We love movies about them, but would you actually be willing to live in a house that was haunted? According to new research from Real Estate Witch, 29% of Americans believe they have lived in a real haunted house and 27% of them knew it was haunted before they moved in and they still chose to live there.
Real Estate Witch asked a thousand U.S. adults about supernatural phenomena and haunted homes and found:
- Just over a third (36%) of those who have lived in a bewitched home regret it, 60% wouldn’t recommend it to others and 55% wouldn’t buy another house they knew was haunted.
- People discovered their home was haunted because of strange noises (53%), feelings of being touched or watched (47%), strange shadows around the home (41%), eerie or haunted feelings in certain rooms (41%).
- And 36% of homeowners claim they’ve actually seen a ghost in their home.
- In this tough real estate market, 52% of Americans would be willing to buy a haunted house.
- Things that could convince them to include a lower price (71%), a safer neighborhood (47%), friendly ghosts (41%), a bigger yard (36%), more square footage (29%) and a better school district (21%).
- Still, 72% of prospective buyers say they’d feel uncomfortable living in a haunted house.
- Ghosts are scary to some, but 93% are more scared of home repair problems, including mold (60%), termites (57%) and a leaky roof (54%).
- Americans say the most frightening aspects of owning a home are all related to finances: unexpected costs (50%), high interest rates (46%) and not being able to pay their mortgage (42%).
- Nearly half (48%) would rather live with ghosts than buy a house near a nuclear waste facility.
Source: Real Estate Witch