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Should I Tell Buyers My House is Haunted?
This time of year is full of spooky moments. If you’re selling a home that has a history of paranormal activity, it could scare buyers away, or intrigue them. Haunted houses are a great attraction for thrill seekers, but buying one is a completely different matter. There’s one central question that haunts sellers who find themselves in this situation: Do I have to disclose that my house is haunted?
Selling a Haunted House
All sellers have to provide disclosure forms to illuminate issues with the property and the home listed for sale. Regulations vary by state, with some having certain language requiring that sellers disclose material facts that could affect the value and/or desirability of the home, while others do not have these requirements and caveat emptor or “buyer beware” applies instead. So, where does paranormal activity fit in? Again, it depends on where you live, but many states do not require such disclosures.
However, there have been legal cases where buyers have sued sellers for neglecting to mention the fact that the house they purchased was haunted. In the classic 1991 case Stambovsky v. Ackley, new homeowner Jeffrey Stambovsky won a lawsuit against the seller for not disclosing the home’s haunted history. In this case, stories about the previous owner’s experiences with paranormal activity in the home had been published in Reader’s Digest and the local newspaper, establishing the home as one with a spooky reputation. Though this case had a ripple effect in the housing industry, you should still check with your agent regarding the seller disclosure laws in your local market.
Although the laws around haunted disclosures are a bit murky, if a buyer asks about the history of the home, you as the seller have a duty to be honest. State laws even vary when it comes to disclosing recent deaths in the home, but if a buyer asks you specifically about whether such an event occurred, withholding that information from them could come back to haunt you, especially during negotiations.
This time of year is full of ghostly tales, and there’s nothing more thrilling than that moment of fright we experience during a spooky story. But unfortunately, failing to disclose the fact that your house is haunted could send chills up your spine and cause the buyer to back out of the deal. As always, lean on your agent’s expertise for the best way to handle your unique situation. You never know, your haunted home may generate added interest to buyers who have an affinity for the paranormal!
For more tips on selling your home from list to closing, visit our comprehensive selling guide:
Featured Image Source: Getty Images – Image Credit: liquidfog
Buyer Beware: Is That House For Sale Haunted?
A trope as old as horror movies: a family moves into a beautiful house that they bought for well under market value. They’ve put all their savings into the move, and they’re looking for a fresh start. When they meet the neighbors and other townsfolk, they quickly learn that there’s a history to the home they weren’t aware of.
At first, it’s easy to chalk these abnormal experiences up to common symptoms of buying a fixer-upper. The children hearing noises in the closet and the dad’s inexplicable sleepwalking spells are thought of as nothing more than stress and anxiety from the move. It’s only when things get out of hand that the family finally realizes the extent of the haunting.
Buyer Beware: Is That House for Sale Haunted?
While sharing a home with the supernatural can be a selling point for some buyers, it’s quite the opposite for others. In fact, a 2017 survey by realtor.com® found that 33% of people were open to living in a haunted house, 25% would consider it, but 42% said it was a dealbreaker. So, how do you make sure you’re fully informed about a home’s history? Knowing the right questions to ask is the first step.
Ask to See the Seller Disclosure Form
In the famous 1991 case Stambovsky v. Ackley, the new homeowner Jeffrey Stambovsky won a lawsuit against the previous owner for not disclosing the history of hauntings.
In this case, the previous owner had published stories about the family’s experiences in Reader’s Digest and their local newspaper. In her writings, she explained several interactions with ghostly beings in the home, including finding that her children had been given rings that would later disappear, bed shaking, and conversations with the floating specters.
The court took this evidence and ruled the “defendant is estopped to deny [the ghost’s] existence and, as a matter of law, the house is haunted.” This case set the standard for future seller disclosures. In this instance, they found that the history of the home and the seller’s experiences in it would have influenced the marketability. Therefore, omitting these facts was unfair to the buyer.
Thanks to Stambovsky v. Ackley, nowadays sellers in many states are obligated by law to disclose information that impacts a property’s marketability.
Image Source: Getty Images – Image Credit: shaunl
Research the History of the Home
In 1991 when Mr. Stambovsky bought his haunted house, the internet wasn’t what it is today. Now you can learn all about a home’s history before you make an offer. Search the address and town name to start. Keywords like “haunted,” “ghosts,” and “news report” will help you detect whether there’s been any paranormal activity associated with the property.
