ST. LOUIS–As Halloween approaches, a strong majority of Americans say they would prefer to live with ghosts than live in a home with repair issues.
According to a consumer survey conducted by Real Estate Witch, a site operated by the real estate data company Clever, 93% of people say repair issues are scarier than living in a home that's haunted.
The survey of 1,500 Americans found other home-related issues are also scarier than ghosts, including:
- Mold (68%)
- Foundation issues (64%)
- Termites (61%)
- Asbestos (61%)
- Leaky roof (57%)
- Water damage (57%)
Although most people don't think a haunted house is the scariest living scenario, 27% of respondents would move immediately if they found out their home was haunted, Real Estate Witch found.
Among the other findings:
- People want states to require disclosures
- Millennials hold spooky secrets close when selling their homes
- What do the state laws say? Most don’t care about your home’s ghosts
Trick-or-Treating Amid a Pandemic
- 1 in 4 families plan to trick-or-treat as normal, without any additional precautions
- Fewer are handing out candy, but those who plan to won’t always use precautions
General Insights
Among the other findings:
- 70% of Americans surveyed believe in the supernatural
- 93% of people believe home repair issues such as mold, foundation issues, and lead paint are scarier than a house being haunted when purchasing a home.
- 40% of respondents wouldn’t buy a haunted house under any circumstances, while 1 in 3 would consider it with some concessions.
- Nearly 1 in 4 people report having lived in a haunted house; only 31% knew it was haunted before moving in
- 17% of respondents said they have experienced supernatural events more often than before the pandemic because they’ve been spending a lot more time at home alone (or not so alone)
- 48% of those who have lived in a haunted house reported ghost sightings in their home
- People would buy a haunted house if it was for a much lower price (73%), they were convinced the ghosts were friendly (58%), or the house was in a safer neighborhood (49%)
- Levitating objects (41%) and feelings of being touched (41%) ranked No. 1 in experiences that would cause people to move from their current homes
- 1 in 4 people said they’d move immediately if they learned their home was haunted, while 1 in 3 would attempt to cleanse the home.
The survey also found some distinctions among generations in how they viewed issues related to the paranormal.
The full study can be found here.