A real estate ghost story
This happened to me.
There once was a house for sale. It was below market rate, by about 10 percent. There was a note on the listing sheet that said something like “ask listing agent about details of the notorious status.” This happened during the period when agents were legally compelled to disclose such things.
I didn’t think much about the notorious status. I went to preview the house, looking for something wrong with it. It was clean; it had modern windows, kitchen and bathroom. The floors were even and newly refinished. The heating system and electrical system was modern. The roof was new enough. It was sunny and pleasant…
But, from the second I stepped into the place, my stomach hurt. A lot! I thought I must have eaten something bad. I don’t usually get indigestion. Despite that, I was excited. I had two current clients who could benefit from a deal like this.
I didn’t look into the notorious status beyond a quick call to the listing agent after I previewed the house. The answer: there was a domestic murder in that house.
Every time I went into this house, my stomach clenched. It was the worst the first time. It got better during subsequent visits, so it was easy enough to ignore it while I was with my clients. I didn’t say anything about the “notorious status” until after the showings. I wanted the house to stand on its own merits. If they liked it, they could then decide if the status would have a detrimental effect on re-sale price.
The first couple liked the place. Well, he did. She liked it, but she also got a stomach ache. Something was bothering her about it, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The second couple saw it. He didn’t like it because the rooms were too small. She thought there was something creepy about it; it made her uncomfortable. Neither couple wanted the property.
I didn’t think much about this beyond idle curiosity. Time passed. The property was purchased by someone.
The clincher for me came about five years later. I had a client who was a bargain hunter. I told him about the notorious house and how it sold about 10 percent below comparable homes. That client said he lived near a domestic murder some years back. He named this house. He had met the couple involved. He told me the woman was stabbed in the stomach.
That poor woman. There are scary things in this world.
