There is a market for every house—even haunted ones.
Haunted doesn’t mean deal killer to 33 percent of buyers, especially Millennials, if there was something to sweeten the deal, according to the annual Haunted Real Estate Report from Realtor.com. What’s more, 18 percent of respondents said that a haunted home wouldn’t affect their decision at all.
For many, the decision comes down to price.
"If a house is commensurately priced, or has desirable features, the fact that it may be haunted seems to matter less,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist for Realtor.com. “This report shows that, for those looking for a good deal, a lower price, better neighborhood, or larger kitchen can balance out a few spooky happenings." The survey of 1,067 people across the United States was conducted in early October by Harris Interactive completed the survey of 1,067 people across the U.S. through online interviews in early October.
When asked to decide between purchasing a haunted, or non-haunted home, respondents fell into the following three categories:
- I'll buy, but I need a something more: Fully 33% of the respondents were willing to take a chance on a haunted home if it came with additional features. Topping the wish list was a cheaper home price (15 percent), followed by a tie between a larger kitchen and better neighborhood (9 percent). A lower price was most likely to persuade Millennials, with 17 percent reporting that might be enough for them to purchase a haunted house.
- Nothing else required: Surprisingly, 18 percent of people wouldn't require any additional features to choose a haunted home over a non-haunted home. Almost 25 percent of those aged 35-54, reported they wouldn't be affected by the haunted nature of the home while making a purchase decision.
- Would not buy, not for anything: For the remaining 49 percent, there's no price low enough or kitchen large enough to make them purchase a haunted home. The older generation of home buyers is the most reluctant to move into a haunted house, with 61 percent of those over 55 insisting that they would never buy a haunted home as opposed to 41 percent of Millennials and Generation X.
Living in a haunted home is more common than one would imagine, and not necessarily a surprise to the occupants. Almost two in five people believe they have lived in a haunted (or possibly haunted) house, and 44 percent of them either suspected, or were fully aware it was haunted, before moving in. In fact, the majority of people under 55 years old suspected — or were sure — their home was haunted before they moved in, a decision possibly incentivized by a lower home price or better neighborhood. Hearing strange noises (54 percent) topped the list of most common spooky behaviors, followed by odd feelings in certain rooms (45 percent) and erratic pet behavior (34 percent).
Most sellers, at least 66 percent, reported they would not voluntarily tell buyers the house was haunted, as follows:
- Only when asked: In second place, 27 percent of people would choose the less risky route and divulge details only when asked.
- Mum(my)'s the word: Saying absolutely nothing is the third most popular approach for hypothetical sellers, with 22 percent preferring to stay quiet. This is a strategy preferred by 25 percent of those over 35 years old.
- No details please: The least popular selling strategy, at 17 percent, is to admit that the house was haunted but not provide details.
- Yes, tell them everything: The most popular approach is full transparency, with 34 percent of people saying they would tell interested buyers everything. Men and Millennials are the most likely to divulge all the details to buyers.