Would you purchase a house that haunted?

Would you purchase a house that haunted?

New to Real Estate · Catskill, NY · Member since 2017 · 23 posts · 24 votes

I have a feeling this may be the first time something like this has been asked on BP.

I am finally about to put a bid on my very first property and it’s a foreclosure. When people say ‘if it’s too good to be true it usually is’, they are not kidding!

I did the numbers on the property and before placing a bid had my son reach out to a friend who lived in the house a few years back. She confirmed some things we had already known and gave of some new info as well. It was sounding like a win when she said ‘The only thing is it’s seriously haunted! The woman never was violent but I thought you should know.’ What???

At first we laughed, until she described in detail many instances during the time she lived there.

I could try to ignore what she said and go through with the bid but I started to think....if this is really what’s going on in the house and I decide to sell, rent or Airbnb a few years from now who is going to want to buy it or stay there?!

Am I crazy to want to still bid on it?

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Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
7y

@Michelle Bulich

This is FAR from the first time something like this has been posted here.

I WOULD BUY THAT PLACE IN A HEARTBEAT.

Then I would get as much "documentation" and "witness accounts" on it being haunted as possible. Then I would cash in. For a piddling sum, I know a Greek Orthodox priest will come to your house in a robe and bless it with holy water and prayers, get that on video. Don't know what the Catholics do, but figure it out with them and if you can get some backwoods charismatic preacher in there handling snakes...oh, the potential.

Get the weirdest-looking psychic readers you can find in there, again, get in on video. These people will do this this kind of thing for just the exposure. Call the ghost shows, see if you can schedule a visit for an episode, that's pure pay dirt.

Make up the wildest backstory you can and mock up some documentation. Focus your efforts on demonic possession, orgiastic Satanic cult rituals, black magic, murder-suicide storylines. Fill the house with haunted mirrors, creepy dolls, vintage music boxes, china figurines, photograph them in place, and you can rotate new  furnishings in an out every few weeks as you sell the old ones on eBay.

But the bulk of your revenue is going to come from Airbnb, where you will loudly and proudly advertise your haunted house experience.

PEOPLE WILL COME.

See this reply in the discussion

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  • Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    One of my tenants said there were ghosts in her place.  Hard to respond to that.  I believe in science.

  • WorldWide · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Jim K.:
    Originally posted by @Matt P.:

    @Jim K. Do they teach that business plan at the McRib investment seminar? I feel like all I need to do now is find a haunted house and start cashing checks! Can't believe your giving this info away for free.

     Just a teaser. If you sign up now for our signature Mystery Meat and Houses investment seminar packages for $9,995 we'll do a deep dive into incredible next-level investment strategies for poltergeist lairs and coven meetinghouses in addition to haunted houses as add-on revenue streams. I personally do a session on the practical points of turning pet cemeteries into stunning new mobile home parks.

     Putting my Grant Cardone cap on. How can we 10x and scale this sucker?

  • Rental Property Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2018 · 54 posts · 44 votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Michelle Bulich:

    @Jim K. Close friends of ours who invest said the same thing. “Make the most of it because there are people out there that would eat this up. Whether you decide to rent or Airbnb down the road, there are people who would pay big to stay in something like that!” Time will tell...

     Yes, it can go both ways. Some people would be highly interested in encountering the paranormal; there are groups and blogs for that and people will pass that info along for others seeking the same thing. Then there are some who would avoid it but I think the majority are into it. Please update us on the outcome and best wishes on your endeavor! 

  • Member since 2016 · 13k+ posts · 12k+ votes
    7y

    There are more crazy people in this world than imaginable. Don't let crazy run your business.

     Money has no feelings, no emotions and absolutely does not believe in ghosts.

  • Rental Property Investor · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2014 · 18 posts · 10 votes
    7y

    Buy it. I would relish the opportunity to add exorcisms to my list of value-add tactics.

  • Mike ReynoldsPro Member
    construction · Nacogdoches, TX · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Jim K.:
    Originally posted by @Matt P.:

    @Jim K. Do they teach that business plan at the McRib investment seminar? I feel like all I need to do now is find a haunted house and start cashing checks! Can't believe your giving this info away for free.

     Just a teaser. If you sign up now for our signature Mystery Meat and Houses investment seminar packages for $9,995 we'll do a deep dive into incredible next-level investment strategies for poltergeist lairs and coven meetinghouses in addition to haunted houses as add-on revenue streams. I personally do a session on the practical points of turning pet cemeteries into stunning new mobile home parks.

    Now Jim, I know your a regular but shouldn't this be in the marketplace?

    Btw, when are you having one in Texas? I'm interested in the vampire venue. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Member since 2018 · 483 posts · 956 votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Michelle Bulich:

    I have a feeling this may be the first time something like this has been asked on BP.

    I am finally about to put a bid on my very first property and it’s a foreclosure. When people say ‘if it’s too good to be true it usually is’, they are not kidding!

