Important considerations when buying a house...

[LeftishBrit]

A colleague is in process of moving house. Before completing the sale, the prospective buyer of her house felt it necessary to check that there were no problems with (a) flooding; (b) subsidence; (c) problem neighbours; or (d)... the paranormal! Not wishing to hinder the sale, she gravely assured him that no, there were no problems with the paranormal.

(This is a fairly ordinary urban house built in the 1930s by the way. Not a Haunted Castle.)

[salvorhardin]

1. I've never understood that

Even though I obviously don't believe in anything paranormal, I might be more attracted to a house if it had a good ghost story associated with it. Just like I might be more attracted to a house if somebody famous/interesting had lived in it.

[onager]

2. American real estate law has the "Stigmatized Property..."

Need to sell a home with a bad reputation? Learn how to sell a haunted house.

:rofl: Links below.

A Stigmatized Property is not strictly "paranormal," but houses where notorious murders, suicides etc. took place. And I want one! Preferably with some severed heads left behind, to mount over the porch and keep away pesky neighbors.

By coincidence, I'm sort of casually house-hunting right now. I just happened to read this story yesterday:

Back in 2003, homebuyers Gregory Walker and Mary Lou Rosato fell in love with a 100-year-old Victorian home for sale in Los Angeles.

The bank-owned property had some rather unusual features -- including a toilet in the sunroom -- but it was a bargain at $240,000, more than $100,000 less than similar houses nearby.

But their dream come true quickly became a nightmare when they found out that the home's previous residents were gang members who used the sunroom toilet to flush crack rocks in case the police showed up. They had already purchased the home, but they wrote an angry letter to the bank and got out of the deal.

TIP: If you unknowingly buy a property that has a shady past (also known as a "stigmatized property") and you want out, you may have legal recourse. However, disclosure rules are vague. For instance, Walker and Rosato were not informed of their home's past because California banks are not required to submit a disclosure form.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a great deal on a home and you think you can get past a grisly background, you might be able to find a bargain on a stigmatized property.

Learn more about getting a deal on a stigmatized property

Need to sell a home with a bad reputation? Learn how to sell a haunted house

http://www.frontdoor.com/Buy/Top-10-Real-Estate-Nightmares/55296

[Deep13]

3. I might pay extra if the place was actually haunted.

Then I'd charge the ghost rent.

[realisticphish]

4. would they pay in ghost dollars?

Or, I suppose, Ghostbusters-style ghost sex

[TZ]

5. One of my coworkers recently moved into a 200+ year old house

And had someone come unsolicited to their door telling them they wanted to check for ghosts because it looked like a possibly "haunted" house. Happily my very sensible coworker said NO.

[Deep13]

6. "Also, I want to check to see if there is anything in there...

...worth stealing. And to see if there's an easy way to get inside without a key."

[realisticphish]

7. also, I need to check your underwear drawer for ghosts as well nt