Haunted House? Most Buyers Aren’t Scared Away in This Market

Most buyers are so eager to find their dream home, they’d consider purchasing a haunted house.

Clever Real Estate recently polled 1,000 American consumers and 58% said they would consider buying a house that was haunted. Of those who would consider it, 59% would offer less than market value, while 17% would offer more than market value. In fact, 24% of respondents said they have already lived with a ghostly roommate or two, but that is down 20% from 2021. And some homeowners don’t mind a little bit of the paranormal on the daily. Thirty-one percent said they knew their home was haunted before moving in, but still chose to live there. The majority of respondents (67%) said they think houses can be haunted and 10% said they have purchased equipment to find any spirits.

What makes a resident think their home is haunted? The most common is strange noises, according to 61%, followed by feelings of being watched or touched (52%), rooms feeling haunted (44%), strange shadows (43%) and cold or hot spots (40%). More than one-third (38%) of respondents who said they have lived in a haunted house reported seeing a ghost in their home.

Sellers aren’t all that convinced about the popularity of haunted houses, however. More than 60% said they would only disclose a haunted house under “certain circumstances,” such as a law or a question from a buyer, while 8% would not disclose at all. Only 27% of sellers said they would tell buyers in advance about a haunted house. Of respondents that lived in a haunted house, 16% said they knew it was haunted thanks to the seller revealing it.

Ultimately, for buyers who said they would buy a supposedly haunted home, it is because they care more about the condition (43%) or they don’t believe in the paranormal (39%) and/or the possibility of saving money (34%). Still, 27% said they are confident they can deal with a ghost and 18% said in this market, it’s worth it. The top reason Americans would buy a haunted house is a lower price (69%), the possibility of friendly ghosts (52%) and a safer neighborhood (50%).  Of those who said “no thanks” to those ghostly sightings, anxiety is the top deterrent to buying a haunted house, said 65%, while 40% are concerned about physical harm from the supernatural.