Many can deny their existence while others may have used them as “high-tech” scare methods for Halloween, but haunted houses are for real. While there may have been several fictional stories, there are true incidents where people have actually lived with “unwanted guests.” Although they are not very common and are currently unexplained by science, hauntings in houses are real experiences people have faced. Some have lived in houses that were built on burial grounds, while others lived in houses where one of their relatives died.
Strange moans in the attic, strange noises during the day and night, shadowy figures, doors closing by themselves, things breaking by themselves and the feel of an unwanted presence – owners of haunted houses are sometimes used to such phenomena. But, what if they had to sell that very haunted house?
If you are currently living in a haunted house and are planning to put it on the real estate market, how are you going to advertise it? Are you going to hide the truth from prospective buyers? Are you going to call exorcists or ghostbusters? Are you going to consult a real estate agent or a priest? Or, are you just going to say, “Yeah, we have two master bedrooms, a huge living room, the garden’s well-maintained and oh there’s also the ghost living in the attic.”
Regardless of what people say, I think there is some prospect even for a haunted house. The key, however, lies in how you decide to sell it.
Check if Your House Is Really Haunted
I’m not an atheist; I do believe that ghosts and spirits exist and I’d hate to admit it but around 60-70 % of all poltergeist occurrences can be rationally explained. Before you conclude that a spirit or ghost is living in your house, make sure that it’s not a faulty electrical wiring system, loose plumbing pipes, creaky floors, or mice that’s causing your distress. And, what if it is the “effect” of watching too many scary movies? According to some psychological experts, people who’ve experienced serious traumatic events can often feel like they are seeing shadows or hearing strange voices.
So, before you talk about your “friend” of the other side to prospective buyers, make sure that your house is really haunted.
What the Law Says
Do you want to know what the most common reason for real estate lawsuits is? Failure to disclose!
For example, you might have heard buyers suing sellers for failing to disclose the fact that the houses have had five-year-long leaks that are still running.
While I’ve never heard someone suing a seller over a haunted house or a ghost, it is still very important to know what the law says about such cases. And, honestly, the real estate market is so unpredictable that you need to be well-informed of state laws.
Here’s a list of some legal regulations present in some US states that are linked to haunted houses:
- In Oklahoma, for instance, a prospective buyer can ask a seller in writing if the house is haunted or not. And, the seller has to provide the necessary information.
- In Arizona, you won’t be held liable if you fail to inform the buyer about a death on the property, but you are under the obligation to mention if the house is haunted or not.
Reduce the Price
There might be some people who actually enjoy living in a haunted house –which I find really strange –but I doubt that you’d find them easily, especially when there are not many of them. So, instead of assuming that a ghost might actually raise the value of your property, it might be easier to sell your house if you reduce its price.
