Homebuyers can overlook a lot in today’s market — but what about a few disembodied whispers in the night?
A new LendingTree survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers reveals that ghosts might not scare off as many buyers as you’d think. Here’s a quick look at what we found.
- 35% of Americans say they’ve lived in a haunted home, and 50% of them believe their current home has paranormal activity.
- While 56% wouldn’t buy a haunted home, 30% would — but of those who’d consider it, 59% would expect at least an 11% discount. 8% say they’d pay a premium for the paranormal.
- 73% of Americans think sellers should be legally required to disclose if a home is believed to be haunted. However, 37% admit they wouldn’t disclose it themselves.
- 47% say they’d rather live in a haunted house than deal with mold, while 41% would prefer hauntings over bad neighbors. 39% would choose spirits instead of structural issues.
You can check out the full report here: https://www.lendingtree.com/home/mortgage/haunted-housemates-survey/
LendingTree's Chief Consumer Finance Analyst, Matt Schulz, had this to say:
“People generally want a home to be a clean slate when they move in, and they want it to be in good condition. If there are issues with a home, they want to know about them and be confident they can fix them. It’s one thing to know about termites or bad wiring or water damage, but being haunted is something else entirely. With all due respect to the Ghostbusters, that’s not something you can call someone to fix.”
