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The Haunted Home Tour - A Seriously True Story

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Lizette Realty - Richmond KY 205403

 

House

In the dead of the night... I heard something from far, far away.

A familiar sound... but alarming.

I jolted awake to glance fearfully at the clock. 2 AM it blinked.

My cell phone was RINGING!

My heart starts to pound. Is it some emergency?

I don't recognize the number ....I let it go to voicemail.

I wait....the cell buzzes that a message was left.

 Now, I'm really awake wondering who would contact me at 2 AM and leave a message??

I call voicemail and it reveals a man calling about a house in a nearby town.

He wants to schedule a tour. Could I give him a call back?

WHAT? Does he think I work all night?

Finally, I get back to sleep. It's hard to get it out of my mind...but finally I do and I dream of a strange house that is deserted and boarded up.

For some reason I'm inside and climbing the stairs to the attic.

I reach the top step to open the door and I hear the voice. It so soft I almost don't hear it. 

Bam....I pop out of the dream and realize the voice I was hearing was my dog Chanel making little noises to get me up for breakfast.

Rubbing my eyes, I glance at the clock and see I have overslept to 8AM.

As I climb out of the cozy bed, my mind skips ahead to my day.

That call! Did I dream it?

I grab my cell to check to see if there really had been a message.

It was real alright. I first think maybe I shouldn't call so early. I might wake him up.

What? He wasn't worried that I would be bothered at 2AM. I write down the number and make the call.

The same male voice picked up the phone. The story spills out that it is a family that wants to tour one house about 20 miles away ...could I set it up for later that day? Without hesitation, I schedule them in the afternoon.

I decide to go a little early.

It's in unfamiliar territory on a street I've never been on in my life. I write down the directions.

As I arrive, the street is deserted except for a mongrel dog digging mindlessly through the dry leaves littering the yard.

I swing my car into the dirt driveway that circles around the front of the house.

It's overrun with trees and weeds. One tree was almost growing out of the house.

Can this really be the place? I recheck the rusty number on the mailbox.

Hmmmm...right place alright.

The house with it's windows boarded up looked like it had been vacant for years.

I open the lockbox and take out the key. I've done this a thousand times and like routine... I open the lock.

I step inside and my eyes try to focus on the dim surroundings.

I suddenly feel a bit alarmed as I see the lights don't work.

That figures, the electric is off! Quickly, I walk through the rooms that have rubbish and filth scraped into disorderly piles. A broken chandelier is in the floor.

Dust and cobwebs cover everything. As I look closer, I realize that all the wood floors are unlevel and slope inward.

I vacantly wonder how furniture would work to make you not notice the slope.

I move through the kitchen and decide to go out the back door to see the backyard and porch. While there I make a call to the listing agent to chat a bit about the house. Since I'm early there's not much to do but wait.

Then while we talked, I heard the door bell chime(we BOTH heard it). One of those with 8 bells.

I quickly told her I needed to go, because my clients must have arrived even though I knew I had left the front door standing open. I walked back though the house to greet them.

There at the open front door...it was standing open exactly as I had left it.

No one there and not a soul on the street and the dog was gone too.

What the ****! How did the doorbell ring? Wasn't the electric off? There wasn't anyone here to ring it. Suddenly, fear was washing over me.

In that instant...I felt an icy breeze brush the back of my head!

Then, I felt something shove me toward the door like a hand on my arm.

Let me tell you... I was out that front door faster than I've moved in my life!!

I decided to wait for the clients out in the car. In about 10 minutes they showed up.

 Nice little family that quickly walked through and decided they didn't like the sloping wood floors.

Fine with me.

I stayed out front and tried to act normal.

I didn't utter a word about what had just happened. I was still in shock!

They left and then I realized I had to lock up.

Totally freaked out, I rushed through the house to get the back door locked.

Somewhere upstairs, I heard a door creak... then slam!

Petrified, I tiptoed back toward the front door to get it locked.

My hands were shaking as I could barely put the key back in the lockbox. I ran to my car, got in and locked the door.

I couldn't get out of there fast enough!

What had happened in that house? I'll never know.

Something was still living there in the emptiness. Something sinister.

I found out later it was haunted and many people had mysteriously disappeared after living there.

It's still for sale.

