You might think that the controversy over the disclosure that a house is haunted is a non-issue, since you don't believe in ghosts. But it's a real conundrum in the real estate business, because there are just enough believers to affect the resale value of such a home. It's not always about the lack of interested buyers. Strangely, the perceived value of a home may go up if it is thought to be haunted. Randall Bell is a real estate appraiser. In addition to judging the physical aspects of a house, he also has to account for its reputation, which can be affected if a murder has taken place on the property, or if previous residents have encountered ghosts.
It seems likely that living in a house where someone was killed is not much of a draw for the vast majority of potential homebuyers. But a haunted house disclosure is not necessarily a dealbreaker. “For some people, that’s what they want,” says Bell. Sure, sometimes a haunting can be a turn-off, but it all depends on the market and, well, the ghosts. In the case of the Nyack home, the house’s famous paranormal and legal status has probably boosted its price. In the past, it’s sold for significantly more than comparable houses in the area; in 2019 it’s listed for substantially more, per square foot, than other houses in Nyack, though it’s also a very nice house that’s literally on the Hudson River.
In New Orleans, a city absolutely saturated with ghosts, some real estate brokers add an additional little sign to their “For Sale” placards. In other cities, this kind of sign might read “Newly Renovated” or “Price Drop,” but in New Orleans and a few other places, some say “Haunted” or “Not Haunted.” In a city with such a rich history of the supernatural, these haunted houses can sometimes demand a premium. Magnolia Mansion, among the most famous haunted houses in the city, was listed for nearly $5 million in 2016.
There are various laws about property disclosures, and some states even have laws about disclosing hauntings. Read about the business of buying and selling haunted houses at Atlas Obscura.
(Image credit: Infrogmation of New Orleans)
I've seen many properties for sale with the haunted "stories" to accompany, and many times people buy off without vetting facts. Anything reputable, should have names, dates, and now with newspaper archives available on the Internet, easy to check.
I'm wondering when we'll get the first court case of that.