Brokers have often debated the issue of grow-op houses but what about haunted houses?
Brokers have often debated the issue of grow-op houses but what about haunted houses?
“The most famous case [regarding disclosure of haunted houses] in North America is called the Ghost of Nyack in Nyack, New York,” says Barry Lebow, an expert in stigmatized properties, adding that Realtors must always disclose a supposed haunted house. “A real estate agent was sued over it. You don’t have to believe [the property is haunted], the public has to believe it. That’s the only case of its kind in North America.”
In this case, homeowners did not disclose to buyers the fact that their 5,000-square foot home was haunted – a belief that was also commonly held throughout the community. Lebow says public perception is all it takes to stigmatize a property as haunted.
“A lot of times, it’s just word of mouth that makes a house haunted,” says expert Barry Lebow. “Word of mouth is the most dominate thing in stigma.”
There are similar perception-based laws in Canada. The presence of urea formaldehyde, for example, has the ability to stigmatize a house.
“There are no associated health risks but it stigmatizes these houses,” Lebow says. “[The general public] perceive it to be unhealthy.”
Still, there are buyers who are unconcerned with supposedly haunted houses, and there are others who would never step foot into a spirit-infested home. The trick for agents, Lebow says, is determining whether or not a property is stigmatized.
“In Canada, there are millions of houses,” he says, “and the question is, how many are labeled as haunted?”
“The most famous case [regarding disclosure of haunted houses] in North America is called the Ghost of Nyack in Nyack, New York,” says Barry Lebow, an expert in stigmatized properties, adding that Realtors must always disclose a supposed haunted house. “A real estate agent was sued over it. You don’t have to believe [the property is haunted], the public has to believe it. That’s the only case of its kind in North America.”
In this case, homeowners did not disclose to buyers the fact that their 5,000-square foot home was haunted – a belief that was also commonly held throughout the community. Lebow says public perception is all it takes to stigmatize a property as haunted.
“A lot of times, it’s just word of mouth that makes a house haunted,” says expert Barry Lebow. “Word of mouth is the most dominate thing in stigma.”
There are similar perception-based laws in Canada. The presence of urea formaldehyde, for example, has the ability to stigmatize a house.
“There are no associated health risks but it stigmatizes these houses,” Lebow says. “[The general public] perceive it to be unhealthy.”
Still, there are buyers who are unconcerned with supposedly haunted houses, and there are others who would never step foot into a spirit-infested home. The trick for agents, Lebow says, is determining whether or not a property is stigmatized.
“In Canada, there are millions of houses,” he says, “and the question is, how many are labeled as haunted?”