P.S. The house in my post is not the same house (I love the look of it and it has great bones!)but was great eye candy for reliving my story don't you think?

Here's another ghostly encounter that happened to me in the past year...

I Spent A Terrifying Night In A Haunted Chalet On Beehive Hill

   Lizette Realty Lizette Fitzpatrick 

Lizette Fitzpatrick- Principal Broker at Lizette Realty.

#1 featured Kentucky Realtor on Activerain.com and Localism.com.

Publisher/Author for the only Central Kentucky email newsletter on local real estate listings and sold properties, Kentucky relocation, local events, homeowner information and fun!

For more information on Lizette, Kentucky Horse Farms, Lizette Realty, Madison County, Fayette County, Richmond or Lexington KY real estate click on Lizette.us.

Copyright © 2010 By Lizette Fitzpatrick, All Rights Reserved...*The Haunted Home Tour - A Seriously True Story*

Comments(92)

Janet Naisbitt-Bagley
ERA Realty Center - Cedar City, UT

What a "bewitching" experience!  I can't imagine being brave enough to go back inside just to lock doors, etc.  You're amazingly dedicated!

Nov 01, 2010 07:57 AM
Gayle Barton, Forsyth County Real Estate
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY Georgia Properties - Cumming, GA
Cumming GA Homes For Sale (404) 710-0204

Yikes.  I 've never had anything that bad happen, but I have certainly shown homes that gave me the creeps.  I've always wondered what I would say in this situation if my clients loved a house that gave me the heebie-geebies.  Good luck with that....

Nov 01, 2010 08:54 AM
Steven L. Smith
King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Lizette,

That is a most amazing and ghostly tale.

Nov 01, 2010 10:27 AM
Tiffany Wilson
eReal Estate Corp - Redondo Beach, CA
SFR, First Time Home Buyers & Investors

Eeeeeee!  I may be weird, but I look forward to going into a truly haunted house someday.  I'm a big Ghost Hunters fan, so I actually look around for "ghosts" sometimes when I go into a home - especially if it's old and maybe a bit spooky.

Nov 01, 2010 10:31 AM
Debbe Perry
Real Living Carolina Property - Morganton, NC
828.439.3084 Morganton/Lake James NC

WOOOOOOOOO - scary story! Great post and great pictures! Glad you're not still so fearless - me, either!

Nov 01, 2010 11:00 AM
Carrie Sampron
Home Smart Realty Group - Highlands Ranch, CO
ABR SFR & Kathy Sampron (303) 931-3629 Highlands R

Lizette:  Wow, what a story!  I've been in a couple of homes I thought might be haunted - scary!  Carrie

Nov 01, 2010 11:22 AM
Dorte Engel
RE/MAX Leading Edge - Bowie, MD
ABC - Annapolis, Bowie, Crofton & rest of Maryland

Dear Lizette,

Creepy! Put the phone in a different room, so you can get a good night's sleep.

Nov 01, 2010 01:54 PM
Laura Cerrano
Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY
Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

If something does not feel right and I'm not on call, I'm out of that space hahaha :) I do not mess with spirits that want nothing to do with our presents.  I remember my mom and I came across some homes with that type of presence, not fun at all.  great story and love the photos to go with it :) Have a great day Liz!

Nov 02, 2010 02:29 AM
Ceci Burklow
Pride of Texas Real Estate - Austin, TX

Wow - this story wins as the scariest I've ever heard about a showing, hands-down in my book!  Reading about the doorbell, the chill, & the shove gave me shivers just thinking about it!

You have a great knack for writing in an entertaining manner as well as the pairing of the pictures - that added to the whole!

Thank you for sharing at this spookiest of time of the year, hopefully you'll have spirit-free showings in the year ahead!

Nov 02, 2010 05:09 AM
Kara Casamassina
International Property Management Group, LLC - Aiken, SC
Boomers and beyond

love this kind of stuff!  glad you weren't meeting them alone out there, though - we all need to be careful :)

Nov 02, 2010 05:35 AM
Cookie Hooper
True Blue Realty - Arvada, CO
Real Estate Sales & Property Management

Lizette,

I'm always conscientious when showing homes to people that I don't know. But now I have to be concerned about things that go bump in the night, too? YIKES!

