What could go wrong: Buying a Haunted House

TheRoarOfTheCrowd

So we have been having fun with seller required? disclosure issues which reminded me
of the my 1985 house search in Seattle where I unwittingly toured the house of a famous
Murder Scene [the entire Goldmark family was brutally murdered by a nutcase political extemist
in Madrona] as well as the haunted house owned by Captain Puget [the real one?] in Magnolia.

In both cases, I commented on the totally weird vibe in both Houses and was then told by the
real estate agent about who the previous owners were, and the otherwise undisclosed "story"
surrounding each of the two highly unusual houses.

This brings up the question of what is required to be disclosed by the seller / selling agent...

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/buying-haunted-house-36139.html

https://www.diedinhouse.com/

Kaepsknee

Most entities, ghosts or whatever you choose to call them are harmless in the long run. They will flex as hard as they are capable of doing when you first move in. But are just bored and mischievous. Once you start ignoring them, they more or less go away.

pawz

DawgsCanDance said:

So we have been having fun with seller required? disclosure issues which reminded me
of the my 1985 house search in Seattle where I unwittingly toured the house of a famous
Murder Scene [the entire Goldmark family was brutally murdered by a nutcase political extemist
in Madrona] as well as the haunted house owned by Captain Puget [the real one?] in Magnolia.

In both cases, I commented on the totally weird vibe in both Houses and was then told by the
real estate agent about who the previous owners were, and the otherwise undisclosed "story"
surrounding each of the two highly unusual houses.

This brings up the question of what is required to be disclosed by the seller / selling agent...

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/buying-haunted-house-36139.html

https://www.diedinhouse.com/

In the state of Washington, neither are considered a material fact necessitating disclosure.

Nor is disclosing the pedobear that lives next door.

TheRoarOfTheCrowd

@pawz

Right, which is super spooky (no pun intended), i mean how can that be? The example i gave is a good one... I toured the house that the Goldmarks had been brutally murdered in only a few months before and the feeling of sadness and emotional upset within the house was palpable... it made me ask, did something happen here? How is that not material in a strictly legal sense since the common knowledge of that fact will quite obviously diminish the universe of people that would consider buying and living within the premises?

DerekJohnson

I was about 13 when the Goldmarks were murdered. I still remember details. It was horrible. That and that Wah Me Massacre were the two murders that stood out in my youth, aside from Ted Bundy and Green River Killer.

TheRoarOfTheCrowd

@DerekJohnson

Yah, it was the worst thing I had ever heard of, and the Wah Me Massacre was Horrific as well... years later I went to eat in the upstairs room of the restaurant, having forgotten that this was where the murders took place and the stairway to the upper level was still cordoned off ~ they never reopened the space, even 10-15 years later.

CFetters_Nacho_Lover

I don’t remember the Goldmark murders but the Wah Me was scary. If I’m not mistaken, the victims were playing cards and I remember my dad and uncle would often go play poker or other card games and I was scared they’d get killed.

pawz

DawgsCanDance said:

@pawz

Right, which is super spooky (no pun intended), i mean how can that be? The example i gave is a good one... I toured the house that the Goldmarks had been brutally murdered in only a few months before and the feeling of sadness and emotional upset within the house was palpable... it made me ask, did something happen here? How is that not material in a strictly legal sense since the common knowledge of that fact will quite obviously diminish the universe of people that would consider buying and living within the premises?

Metaphysics and the constraints of legal determinism don't blend well.

Further, not all locations remain haunted after the death of an individual.

BleachedAnusDawg

I was once in line to buy a house in 2011 or 2012 and the seller chose to disclose in the final paperwork that their son had committed suicide in one of the bedrooms by blowing his brains out. The place would've been a great buy for young and single BAD, but it was too weird of vibes for me to pull the trigger on the deal.