Holy Ghost... Batman!

In Ca we have to disclose if there is a death in the property in the past 3 years because many buyers come right out and say they are afraid of ghosts.

Marcy

Gary, I wonder how many prospects will read this and then ask you … so where is Harry? Good luck with the sale … I’m sure Harry is a good old soul and may even choose to move with the seller.

Gary, I don't know what to make of paranormal stuff. I suppose some with extra sensory gift (curse) would spot a haunting...personally, I'm glad I'm not gifted as one. I think real life souls keep life interesting enough. You know Holloween isn't too far off. Perhaps you can make this home into a cash machine?
Lydia

There's so much more to the history and story of a home than what's covered on the disclosure forms!  That's why you've got real people facilitating transactions, instead of downloading a form that everyone agrees to and it's done when buying/selling real estate.  Personally, if I were the listing agent, I'd disclose this to buyers' agents.  Why?  Because the seller feels it's serious.  If they feel that way, then we need to take it that way.

Yes, I'm sure lots of folks think it's funny to hear someone believe they have a ghost.  However, I've had a couple clients that were intuitives/psychics and I can tell you that they look beyond what's on the disclosure form to see if the house is o.k. for them.  One client really liked a particular property, but when she spent some time in the home, she could pick up on the child abuse that took place there in the past.  She just couldn't handle that, so we moved on.

Perhaps a St. Joseph's statue buried in the front yard will scare off the ghost while bringing in the clients.  If they are Asian ghost maybe some bad Fung Shei can get them to move out.

Good luck with this one .  I say disclose.  You do not disclose there are ghost, you disclose that the seller says there are ghost.

The line between "this side" and the "other side" is not as well defined as we might think!

I've listed and shown a few houses where people claimed their were ghosts. Wish I could actually see one of those, but sadly no.  Only on YouTube. 

Weird situation.  When in doubt disclose.  Make the seller fill out a seller's disclosure form.

In our state hauntings are not considered a material defect or something required to disclose. Personally I would advise the client to disclose though.

I would be careful about marketing it with ghosts or as haunted. What if the ghost does not like the new owner and moves out never to appear again? Might get you sued for not having ghosties then....

Guess this makes for an interesting home for sure --- take the garlic or a cross or whatever ! LOL

In Arizona, we have to disclose if a property is haunted.  So far, I haven't run into any properties with freeloading spirits!  I guess it might make an open house a little more interesting!  LOL

I love to hear the history of a home...if there are 'entities' some may 'bless' the home before moving in I suppose....Some do ask...and it may make a difference.

Check your state's rules.  Here in Kentucky we don't have to disclose certain stigmas unless asked directly about them.  So a person would have to ask it it is haunted, ask if anyone died there, etc.  Good luck with it!

When my wife and I decided to buy our current home, a 110 year old Victorian, we decided after about 15 minutes, this after 5 years of looking. We agree that it could have been the ghost of the original owners wife recognizing people suckers enough to spend a fortune in time and money to try to restore her to her former glory.  But maybe not.

You do have to think about how boring the afterlife must be for ghosts to stick around and haunt the living. You think it would be a case of "Been there, done that" now move on.

Wow. This one would leave me speechless. That's not a material fact about a property, so I and the seller would not be obligated to disclose...

The house that was the inspriation for the movie The Haunting of Connecticut is right here in my home town, and the subject sure has stirred up a lot of controversy.  

I'm no expert in this sort of thing, but it might be worthwhile to check if there's any "reported" history (i.e. newspaper articles?) of ghosts or other strange happenings in this home ... if the history of this house is "public knowledge" (or even if there are rumors) and they're not disclosed, would a buyer have a case against you if it was discovered after it was purchased? 

Would this not be considered "psychologoically impacted??" It's easy for us to joke about, but some people do take this stuff very seriously. 

I always wonder why people are so afraid of ghosts. But maybe that's because the worst I've experienced is a mischievious ghost - not one who was out to do anyone real harm.

I love my "family ghosts" and see them as a comfort to have around - and wish they'd come more often! But, I was raised with an acceptance of ghosts, so it doesn't seem strange to me at all.

My son bought a house once with a resident ghost who didn't approve of keeping windows closed at night - no matter how cold it was. That was annoying, but he just bought more blankets.

I agree that if you advertise a ghost and it decides to move on, the buyers might feel they were misled. Probably safest to just say "The seller reports paranormal activity."

Marte Cliff said, : "I agree that if you advertise a ghost and it decides to move on, the buyers might feel they were misled."

This would depend on whether or not the ghost was considered installed or personal property.

Gary thats a first for me.  I used to work at a hospital and we thought some of the rooms had ghosts.

I'm pretty sure we don't have to disclose that here in KY, but if we are asked directly about ghosts and the seller has told us this information, then we have to tell potential buyers this.  Interesting that it only apppears to men.  I would feel bad if I sold a home to someone and they found the ghost later and didn't want the home anymore.  Touchy.  And, I wouldn't be able to be in the home by myself with the ghost.  Don't know how I'd do open houses.