Nov 02, 2010 08:48 AM
Lizette Fitzpatrick
Lizette Realty - Richmond KY - Lexington, KY
Lizette Realty, Lexington KY MLS - Kentucky Homes

It's funny that after years of walking into old homes to show them to clients, now I would never buy one to live in. I almost feel that people and animals leave there footprint there and it can get quite crowded! LOL

Nov 02, 2010 10:03 AM
Elizabeth Baklaich
Virtual Assistant to Steve Baklaich RE/MAX Realty Source MN - Saint Cloud, MN

Great story Lizette, I am glad that you do not go out to homes with new clients anymore. Hope you had a Happy Halloween!

Nov 02, 2010 01:28 PM
Rhonda Thibault
Great story! A ghost is not always a bad thing, but sometimes a house gives off a seriously disturbing vibe to me. We had a ghost at our house while I was growing up. He/she once stole a bottle of cream right off the counter, another time it was a chicken stolen off the counter. Just hungry I guess! In another old house I lived in as a young married, my then husband accused me of throwing an ice cube at the back of his head. I was washing dishes, and there was absolutely no ice involved. He would not believe me as he was standing there with the ice cube in his hand. He was a real jerk, so I silently said thank you to the ghost and asked it to throw something heavier at him next time. One real estate showing I had about 10 years ago totally freaked me out. It was a totally innocuous 30 year old raised ranch in a neighborhood of like homes. My client and I and her two children walked in. There was the elderly owner sitting on the sofa just looking down, he wasn't seemingly a problem, just a little old man. The house was somewhat dirty, but nothing catastrophic. As I began walking my client through the house, I was overtaken by a feeling of great despair, sadness, and fright. Something had happened in that house, I was sure of it. As went from room to room, the bad feelings intensified. It took all I had in me not to run from the house. Finally, when I thought I could hang in there no more, my client suggested we check out the yard. Thank the Lord!! Later on she told me she'd NEVER seen someone run out a door so fast. In the backyard I asked her how she felt about the house. She said she didn't like it but couldn't say why! Well, I said thank God because I got a very bad vibe in that house (putting it mildly.). She laughed and we moved on. I'll never forget the feeling I had in that house, and I'm grateful I was able to pick up on it because the thought of my client and her two beautiful children living in that house was sickening. I would actually have had to ask her to reconsider very strongly.
Nov 03, 2010 04:53 AM
Steve Baklaich
RE/MAX Results St Cloud Mn real estate - Saint Cloud, MN
Treating Buyers & Sellers to Full Service Always.

Great story. Sorry I missed it on Halloween as it would have been even more enjoyable that night:0 It sounds like you are spiritualy tuned in. Stay safe.

Nov 03, 2010 11:47 AM
Ellen Caruso
Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty - Glen Head, NY

A woman Named Valerie...you can find her in the "Praying in the Rain" group: she writes stories just like yours you should check out. Both of you keep me intrigued.

Nov 03, 2010 02:17 PM
Hilary Young
The Nines Team Realty - Lodi, CA
Team Assistant - The Nines Team in Lodi
Wow, that gave me the chills... what vivid details. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next! Thanks for sharing!
Nov 04, 2010 12:01 PM
Monique Ting
INET Realty Honolulu, HI - Honolulu, HI
Your agent under the sun

Did you ever find out why the man called at 2 am? That was very strange...

As for the house... looks like it will be a tough sell for the listing agent!

Nov 04, 2010 03:49 PM
Marie Westerman
Blanchard and Calhoun Real Estate/ Wilson Parker Homes - Evans, GA
New Homes Sales Specialist Evans GA REALTOR

Well that gave me chills. I must agree that the 2am phone call would have had me taking someone with me to show the house. Be careful Liz.

Nov 05, 2010 04:33 AM
Victoria CB Trees
Victoria CB Trees Real Estate Services - Chiloquin, OR
Principal Broker

My daughters and I had pretty much the same thing happen just yesterday!  We started to enter the same kind of house, but we all felt a "panic, get the hell out of here" feeling, and out we went.  As we were driving away my younger daughter reviewed the pictures she had taken of the exterior.  One of the windows clearly showed the curtains hanging askew, exactly as we all saw them.  The next picture of the same window, taken after we'd fled the house, showed the window ALL BOARDED UP FROM THE INSIDE.  No lie.  Really.

Nov 07, 2010 10:34 AM