Home buyers may be so anxious to find a home that they aren’t even spooked if it’s rumored to be haunted. A new survey says one in three consumers say they’re willing to take a chance on a haunted home, but there needs to be something to sweeten the deal for them, according to realtor.com®’s annual Haunted Real Estate Report, based on responses from more than 1,000 Americans. However, 18 percent said a home that is haunted wouldn’t affect their purchase decision at all.
“In a competitive market, it’s harder for prospective buyers to be extremely selective,” says Danielle Hale, realtor.com®’s chief economist. “If a house is commensurately priced, or has desirable features, the fact that it may be haunted seems to matter less. This report shows that, for those looking for a good deal, a lower price, better neighborhood, or larger kitchen can balance out a few spooky happenings.”
To Buy or Not?
Realtor.com® researchers asked respondents to decide between purchasing a haunted or non-haunted home. Responses fell within these three categories:
I’ll buy, but sweeten the deal: A third of respondents said they needed an incentive to buy a haunted house. They could be enticed by a lower sales price, larger kitchen, or a better neighborhood.
I’ll buy, nothing else required: Eighteen percent of respondents said they’d buy a home believed to be haunted without any additional enticements. Nearly a quarter of consumers between the ages of 35 to 54 said they aren’t spooked by a haunted home.
No way am I buying: Forty-nine percent said there is no price low enough, no kitchen large enough to make them want to buy a haunted house. Older generations appear to be the most reluctant to move into a haunted house, according to the survey. Sixty-one percent of consumers over the age of 55 said they would never buy a haunted house compared to 41 percent of millennials or Gen Xers who said they wouldn’t.
Haunted homes are not uncommon in real estate. Nearly two in five consumers surveyed say they have lived in a haunted—or possibly haunted—house. Forty-four percent of respondents say they either suspected it or were fully aware it was haunted before moving in. What makes a home haunted house? Respondents said hearing strange noises (54%), odd feelings in certain rooms (45%), and erratic pet behavior (34%).
