ST. LOUIS–Just in time for Halloween, a new survey reveals what Americans think about the supernatural, their experiences with the paranormal and whether they have ever lived in or would buy a haunted house.
The survey, fittingly conducted by Real Estate Witch, polled 1,500 Americans and found 70% believe in the supernatural and 24% claim to have lived in a haunted home.
In releasing its findings the company noted some research suggests an unnatural death in a home could lead to a 20% drop in value that continues for years. The company further noted stigma surrounding death and potential hauntings is so salient that some states, such as New York and California, have explicitly included hauntings as necessary disclosures during a sale.
Among the findings:
- 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 one-in-four 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), the company said, citing a New York Post report.
- 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.
Generational Differences
When it comes to homebuying in general, Real Estate Witch reported it found generational differences, with 99% of Millennials having worries about purchasing a home, compared to only 81% of Boomers.
Among the findings:
- Millennials are 30% more likely to consider buying a haunted house than Baby Boomers if it meant the haunted house had a better characteristic than one that wasn’t haunted.
- Millennials are 16% more likely to believe in the supernatural than Boomers.
- Millennial homeowners are over 50% more likely than boomers to report being scared of HOA fees, missing mortgage payments, flooding, and their home burning down.
- Millennials would consider buying a home if it was formerly a meth lab (46%), the scene of a violent crime (54%), located within a mile of a waste management facility (54%), or near a prison (53%).
- Millennials don’t mind living next to a house where a murder occurred (74%) or a cemetery (64%).
- Millennials are all about family: They’re 204% more likely than Boomers to buy a haunted house if it was in a good school district, Real Estate Witch said.
- When it comes to buying a home, Baby Boomers are concerned about financial risks, while millennials are more scared of natural disasters.
- Millennials are 2.1x more likely to report having lived in a haunted home than Baby Boomers. “However, Millennials are more afraid of the supernatural. They reported being more likely to move from their home after any supernatural experience than Boomers,” the survey found. “Baby Boomers are more afraid of home-repair issues than Millennials, likely due to experience. “
- Boomers are 31% more likely to disclose a haunting when selling their home, regardless of the law in their area, while Millennials would only do so if they had to by law.
Spooky Disclosures
According to the survey’s findings:
- 63% of people think the government should require home sellers to disclose if their house is haunted or had experienced paranormal activity. The company noted “Only nine states, however, have some law requiring sellers to disclose whether their home is haunted — but most laws are vague about when those disclosures are necessary. Five additional states have laws in place that require supernatural disclosures only if the seller is directly asked.”
- If not required by law, only one-in-four people would disclose their home is haunted. Instead, nearly half (45%) of respondents said they’d only disclose if required by law.
- Nearly one in 10 wouldn’t disclose paranormal activity when selling their home, regardless of the law.
The full survey can be found here.
The Very Best in CU Reporting. Every Morning. To Your Inbox. At a Total Cost of ‘Free!’
Don’t forget to check your Spam/Junk email folder if you haven’t been receiving your free, popular and daily CUToday.info news headlines.
And if you haven’t yet signed up for the new email solution on which CUToday.info has partnered with ResponseGenius, you can do so here. Signing up requires less than one minute of your time.
CUToday.info has received very positive response from readers following the move to an improved provider of the daily headlines, but many also noted they did need to go to their Spam/Junk folder and mark it as safe.
The new email solution has not only improved every reader’s delivery experience, but it also features a fresh, new format that is easy to read, especially on mobile devices.
Please note and/or make your IT department or email administrator aware the emails will be coming from the domains CUTodayinfo.com and CUTodayinfoReply.com.