    I did the numbers on the property and before placing a bid had my son reach out to a friend who lived in the house a few years back. She confirmed some things we had already known and gave of some new info as well. It was sounding like a win when she said ‘The only thing is it’s seriously haunted! The woman never was violent but I thought you should know.’ What???

    At first we laughed, until she described in detail many instances during the time she lived there.

    I could try to ignore what she said and go through with the bid but I started to think....if this is really what’s going on in the house and I decide to sell, rent or Airbnb a few years from now who is going to want to buy it or stay there?!

    Am I crazy to want to still bid on it?

     Yes! Absolutely I would buy a haunted house and Airbnb that sucker. My wife and I enjoy staying at haunted Airbnb's but unfortunately we have never encountered a ghost.

    I did witness ""something" in an old house my sister lived in built in the 1850's... Ghost? I don't know but the whole family saw it, ghost or not I'll never forget that experience. 

  • Mike ReynoldsPro Member
    construction · Nacogdoches, TX · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Michelle Bulich:

    @James De Stefano actually it’s 1940! All original layout and woodwork. I just bid on it this morning...we’ll see. 

    I can handle a ghost or 2.

    I think you'll be ok. The is actually a haunted house down the road from me. There were two murders in the house thirty years ago and I remember them well. 

    It still rents out just fine. One girl I knew that lived in it said she didn't mind. At least she had someone to talk to during the day when no one else was there. 

  • New to Real Estate · Catskill, NY · Member since 2017 · 23 posts · 24 votes
    7y

    @Clifford Paul That’s along the lines of what I was thinking but I wanted get some opinions. Most everybody has said to go for it. We’ll see if I got the bid...should know by tomorrow. Thanks for the feedback!

  • New to Real Estate · Catskill, NY · Member since 2017 · 23 posts · 24 votes
    7y

    @Milian Bonillo Thank you, I will!  I Should know by tomorrow.

  • Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Michelle Bulich:

    @Milian Bonillo Thank you, I will!  I Should know by tomorrow.

     Fingers crossed for you, Michelle! And here's hoping that you're buying a ghost with the most!

  • Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Mike Reynolds:
    Originally posted by @Jim K.:
    Originally posted by @Matt P.:

    @Jim K. Do they teach that business plan at the McRib investment seminar? I feel like all I need to do now is find a haunted house and start cashing checks! Can't believe your giving this info away for free.

     Just a teaser. If you sign up now for our signature Mystery Meat and Houses investment seminar packages for $9,995 we'll do a deep dive into incredible next-level investment strategies for poltergeist lairs and coven meetinghouses in addition to haunted houses as add-on revenue streams. I personally do a session on the practical points of turning pet cemeteries into stunning new mobile home parks.

    Now Jim, I know your a regular but shouldn't this be in the marketplace?

    Btw, when are you having one in Texas? I'm interested in the vampire venue. 

    I'm developing a vampire bootcamp with optional werewolf add-on.

  • Mike ReynoldsPro Member
    construction · Nacogdoches, TX · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Jim K.:
    Originally posted by @Mike Reynolds:
    Originally posted by @Jim K.:
    Originally posted by @Matt P.:

    @Jim K. Do they teach that business plan at the McRib investment seminar? I feel like all I need to do now is find a haunted house and start cashing checks! Can't believe your giving this info away for free.

     Just a teaser. If you sign up now for our signature Mystery Meat and Houses investment seminar packages for $9,995 we'll do a deep dive into incredible next-level investment strategies for poltergeist lairs and coven meetinghouses in addition to haunted houses as add-on revenue streams. I personally do a session on the practical points of turning pet cemeteries into stunning new mobile home parks.

    Now Jim, I know your a regular but shouldn't this be in the marketplace?

    Btw, when are you having one in Texas? I'm interested in the vampire venue. 

    I'm developing a vampire bootcamp with optional werewolf add-on.

    I'm a little short on Scooby snacks at the moment. Is there anyway I can get that without the werewolf add-on? 

    Asking for a friend ya know. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Dayton, OH · Member since 2015 · 312 posts · 273 votes
    7y

    I once backed out of a contract on a big hilltop house when I found out why it was in foreclosure. A grizzly quadruple homicide then suicide by the dad wiped out the whole family. To make matters much worse a huge squatter moved in and destroyed the place while it was under contract. Not sure it was haunted, but it sure was creepy. Never buy a place that gives you the creeps.

  • Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Mike Reynolds:
    Originally posted by @Jim K.:
    Originally posted by @Mike Reynolds:
    Originally posted by @Jim K.:
    Originally posted by @Matt P.:

    @Jim K. Do they teach that business plan at the McRib investment seminar? I feel like all I need to do now is find a haunted house and start cashing checks! Can't believe your giving this info away for free.

     Just a teaser. If you sign up now for our signature Mystery Meat and Houses investment seminar packages for $9,995 we'll do a deep dive into incredible next-level investment strategies for poltergeist lairs and coven meetinghouses in addition to haunted houses as add-on revenue streams. I personally do a session on the practical points of turning pet cemeteries into stunning new mobile home parks.

