Would this bug you about purchasing a house?
 

We have been searching for a house for a while. A repossessed bank owned house just came up for sale a week ago. 20 years old, 3 acres, 2 car attached, 5 car detached, close to school and work. Been vacant for 1.5 years so needs some work, but about 20% below comparable home values in the area.

Called right away did a walk around ect. Just about to make an offer but decide to do research.

The previous owner bought the land 20 years ago and had the house built. They never tried to sell it, but stopped paying the note and taxes. This bugged me as I started thinking there might be something wrong with the house that caused him to just walk away.

Kept pressing the realtor as she kept stating it is being sold as is. Finally tells me that Ohio law does not require her to disclose this but:

The “boyfriend” of the wife got into it one day and he murdered the wife in the back yard. Husband packed up everything and moved out never looking back.
(She was nice enough to tell me that she was not killed in the house)



I am kind of torn here, would it bother anyone to live there knowing that?
If I threw a party, would you be hesitant to show up?

Wouldn't bother me.

We live in a nice restricted subdivision, woman across the street killed herself right in front of her daughter in the kitchen.
The couple that live there now don't seem to give it a second thought, no one in the neighborhood ever brings it up, so while it is a tidbit of history it's not an everyday topic of conversation.

When's the party?

That's an interesting story for sure. It would kind of freak me out, especially in the back yard.

But seriously if we knew all the bad things that happened in the places we visit, drive or work on a daily basis it would be hard to go anywhere.

If you like the house and the price is right go for it.

Just make sure that is the only reason and not some problem with the property that will cost you a ton of money after you buy it.

Buy it.

It wouldn't bother me, but it may bother you, otherwise you wouldn't have posted. Think long and hard about it before you pull the trigger. It sounds like an excellent buy to me, but it may not be for you if you are sensitive to this kind of thing.

More importantly - have you looked at the inside of the house? (you only mentioned a walk-around.)

Here in California, a "someone died here" notification is mandatory for a number of years. The same people who think religion is a bunch of silly superstition actually passed a law requiring a "potential ghost" disclosure...

It wouldn't bother me - I'd be drooling over the 5 car garage.

Make sure Hoffa is not buried under the garage !
I'd go for it, sounds like a good deal.

Jim

At the worst, one skilled in the spirit world may be needed to help escort the persons spirit on their journey if they are choosing to remain in thAt place. My 104 year old house had that needed, the original owners spirit was there. Shadow figure at nights, noises, etc. He is gone now.

sound like a good deal if it does not bother you
and you can use that as leverage to get a even better deal!!

The owner of the first house that I bought died in the house. An old guy in poor health. It was mentioned at the open house and some people squirmed. I ended up getting a nice house in Toronto for 113,500.00. Unheard of even in the depths of our 90's recession. I never had a problem and we made good money on that house.

The death wouldn't bother me in the least.
Heck, I would make use of it and throw a big Halloween bash in the back yard every year!

But, being vacant for 1-1/2 years could be an issue as it relates to the various fixtures of the home (plumbing, HVAC, roof, etc..). I would certainly hire a whole house inspector to go over every detail of the home and make your bid based on his findings.

If it has a basement with a sump pump and the electric has been out for the vacancy period, there may be 1-1/2 years of water in the basement. If the area is known for having hard water, you may find buildup in many of the unused pipes.

I say pursue it, but with caution.

^^^ this

Inspect it thoroughly. Ghosts of bad construction or decay from lack of upkeep is worse than any from departed humans.

Wouldn't bother me one bit.

If you feel comfortable,buy it.but...
I started a post about this a few years ago. I've been in my home for 18 years now. I bought it off of a widow. Her husband died suddenly in the master bedroom one night. I never had a problem with this. A few years back my wife,one of my step sons,and I were hearing a few unexplained things. Right after I posted this it stopped. No big deal,I don't get rattled by things like this.;)

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...ighlight=ghost

Lets go over what you wrote.
1. 2 car garage
2. 5 car garage
3. 3 acres
4. 20% off
Buy it just dont tell the wife.

