappointed that there were no signs of ghosts. I suspect that the resident ghost was intimidated by my dogs. The house was about 350 years old, so no doubt that more than one person had died inside that house.
The dogs kept away burglars when everyone else in the neighborhood was robbed, so I suppose the dogs could keep way a ghost.
Friends of mine had a ghost that dropped springs all over the house. I have no idea what that was all about but there were small springs found in chairs and on furniture, on the kitchen counters and in the bathtub. It went on for years.
I rented a haunted house and lived in it for 3 years. I was disappointed that there were no signs of ghosts. I suspect that the resident ghost was intimidated by my dogs. The house was about 350 years old, so no doubt that more than one person had died inside that house.
The dogs kept away burglars when everyone else in the neighborhood was robbed, so I suppose the dogs could keep way a ghost.
Friends of mine had a ghost that dropped springs all over the house. I have no idea what that was all about but there were small springs found in chairs and on furniture, on the kitchen counters and in the bathtub. It went on for years.
You are the second person mentioning to me recently if some one dies in a house the house will be haunted. Well hubby died here in the living room in his recliner as was his choice. I have had a couple ghost like things happen but nothing really frightening. I also seem to remember if listing house you need to disclose some one died in it. Is that true? Not at all thinking of listing my house. Just curious about the need for disclosure. Often feel like his presence is here but then not positive if it is just because we lived here 8 years together before he died and my subconscious is just remembering him here or what.
You are the second person mentioning to me recently if some one dies in a house the house will be haunted. Well hubby died here in the living room in his recliner as was his choice. I have had a couple ghost like things happen but nothing really frightening. I also seem to remember if listing house you need to disclose some one died in it. Is that true? Not at all thinking of listing my house. Just curious about the need for disclosure. Often feel like his presence is here but then not positive if it is just because we lived here 8 years together before he died and my subconscious is just remembering him here or what.
Depends on your state. Some states require only violent deaths be disclosed. Some states its any deaths. And some require no disclosure.
But its easy to find out and buyers will check. There are websites devoted to this.
My mother died at home after a short but terrible fight with cancer. She did not go "peacefully"-- it was hell for everyone who saw it and certainly torture for her. We listed her house. Buyers did ask and some were not interested as a result. But it sold within 24 hours of listing, so it obviously wasn't a big deal to most people.
Depends on your state. Some states require only violent deaths be disclosed. Some states its any deaths. And some require no disclosure.
But its easy to find out and buyers will check. There are websites devoted to this.
My mother died at home after a short but terrible fight with cancer. She did not go "peacefully"-- it was hell for everyone who saw it and certainly torture for her. We listed her house. Buyers did ask and some were not interested as a result. But it sold within 24 hours of listing, so it obviously wasn't a big deal to most people.
Sorry for your the loss of your Mom. My hubby also had cancer but his death was so peaceful , and he had no drugs on board, I was not ever sure what was happening for a few seconds. We were talking and he was gone. That fast. Never moved even his fingers or feet. It was as he wanted it as I said just the two of us in his house. I am grateful I could grant at least this much for him. It was a bit scary as my first husband did not go peacefully and he was in the hospital 47 years later I remember like yesterday. I never thought to ask about state rules. I have a real estate friend I can ask just out of curiosity. Does not matter the house is in trust to Best Friends Animal Rescue so it is up to them to sell or use as a transfer house. We have no family. Now just me and the animals.
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