Ghostly Morals

A recent featured blog post on ActiveRain.com brought up the topic of selling a home with a morbid history. The blog post was this…

“I was doing a staging consultation for a Realtor I work with and as I walked through the home taking notes the homeowner, Karen, a very nice woman talked about the home’s history built in 1886.

She went on to tell us in a nonplussed tone how there was a ghost of a young boy who hung himself back in the early 1900′s. Virginia and I both looked at her like she had two heads. She went on to say No, it’s not what you think, he’s a nice ghost!

I of course kept my mouth shut. The Realtor said, That’s an interesting rumor that you wouldn’t want potential buyers to know.

Karen didn’t get it and went on to tell us more about the ghost with good energy who lived with her. He’s harmless. He only moves things around, shuts off lights and turns the pictures off center, but he’s never done anything bad. He just lets me know he’s here.

I could sense the Realtor was getting frustrated and again reiterated Karen, many people don’t want to live in a house with a ghost! I’d keep that rumor to yourself! I don’t know if Karen felt silly or inept, but continued to defend her ghost stating all the reasons why it was “cool” to have one live with you. She went on to say how he made her feel better, gave the home a soul, was good energy and was never scary.

Finally Virginia quipped,  Karen, keep that to yourself if you want to sell your house and trust me, plenty of people don’t want to live in a home where someone took their own life and is now rumored to be a ghost!

This really speaks to an interesting situation. In this scenario the issue is a ghost, but the ghost is friendly. What about the homes in the world where people have committed suicide? Or where murders have happened? Ghosts or not, sometimes a person’s mind can not wrap around the cold hard facts. Opinions on the subject surely vary on a case by case scenario. Whereas one homeowner may be thrilled with the prospect of having a home with a history, another home owner may not even want to live on the same block as a haunted abode.  As a resident in your own home, where is the line drawn between what is unacceptable, tolerable or even a bonus? Equally, what is the responsibility of the Seller or Realtor that is listing a haunted, or historically grim property?