    Now Jim, I know your a regular but shouldn't this be in the marketplace?

    Btw, when are you having one in Texas? I'm interested in the vampire venue. 

    I'm developing a vampire bootcamp with optional werewolf add-on.

    I'm a little short on Scooby snacks at the moment. Is there anyway I can get that without the werewolf add-on? 

    Asking for a friend ya know. 

    Mike, we can do that for you! The vampire bootcamp is still in development. So I'll put you, excuse me, your friend, on the email list for the soft rollout in early 2020. Your place has been reserved with no deposit, yet another value-add benefit you get with us.

    Working title for the bootcamp is Bloody McRib Investment Secrets. Watch for update emails.

  • Real Estate Agent · Austin · Member since 2019 · 100 posts · 28 votes
    7y

    @Gordon Starr yeah, I second that. If you feel creepy, don't buy it. I once did buy a good but creepy deal. The insident happen on the second floor. The smell was still there. I was never able to get upstairs by myself. I felt so creepy that I was waiting for my contracted to come even when the smell was removed. Glad I sold it.

  • Investor · Louisville, KY · Member since 2019 · 12 posts · 6 votes
    7y

    It might make a great short term rental property. I think Savannah Georgia has plenty of haunted houses that do very well as short term rentals.😉

  • Contractor · Vancouver, WA · Member since 2019 · 113 posts · 62 votes
    7y

    Ha! That's funny @Clifford Paul My brother found and is trying to buy an old 1901 pirate ship to Airbnb!

  • Rental Property Investor · Gallatin, TN · Member since 2016 · 21 posts · 9 votes
    7y

    @Michelle Bulich When I first started looking for investment properties in 2012 I passed on one in a really good part of Nashville that was $128,000. At the time it was already $200,000 less than every house on the street, and while it needed some serious updating it was not the scope of work that gave me pause. 

    Almost every surface inside was covered in disturbing crayon drawings and strings of numbers. The kitchen floor had a giant hole looking down into the basement allowing a foul odor to rise. The house was vacant and all utilities had been turned off, but even though it was the middle of summer the house was freezing. Additionally, the yard had probably 10-15 trees, and every single one was clearly dead. I could not get out of that house quick enough. 

    If that same house was available today, at those prices, I would purchase it in a heartbeat. Builders are buying houses in that neighborhood now for $350,000- $400,000 just for the land. 

    Good luck with whichever direction you decide to go! 

  • Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2018 · 219 posts · 182 votes
    7y

    I once had a buyer specifically want a home that someone had died in (preferably murdered) , was haunted or had 666 in the address.  There is a buyer for everything. It was the hardest, longest home search I had ever done for a buyer.  

    Personally I would buy it if it were a good enough deal. 

  • Luke CarlPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Tennessee Florida · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    7y

    @Paul Sandhu owns a haunted house if you’re lucky he’ll show up and tell the story 

  • GA · Member since 2018 · 38 posts · 19 votes
    7y

    I would have no problem with that purchase. 1. I do not believe in ghosts and 2. I would not be living there. Other than that I would think that there should be a substantial price decrease due to fears of a possible ghost. So I would actually hype up the existence of the spirit to bring the price down. Afterwards I would hold a seance to rid the property of the invisible non paying tenant lol

  • Rental Property Investor · ME · Member since 2018 · 179 posts · 59 votes
    7y

    History lesson...

    Sorry Ghosts arent real. i.e.  any concept ofdead humans returning or cursed live in half way between earth and hell...

    Angels are however real created by God to serve Gods will and hand of providence. Demons are simply fallen angels who rebelled from obeying God  and were thus kicked out of heaven along with Lucifier the most beautiful angel ever created, till God passes final judgement. So they serve lucifier, working to get folks focus off of serving God,  and trting to bring as many of Gods human creation with them to hell. They are very real but rarely seen by humans in natural realm. 

    Demons do possess limited power over supernatural world, and and can take over, influence or even possess living  people, or animals and usually invited to possess by person directly thru evil actions, occult power or seared ungodly conscious. 

    So the house is just wood, metal and  stone.

    BUY IT and rent it to God fearing Christ followers Cause demons won't bother them without Gods permission.

    Imho

  • Jason GottPro Member
    Danville, IN · Member since 2017 · 63 posts · 17 votes
    7y

    Heck yeah I would!  If the numbers worked out, I'd pull the trigger.  Just think, if you don't want to rent it out, advertise as a haunted house for an Airbnb!  I imagine there are plenty of people out there that would want to stay in a proclaimed "Haunted house".  

  • Rental Property Investor · Ithaca, NY · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    @Michelle Bulich

    Buy it and AirBNB it as a haunted house. I’ve seen a handful people do that to attract ghost chasers. Call the media and tell them to bring those three dudes who chase ghosts to do an episode. You could turn this bad situation into a real money maker.

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