Welcome to the Business Journal Archives
Search for articles below, or continue to the all new BusinessJournalDaily.com now.
Search
Most Buyers Not Scared Away by a Haunted House
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Would you buy a house reputed to be haunted? Fully 62% of respondents to a Realtor.com survey said they'd at least consider it. What's more, 35% say they already live in a house they suspect is haunted.
"Survey data reveal that while the majority of consumers are open to purchasing a haunted home, many buyers conduct their own research on a home's history to be aware of any weird incidences," said Alison Schwartz, vice president of corporate communications for Move Inc. "Data also find that while some respondents are willing to purchase a haunted home at a discounted price, many say levitating objects, ghost sightings and seeing objects move from one place to another would deter them from purchasing a home."
Even those who said they'd consider buying a haunted house have limits; 75%, for instance, said they’d be scared off by levitating objects. Fully 63% would be dissuaded by ghost sightings, 61% by supernatural sensations and/or flickering lights and appliances, and 60% would pass on a house that had strange noises such footsteps and doors slamming.
Many respondents said they'd expect a discount on a haunted house; only 12% would pay full market value (or more), while 34% would buy only if the home were discounted 1% to 30% and 22% only if discounted 31% to 50%.
Survey details:
- 26% of respondents indicated that they would consider purchasing a haunted house for sale.
- 36% shared that they might consider a haunted home.
- 38% said they would not.
- 51% have heard about someone else's haunted home experience.
- 35% live in a house they suspect is haunted.
- 25% have researched the history of a house to learn about any eerie incidents.
- But how do you tell whether a home is haunted? Here are the most popular warning signs respondents offered:
- 61% thought a cemetery on the property is a giveaway.
- 50% mentioned houses 100 years old and older.
- 45% thought quick transitions in owners might be a sign.
- 45% believe that an unexplainable low price on the home is reason for alarm.
- 43% felt that houses close to a battlefield might be haunted.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
CLICK HERE to subscribe to our free daily email headlines and to our twice-monthly print edition.