People have died everywhere people have ever lived.
this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2023
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Just started house hunting and I really feel this question.
I feel like intellectually I can say that the housing stock in my area is older(for the US anyway) and as a result theres a strong chance somebody died in the house I buy. This whole country is built on native american land which was depopulated with either violence or disease, and gun violence is a plague in this country. Even in nicer "low crime" areas you have murders and shootings and you just have to live with it. Ive bought food at places where someone was shot in the head due to some personal grudge.
If it was a good enough deal in a good enough neighborhood and the ghost story was keeping buyers away then I'm a lucky duck and after a few years the murder will be forgotten and when I inevitably move I'll sell it for a good profit when(and if) I need to move.
Of course thats my brain. My gut says I dunno. I dont really believe in ghosts, and even if I did I wouldn't be bothered by like someone dying in their sleep or of old age etc. Still a murder suicide is dark. You know in the dead of the night when it's still and everybody else is asleep or if I'm alone my mind can get superstitious and uneasy. Likewise it's weird to live in a place where you can know exactly where something that horrible happened. To have my growing children playing with toys or running around on ground that someone was legit murdered in recently.
So I could be boisterous and say I'd jump on the deal, but I dunno. I might be able to push myself to go through with it(and regret it some nights) or I might decide I dont want a home with that kind of baggage.
I read this as “just started house haunting,” ha ha!
On the other hand, I feel like the victims would probably be happy to see a family or happy person living there. I'd put up some pride stuff, have a bitchin' garden, and have friends over for BBQs and movie nights. Also would make for some good ghost stories around a campfire in the backyard :3
I get you. I don't believe in ghosts either but I worry about copycats or if the house has some unknown security or structure flaw that led to the crimes being easy to commit. What if the windows are joined in a crappy way that makes it easy to take them apart if you have the right tool?
In this economy? In a heartbeat.
I would want to know how famous the murder/suicide was, which sounds super weird. But I wouldn’t want true crime junkies driving by my house to gawk at it if it was scene of a case that got a lot of publicity. Like the Amityville horror house, or something like that. But otherwise I don’t think it would bother me.
What if you could put a toll booth, and charge for organized tours? Work from home at its finest. But you might have to undo some of the cleaning and repairing, make it more like a theme park... then again, charge double on Halloween. Hm, would have to work out the math.
In this market? Absolutely, I wouldn't even hesitate.
Same here, lmao.
Absolutely! I don't believe in ghosts, I like getting good deals, and I'm not afraid of being known as that person who lives in a haunted house. My only concern would be if it had been truly deep-cleaned, because I would be unhappy to find traces of blood or whatever a few years down the road.
There was an article in the NYT about what happens to places where murders have happened, and as someone looking to buy a home someday, I realized I wouldn't mind. Especially if it was well below market value.
Shoot, I'd buy one with the chalk outline still in the kitchen if the price is right.
...normally I would be like "hell no" but these days...being broke and dreaming of our own house so bad...yeah I'd do it.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but here in California you don’t have to report if someone died in your house after a certain period of time. The only exception, I’m told by my realtor, is if the deceased were a minor.
As long as it doesn’t affect my ability to resell, doesn’t bother me at all.
Do you have to report all deaths, or just violent deaths?
I think all deaths, but I’m not sure. I’m not a realtor! :)
I've found two links related to this:
Do You Have to Disclose a Death in a House?
This Website Can Tell You If Someone Died In Your House
According to that, in California the period is 3 years for any deaths, except from AIDS, and no limit for violent deaths, but in some other states there is no obligation at all. The second website seems to keep records from 1980 and earlier.
Kind of weird, all of it.
So weird! And why AIDS? Seems a little bit alarmist.
I may have expressed that somewhat ambiguously. The AIDS is an exception to the 3 year rule of reporting all deaths:
AIDS Brings Another Twist to Disclosure Rules
If the death had taken place within three years, the law is not as clear. If the property had been the site of a sensational murder or something similar that affects the value of the property, it must be disclosed. Short of that, a lawyer may or may not advise disclosure.
However, if the cause of death was AIDS or an AIDS-related illness, the seller has no obligation to disclose the information at any time under the law.
Thank you for clarifying!
Thank you for clarifying!
Yes. Assuming there wasn't a deeper issue within the community that caused it.
I live just down the street from a cliff a teenager committed suicide on. Might sound cold but I don't really think about except on occasion I notice someone he knew left a cup of his regular starbucks order on the rock in front of it with his name painted there, It's usually an interesting reflection on life when I do.
Can I split the rent with the ghosts?
Are there ghosts? Because I'll pay a premium if there are for sure ghosts.
Just gotta hire a professional cleaning team and a pastor to come to the house first xD
Honestly the house market is so bad here I'd hardly give it a second thought. I would kill to have a place of my own (not literally, just thought it needed mentioning given the context).
Yes. But maybe have a priest bless the place and someone burn some sage. Like, just to be extra sure.
I live in Europe, so I guess the question isn't for me.
Why not?
Everything is super old, so you can be assured that people died and probably were killed. I come from a part of world with similarly old buildings. The house my grandparents lived in is where all of my ancestors until maybe 50 years ago died or committed suicide. Throw in few murders over 300ish years.
Damn! Probably x3
I don't see why not, its not like the murderer can come back. Maybe I'd get a big area rug if there are any stains. If yall live in an older house or an apartment there's a good chance someone has already died in it.
Easy yes. If anything, that would be a cool story to tell people. I currently live in an apartment complex which used to be the grounds for the states death row and electric chair. It's an icebreaker.
Yes, if I didn't know any details about what specifically happened or where in the house it happened. I think I would just put it out of my mind and never think about so it wouldn't ever bother me. If I knew too much I could see it coming to mind more easily and potentially being an issue for me.
As long as it doesn't have crown molding for any Hereditary film-type of ghost drops from the ceiling when I walk by, I'm good! 😂
Yes.
As long as it was cleaned properly I wouldn't care
Where's Yuna when you need her?
I dunno, the park is almost a deal breaker..
The trail is the concern for me. Lots of people on it, some of whom will litter. Wind will blow it over to my place and now their failure to dispose of trash properly is my problem.
Kind of depends on the park. Could be good or bad.
A quieter city in Colorado.
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