With the recent downturn in the real estate market, a haunted house could become an even harder sell. Haunted houses usually aren't explicitly described as haunted, they are typically given the more pleasant and scientific sounding term of "psychologically impacted".
Psychologically impacted doesn't just mean haunted. It is a real estate term used to describe any house that will be considered a hard sale due to a death, murder, drug lab, suicide, or even if the person who lived there had a long history of violent mental illness. People are superstitious, and these houses are 50% more likely to stay on the market and sell for a reduced price than other real estate; even if no unexplained phenomenon has ever been reported.
All states require that psychologically impacted property must be disclosed during the viewing, but not all states require that you must disclose a haunting. Houses which were former drug labs, which might possibly still contain chemical residue, must be disclosed under these laws, but other states have different guidelines as to disclosing the stigma of death unless it was caused by AIDS, which could be viewed as discriminatory.
Secrecy only feeds fear, so most reputable real estate agencies ask that sellers disclose any strange happenings up front to potential buyers. In New York, it is illegal to sell a haunted house without disclosure, so you could end up with a large liability if you don't know the laws for your state.
Precedent was set by a now famous case in the real estate world wherein the sale of a Victorian mansion was contested after the Stambovsky family made an earnest payment of $32,500 on a $650,000 home which resembled the TV home of the Munsters. Even though the house was decidedly spooky at first sight, the couple did not know about its truly weird reputation. The seller had promoted the home as haunted and had even had a write up done on it for Reader's Digest and featured it on a haunted walking tour of the city. When the sellers chose to sell the house they stopped promoting it as haunted.
While the Mr. Stambovsky was not particularly worried about the homes reputation, his wife was deeply concerned, and the couple tried to back out of the deal. The owner refused to cancel the sale or return the down payment. The Stambovsky's took the seller to court and lost, only to win with a narrow margin or 3-2 in appellate court, after the court found that by deliberately fostering the belief that the house was haunted, the buyer had to by law disclose.
Why hadn't the couple known about the houses reputation if it had been featured in so many haunted tours and books? They were from out of town.
Most haunted houses on the market have very little in the way of strange events. More than likely, it is limited to electrical goings on, or the occasional door opening and closing by itself, possibly even cold spots that do not warm up even if a heater is placed nearby. Due to this, they do not have the"psychologically impacted" status, and many buyers find themselves sharing their house with a ghost.
To find out the disclosure laws for psychologically impacted property in your sate, visit the Haunted Real Estate.
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37 comment(s) on this page. Add your own comment below.
I would love to find a haunted house to live in. How could I find out who's selling them in Alabama?
Becareful Beth... it could be something you dont want living with. I read a book about a nurse's experience and they delt with rancid smells through out the house and she had what she called "sufficating nightmares". She said they happened often but she knew she was awake durring these (and would stay up for a while afterwards) and couldnt wake her husband up sleeping soundly beside her, and later found out her 13 year old daughter experienced the same, but not as often. Her daughter also woke one night to her glass gerbal cage fall from the ceiling and land on her bed. thankfully she had time to roll onto the floor. the gerbals fate was not so lucky. I know, trust me im damn near obsesed with the paranormal i have everything from evps and damn good photos of everything from countless different colored orbs to misty human like aparitions as well as animal like. and i myself am intrigued by living in a house with "abnormal activity", please just becareful. not everything is doors that open and close by themselves and footsteps and all the good stuff. i just dont want either of us getting exactly what we ask for :) take care
Beth, be careful what you wish for...I have lived in three different "haunted" houses, and they were all very different experiences. It can ruin your life - or, make it a living hell. Alabama has a lot of historic homes for sale, a good percentage probably haunted. Ask around. Google "haunted real esate" and look up your area. Contact your local ghost hunters society/paranormal research group.
It really isn't as much "fun" as you would think, living in an "already occupied/haunted" house.
hum... y dont real estate peple let in us to have a look to see if its haunted?????
Anyone who works in a hospital, any hospital, has seen enough goings-on. Go work at a hospital to get your "haunted house" fix. But don't ever live in a haunted building.
My colleagues and I could write a big book about all the experiences, some captured on photographs. Snoring heard in a room on an abandoned hospital floor, with nothing in it but a mattress. Security opened the door and the snoring stopped. A nude patient laying on a perfectly made bed, seen on the monitor. A nurse sent into the room to see what is going on. She sees nothing on the bed, waving to us at the monitor, signaling, there is no one on the bed while we all see the nude lady laying on the made bed right behind her. And hundreds more stories just like that.
I have to agree with HGH, if you want to have a paranormal experience just go to a hospital.
