Would you purchase a house where a murder occurred?

Buying & Selling Real Estate
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Would you purchase a house where a murder occurred?

Julie MarquezPro Member
Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes

Before my life of BP, I found a great deal through the MLS on a house in an older A/B+ neighborhood. It was vacant, so we wander the property for a long while checking it out. I then went home and checked country records for anything odd. Next I googled the current owner of the home, only to find recent news articles finding him guilty of killing his wife in the home (she didn't actually "fall down the stairs" like his first account stated). Being that he was going to jail, his property was up for sale at a good price. I thought a long time about whether or not we should buy the house, I mean, it was a great deal in a great location! But his name and his story would always be attached to the home, so whether I lived there, rented it, or tried to sell it, I just couldn't detach from this horrific story. I know we should remove some emotions from the real estate business, but would you have bought this home? Why or why not?

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Russell BrazilBusiness Member
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Real Estate Agent · Washington, D.C. · Member since 2012 · 17k+ posts · 30k+ votes
10y

No disclosure requirements in Maryland  for murders, ghosts, etc.

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  • Dawn AnastasiPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 6k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    10y

    If this was for my own residence, I'd be excited to get a place at a really good deal.

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  • Travis Bunn
    Real Estate Investor · Nashville, CA · Member since 2016 · 8 posts · 7 votes
    10y

    I would likely consider it if the price was really that low... Sure there's a bad mojo factor to begin with, but if you can get the place cleaned up nice and livable, find good tenants who want to live there -- you changed the neighborhood for the better and helped the community move on from a tragedy.

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  • Julie MarquezPro Member
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    Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes
    10y

    @Corina Eufinger  I don't know if I want to explore the idea of the murder being a selling point, just not my thing, haha. @Bhekizwe M. Good for you and your willingness to go for it! @Joe Splitrock I'm okay passing on this one for another deal. @Tim G. Maybe rental it would be okay, because they might never find out of the past owner name.

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  • Julie MarquezPro Member
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    Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes
    10y

    @Travis Bunn That's a good thought, looking at it as a positive to change the neighborhood and the nature of it all. Isn't that what we all try to do as real estate investors?!?

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  • Leslie Barger
    Ogden, UT · Member since 2016 · 4 posts · 0 votes
    10y
    Where is the house so I can buy it I would buy it if it was 50 of retail value or more and then live in it for a while
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  • Julie MarquezPro Member
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    Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes
    10y

    @Leslie Barger Interesting bargain. It sold for $270k and is worth about $335k. Is that worth it to you?

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  • Karl B.
    Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    10y

    I can totally imagine the real estate agent saying, "It's a killer deal." :-(

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  • Account Closed
    Real Estate Agent · Houston, TX · Member since 2016 · 53 posts · 19 votes
    10y

    If ever planning to list it on MLS for sale/lease, a realtor has to disclose it to buyers. Also, a seller's disclosure is required - that question is on it. If anything is knowingly falsified on the Seller's disclosure, the buyer has recourse against the seller. If the realtor knows about it , and does not disclose it, the buyer has recourse against the realtor as well.

    There may be a small market interested in buying that type of property, but it is likely to be an issue. 

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  • Julie MarquezPro Member
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    Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes
    10y

    @Account Closed Is that a disclosure law for the State of Texas or for all MLS real estate brokers?

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  • Account Closed
    Real Estate Agent · Houston, TX · Member since 2016 · 53 posts · 19 votes
    10y

    It is for Texas, but most likely applies to many, if not all of the states.  Google it along with Washington State Real Estate Commission.

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  • Matthew Hornsby
    Rental Property Investor · Summerfield, FL · Member since 2016 · 14 posts · 4 votes
    10y

    This is an interesting discussion.  I would recommend asking an agent in your state or check the real estate commission like @Account Closed said to see if that is a material fact or not since it varies by state.  

    In North Carolina, the death of a person in a home is NOT considered a material fact and does not have to be affirmatively disclosed by a seller or agent unless asked.  A seller or agent cannot lie if asked but it does not have to disclose this information unless asked.  

    Would I personally buy a home where a murder occurred? - If it were a good deal then yes, I probably would.  Although a murder would make me want to take a hard look at what the neighborhood was like. Obviously a murder is terrible but I love what @Travis Bunn said, you might be doing something great to help improve the neighborhood as well.

    Source:  NC Real Estate Commission Manual- "General Assembly enacted legislation in 1989 stating that the death or serious illness of a former occupant is not a material fact and thus need not be disclosed. The two relevant -statutes are G.S. 39 50 (for sales of property) and G.S. 42 -14.2 (for leases of property).  Does it matter if it was natural causes or suicide or murder? - No"

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  • Jon H.
    Investor · Kent, WA · Member since 2014 · 55 posts · 16 votes
    10y

    @Sean Reilly I would need some more details on the murder.  Weapon used, people involved that type of thing.  JK

    I would put that in the same category as a seller who was stubborn on price (not worth my time).  There's a lot of deals out there why get caught up on one that could set me back?  Go find more deals and you'll be able to pass up the sketchy ones easier.  

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  • Julie MarquezPro Member
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    Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes
    10y

    @Matthew Hornsby I guess the worst part was that the murder was all over the news and the internet. And in our county, it is just one click of someone's name to find the property they own. So this was too easy to find out on my own. And while I don't know my state's disclosure law, it would also be easy for someone else to put two and two together. Though not as easy if the murderer wasn't the current home owner, but still, his name is always tied to the home.

    @Jon H. I did pass, and then found an even better deal.

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  • Matthew Hornsby
    Rental Property Investor · Summerfield, FL · Member since 2016 · 14 posts · 4 votes
    10y

    @Julie Marquez Yikes, sounds pretty high profile.

    Good to hear that you found a different deal though and it turned out well.  

    Congratulations and good luck!

    1Reply
  • Kimberly Jones
    Real Estate Junkie · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2008 · 274 posts · 165 votes
    10y

    Bought one to rehab and rent, ended up living in it myself. There is a hella story behind that house, we even kept the front door with a bullet stuck in it. But this is New Orleans, just about every house is 60 to 100+ years old and they all have stories to tell. Around here funerals are celebrated and ghosts are expected ;)

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  • Julie MarquezPro Member
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    Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes
    10y

    @Kimberly Jones For some reason, that sounds more fun and slightly romantic, especially for your area! I keep the front door too!

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  • Richie Thomas
    Rental Property Investor · Sedona, AZ · Member since 2018 · 260 posts · 141 votes
    6y

    Just happened upon this discussion.  I know it's 3 years old, but still kind of interesting.  @Kimberly Jones brings up a good point- the older the city, the more likely the average building is to have a history of some sort.  And that history is more likely to be preserved forever, now that we're in the age of the Internet.

    On a long enough timeline, every building will acquire some sort of bad experience. Can you imagine if we all knew every creepy thing that ever happened in our building?  It would be like that movie, The Sixth Sense.  Probably for the best that I've never Googled my current address haha.

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  • Julie MarquezPro Member
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    Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes
    6y

    @Richie Thomas As I get order I understand that death is a natural part of living, and I'm not as frightened by the idea of it happening in a home (totally normal, that's the way I'd like to go - peacefully at home). But the murders and bad deaths, and all the media around them, are what kept me from originally going forward with that particular deal. Some houses have such bad stigma that they get torn down!

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