How Do I Know If I’m Buying A Haunted House?

In today’s competitive home buying market, buyers are often waiting for the right house to come on the market and then making an offer as soon as they see it. But how do you know if the house you’ve just put an offer on is haunted? The answer, you don’t. However there are some things you can do to find out for yourself.

In Missouri Sellers Do Not Have to Disclose If A House Is Haunted

In Missouri sellers do not have to disclose if a house is psychologically stigmatized, as only physical defects have to be disclosed. Stigmatized properties include properties that are not defective in any physical manner, but may have psychological or emotional factors due to a murder, suicide or paranormal activity at the property. So a haunted property would be considered a stigmatized property.

 
Even though sellers don’t have to disclose if a house is stigmatized, it may be a prudent course of action to disclose the home’s history. If a seller doesn’t disclose, and a buyer finds out about the stigmatization after putting an offer on the property, the buyer may have grounds to pull out of the transaction. All this of course, would further stigmatize the property.

Disclosing a stigma about a property may actually draw the perfect buyer. There may be a buyer who is a paranormal expert, a murder-mystery fan or someone who just doesn’t care about the stigmatization and is happy that the sellers are honest about the property.  So being honest and forthcoming about a property’s stigmatization is usually the best course of action.

How To Find Out If A House For Sale Is Haunted 

If sellers don’t disclose that a house is haunted or has some other stigmatizing history, how does a buyer find out about it? Google the address to find any news stories that are related to the home. Also, you can talk to the neighbors. Talking to the neighbors will offer a good opportunity to introduce yourself and learn more about the property and the neighborhood. Chances are the neighbors will tell you everything they know and will be happy to get someone new into the home to give it a fresh feel and help put the stigma in the past.

Did you know that St. Louis is considered one of the most haunted cities in North America? Whether you home is haunted or not, there is probably a buyer out there who would consider purchasing it. If you need help selling your stigmatized property, contact TheBoehmer Team. We help people sell all types of properties all over the St. Louis and St. Charles County areas in Missouri.