This is a kind of macabre topic, but I thought a Death House blog would fit right in during the Halloween season.
I have never heard of a Death House before I noticed this one online research site.
What is a Death House?
According to my online research, in most states, a home with a death , no matter how it occurred or how horrifying, is not considered a material fact. So this does not have to be disclosed.
Many people die at home, however, a ghastly death in a home such as murder, suicide, fire or even a bizarre death can taint peoples’ perception of the property. This can result in lower home sales prices. It also can take more time on the market to sell the property.
Some people think these types of houses have a bad karma or feeling about them. Of course, none of this is based on any real facts.
This being said, how many us would purchase a home where multiple horrific murders occurred? Would that change your opinion of the house? Or would you purchase it anyway and not care?
Research Sites
Looking online, I found one website listing local houses which had a murder, suicide or other grim death associated with it.
Curious, I checked my neighborhood and was surprised to find one such home. The murder occurred when a teenage boyfriend stabbed and strangled his young girl friend to death–absolutely horrifying.
I, also, noticed recently that this same four bedroom, two bathroom house, sold this year in the $600,000 range.
We drove by the house today and it was located in a quiet cul-de-sac. I, also, noted the house obviously has children about. There are chalk drawings on the sidewalk, a basketball hoop and a trampoline on the front yard.
What surprises me the most, was the number of homes listed in Death Homes which were located in very nice, respectable and sometimes wealthy neighborhoods. Bad things happen all the time and my conclusion is that money doesn’t insulate a person from this.
Ending Notes on Death House
So, when I purchased my property years ago did I ask about any murders or suicides?
Yes, I did and there were none according to their knowledge. That can be a little tricky though because a person might not know the past history of a house, so in fact, they are not lying if something comes up later.
Would I have purchase it anyway? No, probably not but that is only my opinion and it certainly doesn’t have anything to back it up.
It was also suggested online to type the address of any property you are considering buying into the computer and see if any old news items come up on it.
For Your Information – Dead House
Online, I noticed the definition of a dead house or mort house, is a small structure for temporary storage of human corpses before burial. The dead house is usually located in or near a cemetery. They were more common before the mid-20th century and were usually found in areas with cold climates. People needed dead houses because if you lived in a cold winter climate, sometimes it was impossible to dig frozen ground for a new grave.
Research Sites: www.fracturedfairfax.com and Wikipedia