Yep.... jump on it as fast as you can. Who cares what happened before. Everything was cleaned up wasn't it? No body still laying around so who cares... I sure wouldn't. Buy it, walk in and tell the supposed ghost you now own the house and will look after it for her. Ask her to play nice and you will too. LOL

We owned a house up in Northern NY and had to rent it out for a couple of years so we wouldn't lose it when I was fighting to get my WC. The tenant's uncle died in the house, and we were told it happened. They moved out and we moved back in. No problems until the breezeway door to the kitchen started opening a closing all by itself..... no windows open and no wind outdoors. A woman who wrote books on ghosts in the North Country of NY told us to change the paint color in the room where he died. It confuses the ghost so they leave never to return. We did and he left... no problem. I think the owner of the house we now have also died in the house. We repainted the bedrooms and have had no visitations. Happy Happy Happy.

With all due respect to the murder victim...5 CAR GARAGE, BUY BUY BUY!!!!!!!!

Would'nt bother me at all,be a warning to the wife LOL

Sounds like a deal. Maybe just a little cleaning of blood.

Lizzy Borden took an axe...

Ghosts.
 

The house I own currently was bought by me for a very reasonable price because of the fact that the previous owner hung himself in it.

The reason for the hanging was that his wife killed herself.

Do I care ? . . . . noop , " I ain't afraid of no ghosts" :)
What I do fear is that the realtor good be making up stories like that to cover some other more expensive/troublesome reason.

My house was built in 1862 ( Lincoln was president), lots can happen in 152 years, and most Ill never know about..

The story about the wife being murdered in the backyard wouldn't stop me from buying it. BUT, the story itself could be a Red Herring, to throw you off the trail of the REAL reason.

Also, people have died in lots of homes. A few people died in my 55 year old house over the years, albiet from natural causes.

At least in your case the crime occured in the back yard and not in the house. It should be easy to research a murder case.

Do your due diligence.

Appreciate the feedback
(Well some of it – some of you guys are odd :eek:)


Now this is getting almost entertaining.
Could not find any info on a murder on the internet or local paper. No obituary under the last name. Should have been especially being so close to the City Library and high school.

Went over to the Police Station at lunch. Dispatcher checked the address. No record of any crime at that address for as far back as their electronic records go.

Called the agent to tell her I want to go through it again with an inspector. She gives me the name of another agent. Turns out who I have been dealing with is the realtor employed by the bank and the new realtor works for the listing company.

New lady “Patty” tells me again about the supposed murder, but she had no info on an actual crime. Her version is it was the daughter’s boyfriend killed the daughter in the back yard.

But now it gets odd again. She tells me that last week she was there and the neighbor came out. Tells her that the reason the family left was constant sewer issues and fights with the city over it. (Now this concerns me more than the crime)

So I am meeting her tomorrow at the house by myself. She is going to bring all information she can find. I am also going to hit up the city Engineering Department and ask them what they know.




May be great, maybe not??
Definitely the oddest house I have looked at?

Stories are just that no disrespect but when your gone your gone how many people have passed on in their homes getting murdered in the back yard ehh don't pass up a good deal I grew up in a house where guy hung himself in a closet turned out was the room me and my brother shared for years right next to the attic entrance woooohooo ...If the local police have no record probably never happened someone say 5 car dethatched yup..
Make sure you get a reputable home inspection..

Damn! If that had happened at my old house I'd still be living there and would have a whole lot more money! :D

Check on the sewer issue & let us know when the party is!

I know the people that live in a certain house in amityville it's a nice house and they like it a lot and haven't had any problems. If you like the house buy it

Bingo - as has been mentioned on here before; you've got bigger worries than the body - sewer issues. The 20% discount for the dead body didn't make sense. The 20% discount because you'll spend that money fixing the sewer does.

