Investor · Omaha, NE · Member since 2011 · 475 posts · 211 votes
I had a friend ask last evening if she needs to disclose to prospective tenants that their half of a duplex may be haunted. Not having any experience with this I thought I'd ask BP. She bought it as a rehab and in the process her workmen have noted unexplained door slammings, foot steps from upstairs when no one else is there and someone tapping them on the shoulder when no one else is there and unexplained noises from the baement when no one else is there. It apparnetly is only one one side of the duplex and the other half is already rented without incident. She had one prospect look at the main floor and liked it then went upstairs and quickly came down and ran out of the house saying it wasn't for her. What do you think?
"Great duplex in a fantastic neighborhood. Fresh remodel and quiet street. New furnace and Hvac. Great home for a first time home buyer. The ghost comes with the home. He is friendly unless you listen to country music. Then he tends to levitate the cat across the room. Great school districts and local parks. "
Market the duplex to people who are into that sort of thing (assuming it’s a friendly ghost, like Casper). People like spiritualists, eccentric artists, and maybe even Satanists! If it becomes a problem, then find some paranormal pro to serve the ghost an eviction notice. Can’t have ghosts living for free!
I know in some states like California, I think you have to disclose. I personally dont beleive in so called "hauntings" so I don't know if I could ever disclose such a thing. I might tell someone that the previous owners said it was haunted if I lived in California still. When I was younger we purchased a house that was on the market forever because a girl hung herself in one of the rooms and they had to disclose. I lived in that exact bedroom were the hanging took place for several years and never once experienced a problem.
setting aside the question of disclosure (I think that has been exhausted), do experienced investors have an opinion on this kind of stuff. I've heard of several examples. One friend of mine who was doing houses in New Orleans said she had entities call her name, even try to push her down stairs. makes you wonder. I heard of a case here in Michigan (friend of a friend), where the kids came running in from outside and said Mom, what do you want. She said, uh, what are you talking about? They said, you were just standing on the back porch and waving for us to come inside. It's an old creepy farmhouse. My question is, why do you never hear of ghosts being more than about 150-200 years old. You don't hear of 2000 year old ghosts. No ancient Romans still lingering around. It's just those civil war and later types.
I am a real estate agent in Georgia and we do not need to disclose hauntings. Another thing that I found surprising is that we do not even need to disclose that the house was used as a meth lab. Don't really care about ghost but I would really want to know if a house was once a meth lab.