I used to work with mentally challenged adults in a residential setting. One client I worked with lived in a building that had been remodeled from a hosptial to an apartment building. I dreaded the times I'd have to use the elevator in that building, I never knew which floor I'd end up on. I'd push the button for the second floor and end up on the third floor (with no one around once the doors opened) or in the basement. One time the elevator went up to the third floor, stopped, went back down to the first foor and back up to the third floor without stopping to open the doors. The lady who was on the elevator with me, and I couldn't wait to get off that thing. Why not use the stairs you ask? Did it once and wouldn't do it again. I felt someone rush past me and bump me, but no one was there. I felt I'd rather take my chances with the elevator.
There were so many stories floating around that building, it would be hard to know which were fiction and which ones actually happened. All I know is that there was something happening with the elevator.
I would like to live in a haunted house
There's a cool haunted house in southern New Mexico that is on eBay. I just found it by searching for "confirmed haunted house" -- sounds neat!
I am working on a site that will allow me to market haunted houses for sale & distressed properties people haven't been able to sell. We will of course adhere to any currnet local laws in the state of Georgia. I think instead of being afraid to bring attention to these homes because of local stigma, this will allow them to find an audience.
i am an empathic/psychic medium and paranormal investigator and would love to find as historic haunted home to buy, especially if it came at a discounted price due to difficulty in selling. If anyone knows where I can find one of these homes, preferrably good sized and under $100k, please feel free to let me know. Thanks!
I have to do a book report for school and don't like to read. So I decided to find out a question my boyfriend got stuck in my head... Do real estate agents have to inform the customer if the house is haunted? If so is it a state or federal law? If anyone could help that would be great.
Monica, Did you ever get your website up and going? If so, I would be interested in knowing about your website. We have a haunted house we would love to list for sale in Georgia.
My husband and I have live in a very active home. It is not haunted. It has an open "PORTAL". It is up for sale. I can tell you that I have seen many spirits walk in and out. I am a sensitive and I can not live in an active home due to lack of sleep. I do have some photo's. My husband has also seen spirits as also my cat. We live in an "Native American Indian" street named area. My neighbor also has activity. So if any body would like to buy a home with active spirits let me know. "'
I love haunted homes and have one now, but my family is to big for such a small home, how can I find another haunted home to buy in New York?
Hello everyone. I own several homes and two are haunted or I might better say I have guests which are ghosts. The female ghost is very friendly and often chears me up when sad. She will flick the lights, open doors and sometimes run feathers across my neck ever so sexy. All ghosts are not bad and most are fun. I have had my ghosts now for 9 years and we are very attached. If you would like to buy one of my homes with ghost we can talk but I am not sure I want to loose her. My homes are in New York State.
i want some haunted houses in Islamabad and Lahore
I'm seriesly wanting to buy property that is haunted. If you have any info on anyhomes for sale or where to locate property that sales ligitamitly haunted property please let me know. Every website I look up gives me the runaround. Sincerly darlene
Thank you so much.
It depends on the type of haunting that's going on in the house as to whether on not its worth living in. If it's demonic in nature or a malevolent spirit, you might be risking your physical and mental health. If its a playful child-like spirit, you may find yourself the victum of practical jokes (having your keys hidden--the lights turned on after you've turned them off etc.) If you're dealing with the spirit of someone who was murdered or their life was cut short, they may ask for your help by leaving you clues in the form of dreams or visions. We have a poltergeist in our home. Its the spirit of a man who died at 50 from a heart attack very suddenly. He's fond of throwing things at us when we criticise his wife's taste; she did a horrible job of redecorating and remodling. He also likes to let us know he's around by suddenly stinking up the air with the smell of cigarettes--no one in our house smokes and it smells of fresh--not stale cigarettes. We've learned to live with it. I burn a lot of scented candles and I keep my mouth shut about his wife's crappy taste & workmanship.
Hi all, I am reaching out to this thread because I am a producer on a new network series that is looking for people who feel that their home or place of work is haunted. Our show's team has been researching, investigating, and helping people for almost 40 years. I would love to know more about your experiences.
If you are interested in potentially being featured on the show and having an investigation, please email me at parnormalstoriesla@gmail.com thank you!
I know of a malevolent spirit, haunted house. I don't know the exact location but i know it was in Alabama. A beautiful mansion-like home that no one would live in. Has very strong signals, very very active and i believe dangerous. I jus dont know the name or location, i have only heard a story about it. If anyone has any info email me at elementalqueen@yahoo.com, thanks! :)
looking for a haunted building for sale in arizona, anyone have any good leads, thanks, Belinda
I don't understand why anyone would want to buy a house that was really haunted. That sounds terrifying and I don't think I would ever get a good nights sleep.
The entire concept of human or animal energy remaining in dwellings, etc., is most intriguing. It's always important though to be skeptical of paranormal claims. A true skeptic always approaches the situation with an open mind, unlike a pseudo-skeptic who isn't objective at all and will "debunk" without just cause. One building I would love to tour is the Thomas Whaley home in San Diego, CA. The Whaley home is even authenticated by the state of California (San Diego) as an officially haunted home. Whether the hauntings are from discarnate intelligent entities or residual energy the documented evidence screened through paranormal researchers is positively remarkable.