You could always live in one of the garages till you got the sewer fixed. Last year I had to replace sewer lines in my house which is a slab house. I believe the total bill was 11 or $12,000. So check out prices with a very well established plumber. My insurance company sent me one that they use a lot. The previos guy I called wanted to jack hammer from the kitchen thru the living room and into the hallway and baths which was not an option for me.

Damn I wrote good instead of could . . . . I hate it when that happens . . . . . ah well who's perfect ? :)

Never buy a house that sits lower than your neighbors.

If its on the same level or higher, and is structurally sound, buy it!


Kurt

Good advise,from a guy in Flushing lol

Use this stigma as a bargaining chip....buy it.

Ditto.

Ditto. And don't discuss with the wife that the realtor is probably lying about the ordeal.

EDIT: If it's been vacant nobody has to disclose anything as a resident at the address. If it has sewer issues I'd probably walk away.

Even better tell the wife about it and then when she dosent know your home at nite throw a sheet over yourself and walk around the backyard moaning

When i read the first page that was the first thing i thought of. You might wont to get some one to check it out good, You may not see any troubles until the tank is full, If you start smelling Shi you can tell your wife it must be the body. Good luck sounds like a very nice place Buy it.

Maybe the neighbor is fabricating these stories to the realtor because he wants a cheap shot at it?

5 car garage with a detached house...BUY IT.

Talk with the neighbors to see what the real story is.... Someone will tell you.....

Sounds like a great negotiation factor to me...

And as it's been said, stuff happens everywhere. Go back far enough and somebody probably died within 10 yards of where anybody is sitting right now.

As long as I'm not patching up bullet holes in the walls or cleaning up a blood stain in the living room, I'd probably be good with it. But make sure you are in it for a long haul and are comfortable. You'll have the same issues selling it that they are.

Yeah, a sewer problem would scare me a LOT more than the murder story.

But...A 5 CAR GARAGE??!!!

The only aspect of it that would bother me is if it was something that could make the house worth less when I sold it. In NY a realty is supposed to tell you about things like that. But if thats not the case there, The fact that it happened would not bother me enough to walk away from a good home. If its a good house and fits your needs, I say go for it. Good luck with it.

I would not worry about the possible "ghost" issue. My house is over 140 years old and I'm sure in that time someone has died in the house but we have not experienced anything.

The garage's and acreage are a plus but the sewer issue would scare me.

Do you eat hotdogs? Perhaps if you examined or thought too much about it you might not.

IMO - Buy it unless it is a nagging bother to YOU and your loved ones. If so, pass.

Unless "the 20% savings" turn out to be related to other issues with the property and structures, which may kill the deal for you. Don't let the "distraction" keep you from proper due diligence of all aspects of the purchase.

Just MO.

wow..i always wondered what happened at that house after the family they made the movie on moved out---i have read numerous books and saw as many documentaries on that house as i can think of, and im sorry, i wouldnt live within 100 miles of that baby if they gave me the place for free...theres just too many things that go on that cannot be explained and i hope that when i buy a house its ghost free..:)

Gave her husband who just bought a camaro 40 wacks !

Dead guy wouldn't bother me a bit. Septic would bug the hell outta me.I HATE digging in poo

California law requires disclosure of a death on the property if within the last three years - or longer if death was brutal. BUT, if the death was caused by aids, no disclosure needs to be made. That's assbackwards to me...

Just include in the purchase contract that the sewer system must be certified to be in proper working order at time of sale.

That wouldn't brother me at all. I was told a previous owner died in my house,probably in my bedroom as they were older. Next Halloween open it up as haunted house and charge $10 bucks a head.

Wouldn't bother me but it might have problems to prospective new buyer when it's time for you to move on, taking longer to sell or or buyers asking for big discount because of history.

Good Luck Gregg

It wouldn't bother me one damn bit. Get that house!