Halloween 2012: Who wants to buy a haunted home?
(MoneyWatch) Most people are frightened of haunted houses. But a new Realtor.com survey suggests that a spooky past is unlikely to deter house-hunters -- as long as the price is right.
The majority of buyers -- 65 percent -- would purchase, or consider purchasing, a home said to be haunted. Not surprisingly, many of them would also expect a price cut for their troubles. Thirty-seven percent of respondents to the survey said they'd need a discount of 21 percent to 50 percent off such a home, while 17 percent said they'd need an even bigger price reduction. By contrast, high creepiness factor is actually a selling point for some brave home buyers - 2 percent said they'd actually pay more than market value for a haunted home.
- Halloween 2011: Hollywood haunted houses
- Halloween 2011: The 10 spookiest cities in America
- How to throw a great Halloween party
The type of spooky happenings also played a part in whether or not respondents would purchase a haunted house. Sixty-two percent of buyers could deal with warm or cold spots, while 48 percent could deal with strange noises like footsteps and doors slamming out of nowhere. Many respondents -- 45 percent -- could also deal with flickering lights and appliances, and a surprising 41 percent could even handle a ghost sighting or two.
Even a death in the home isn't enough to keep some buyers away. Forty-one percent of those surveyed would buy a home in which someone had died, regardless of the cause.