I would love to inhabit a hunted house for research. I also would not mind buying or even renting one. I would also like to find job investigating hunted wonders of the world.
I would like to buy a haunted house as well, or at least what others consider a haunted house to save money. There is no such thing as ghosts. It's all in your head.
WOOOOOOOO!! WOOOOOO!
I'd like to buy a house with naked female apparitions. That would be cool!
That way, I would not be so afraid. Might even like it!
i think im living in a haunted house. My mom says shes been levitaiting and i was once strangled. Its not safe at all... i asked about moving but that night i had a dream a ghost girl closed and locked the front door and said "dont go" and i immediantly woke up...i dont know what to do, can someone help me? anyone?
I don,t believe i ever lived in a house that did not have some kind of activity,some more then others and some more dangerous then others.be careful what you ask for people. a house can stay calm for up to a year or more before things happen or wait till you remodel something before you notice ,,then there are others that show you right away...i am now living in one a man had died in and is haunted ,we lived here several months before the activity started .also you never know who it will target in the family it could be your children ,watch what you wish for and ask about the history of the house and check it out with local libary and neighbors first....before buying,there is no such thing as not getting the crap scared out of you...now is there? watch all the local paranormal shows they all jump when confronted with something unseen....
Joey, I feel really scared for you. I have never experienced anything like what you and your mother have but i have watched haunted tv shows and none of them ended good with simular activities. I would really consider relocating if possible. Try to get an opinion of a medium. that would be the first step. Getting physical contact like that shows a harmful intent and will only get worse.
The only reason I'd want to purchase a "haunted" house is simply because no one else would purchase it, thereby giving me the opportunity to move into a nice old home for cheap. I don't believe in ghosts and goblins and all of that nonsense; however, I DO believe that whatever people claim they are seeing are entities. They are demonic in nature as all entities are. I don't believe that grandma and grandpa are coming back for a visit and I don't believe Uncle John's late brother who lived in said haunted house who wants to still own the home, is walking around scaring everyone to death. I believe entities (of satan himself) are big fat liars and make themselves look like they are people who have passed on simply to reign the unsuspecting person in. I am proud to say I'm a Christian and I don't have an issue saying any of this. I HAVE seen things in my years, things that I KNOW were entities who want to do nothing more than harrass the bajeesus out me...that's what they like to do! However, I simply have learned to ignore their harrassments and they don't bother me. I pray them away or I simply ignore them. That being said, I'm not going to sit here an argue that other people have had face to face combat with them. I'm simply telling you what I've been privy to. Coming from a not so nice family home environment, I can tell you I've seen, heard, and experienced my fair share of unwanted entitiles in the home and around me. Each person is different. If you're a negative nellie...more than likely you're going to have these demonic forces hanging about you...but even if you're the most positive person in the world...their job is to get YOU on THIER side of the equation. So, they harrass, tease, conjole, and express their desires that they not go unnoticed. They live off of fear, anxiety, hatred, worry...etc. But they don't like it when people are happy either...Misery loves company so if you're happy...don't expect that you won't ever see anything evil in your life...okay...enough of that rant...there are some great homes on historichomes.com...I love just reading about the history of these old homes but if you're a "Ghost follower/whisperer" or whatever...you never know...open the door wide enough...I'm sure something will be glad to come right in if invited!
I live on this street where there is a house for sale and it has one light on, a car in the garage, ( The people moved out 2 months ago) and photos and documents also in the garge, and booming noises seem to occur, and the water was running inside but it never floods, and when the water is going the electricity turns out and trust me the people once lived here are LONG GONE. So what do you think it is?
*garage
Your article is wrong, Massachusetts does NOT require disclosure of psychologically impacted property.
I'm 17 and I live in a haunted house and it is pretty cool, because the ghost in my house are nice and freindly, they'll turn the lights on and off sometimes, just to let us now that there here... it doesnt bother me... ha it is Kinda creepy dont get me wrong, but I get use to it. :)
Although built in 1966, the house I reside in is absolutely filled with spirits (I prefer that term to ghosts); in fact, the entire neighborhood is haunted! All one has to do is ask the neighbors!
Two houses, aside from mine, are impossible to keep tenants in--renters or owners. I have lived here for nearly 45 years and know first-hand of the complaints. Of course, I have never had a spirit on my property do anything harmful to ME; however, I have had guests--people of questionable character and undesired--encounter some pretty scary physical and verbal abuse.
Although not officially on the market, I would be willing to sell for a reasonable price--$245000. There is one and one-half acres here covered in live oak trees, decorative shrubbery, pecan and walnut trees, fruit trees, and more! The house has been completely remodeled and updated from its original form (as my Dad had built in 1966). There is travertine and ceramic tile, marble and granite floors, partial walls, and countertops. About half the floors are wood though the house is on a slab foundation. Completely fenced. If anyone is interested, please ask for photos! The price is firm, sorry.
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