Ask Your Agent and the Neighbors
This is where neighbors come in handy. When you find a home you want to pursue, contact the neighbors to see what they know about the home’s history. The same goes for your real estate agent; he or she can reach out to the listing agent to see if there is anything troubling you should know about prior to buying. While many states don’t require sellers to disclose paranormal activity or deaths in the home, if asked, all real estate agents must, by law, answer truthfully.
To learn more about how to protect yourself as a buyer, learn more about common real estate contingencies and the role they play in making an offer on a home:
Making a Contingent Offer: Common Real Estate Contingencies
Featured Image Source: Getty Images – Image Credit: ysbrandcosijn
Don’t Get Spooked! These Are a Buyer’s Warning Signs of a Haunted House
While you hear a lot about ghosts in October, they’re actually a year-round phenomenon (and they’re not all as friendly as Casper). Specters come in all shapes and sizes in real estate, and they can be spookiest to prospective buyers. So, if you’re in the market for a home right now, you might want to consider your threshold for the paranormal. Here are some ways to identify…
Friend or Foe? How to Identify, Trap and Rid your Home of Ghosts
How do you know when you have a ghost hanging out in your home? Signs include unexplained noises and voices, objects disappearing, electronics turning on and off by themselves, lights flickering, unexplained smells, or an uneasy feeling that you’re being watched. But how do you know for sure that it’s paranormal activity – and not the cat – causing these abnormalities?
A New Listing, To Die For
If you dream of a home with character, do we have a gem for you! This new-to-market charmer is located in an isolated part of town and has a view to die for. The dead silent surroundings will give you all the privacy you need. Six bedrooms is ample space for a growing family, or plenty of room for unexpected house guests.
Personalize Your Pumpkins
This Halloween skip the knife and save a pumpkin! Last year we saw this new trend take off and turns out it’s still just as popular this year. Do something different than the typical Halloween jack-o-lantern and try a more sophisticated pumpkin with a flourish of your personal style. We’ve scoured the internet for our favorite bloggers/Instagrammers to bring you the ultimate no carve pumpkin ideas. So, without further ado, here they are!
Floral Fun – Use a drill or nail wide enough to poke holes through for stems of flowers and cover pumpkin in them. Use flowers with your favorite fall colors: yellows, oranges, and reds. For a more dainty look, use white daisies.
Bold & Sparkly – Paint with traditional acrylic paint and allow it to dry overnight, then put glue all over the stem and sprinkle glitter on it (or wherever else). Sparkles and gold accents will add glam to your fall décor and make you wish pumpkins were always in season.
Dia de los Muertos Style – Begin by painting the whole pumpkin white, then allow it to dry overnight. Next draw a skull face with a pencil, and then go over it in paint.
Monogram – Add your initial to your pumpkin with glitter or thumbtacks. If you are putting it outside, another idea is to put your house number on it.
Different types of paint – Use chalk paint for vintage looking pumpkins with muted tones or glow in the dark paint for extra spookiness.
Make it unique – This could easily be our favorite. Are you a wine connoisseur? A Seahawks fanatic? Forever have the wanderlust itch? Put your passions on your pumpkin to reach the pinnacle of customization.
Not only are no carve pumpkins quick and easy, they’re super chic too. Spray paint your pumpkins gold, silver, black, and white, add stripes or polka dots or turn it into a doughnut. Whatever direction you go with with it, your 2015 pumpkin game = strong.
How NOT to Buy a Haunted House
Halloween is a holiday we tend to associate with the undead, so what better way to get in the “spirit” of things than to talk about ghosts. While you hear a lot about ghosts in October, they’re actually a year-round phenomenon (and they’re not all as friendly as Casper). So, if you’re in the market for a home right now, you might want to consider your threshold for the paranormal.
Inspired Decorating: Getting into the Spirit of Halloween
We all know people who like to go overboard on the holidays. And Halloween is no exception. Walking past a home with a haunted yard, mummies in the windows, and a musical jack o’ lantern theme can inspire, intrigue, or just plain frighten you.
