Would you buy a ‘haunted’ house?

New survey reveals nearly half would be put off by suspected spectres and poltergeists

• One in five Brits would slash the price of their house by 10% to sell

• 42% would cover up their suspicions to would-be buyers

• Some would even have a ghoul-banishing ritual carried out before selling

Selling a ‘haunted’ house could scare off buyers – and strip up to ten per cent off the value of your home, according to a new survey.

Nearly half of Brits (46 per cent) polled would be put off if they suspected they are sharing their new home with a ghostly spectre or poltergeist.

And one in five GB residents (20 per cent) would be willing to drop their asking price for a quick sale of a home with spiritual inhabitants.

Our Halloween survey of more than 2,000 British adults discovered that 42 per cent who thought they were sharing their home with a ghost or poltergeist would cover up the fact to potential buyers.

Incredibly, 15 per cent would even conduct a banishing spell or ritual to rid their property of ghostly goings on – rising to 20 per cent in London, according to the survey conducted in partnership with YouGov.

Richard Tugwell, group intermediary relationship director at Together said: “We haven’t yet had a case of a broker coming to us with a client wanting to buy a house they suspect is haunted, but it’s certainly not something that would frighten us.

“From our research, it seems that vendors would be willing to take quite a sizeable cut in the asking price if they think it may have otherworldly guests. Home owners may also want a quick sale, so there could be bargains out there for buyers brave enough to take on a haunted house!”

According to our study, 46 per cent said it would be unlikely they would buy a house they were viewing if they suspected there was a ghost or poltergeist present. Only 31 per cent would be likely to buy.

Those in the North East seemed most put off, with the majority – 56 per cent – saying they’d be unlikely to make the purchase, falling to just 37 per cent of potential house hunters in the South East.

Women were considerably less keen on supernatural residents. Over half (55 per cent) would be deterred if they suspected a ghostly spectre was present, compared to over one third of men (36 per cent). Nearly half (46 per cent) would disguise their suspicions the home was haunted from potential buyers, compared to 37 per cent of men.

Five per cent of people who’d viewed a house they wanted to buy reported feeling a ‘spooky presence’ such as unexplained voices, lights randomly turning on and off, or objects moving without being touched.

Known as one of Britain’s most haunted houses, “The Cage” in Essex went on the market last year. The owners have reportedly failed to sell the 1800s property – a former medieval witches’ prison. ‘Witch’ Ursula Kemp was imprisoned there before her trial and hanging at Chelmsford. Her ghost is said to haunt the building.

Article provided by Together Finance