Millennials Most Likely To Purchase A Haunted Home

Realtor.com has released its annual Haunted Real Estate Report – and the 2018 findings are spookier than one might expect. The new report found that one in three people – especially millennials – were willing to take a chance on a haunted home if there was something to sweeten the deal, while 18% of people say that the haunted nature of the home wouldn’t affect their purchase decision at all. When asked to decide between purchasing a haunted or non-haunted home, respondents fell into the following three categories:

– I’ll buy, but I need something more: A third of the respondents were willing to take a chance on a haunted home if presented with additional features. Topping the wish list was a cheaper home price (15%), followed by a tie between a larger kitchen and better neighborhood (9%). Millennials are the most price-sensitive of all demographics, with 17% persuadable by a lower price tag.

– Nothing else required: Surprisingly, 18% of people wouldn’t require any additional features to choose a haunted home over a non-haunted home. Nearly a quarter of those aged 35-54 said they wouldn’t be affected by the haunted nature of the home while making a purchase decision.

– Would not buy, not for anything: For the remaining 49%, there’s no price low enough or kitchen large enough to make them purchase a haunted home. The older generation of home buyers is the most reluctant to move into a haunted house, with 61% of those over 55 insisting that they would never buy a haunted home as opposed to 41% of millennials and Gen X’ers.

Living in a haunted home is more common than one would imagine, and not necessarily a surprise to the occupants. Nearly two in five people believe they have lived in a haunted (or possibly haunted) house and 44% of them either suspected or were fully aware of said haunting before moving in. In fact, the majority of people under 55 years old suspected – or were sure – their home was haunted before they moved in, a decision possibly incentivized by a lower home price or better neighborhood. Hearing strange noises (54%) topped the list of most common spooky behaviors, followed by odd feelings in certain rooms (45%) and erratic pet behavior (34%).

When posed with the hypothetical question of selling a haunted house, people were polarized on revealing its spooky status to potential buyers:

– Yes, tell them everything: The most popular approach is full transparency, with 34% of people saying they would tell interested buyers everything. Men and millennials are the most likely to divulge all the details to buyers.

– Only when asked: In the second place, 27% of people would choose the less risky route and divulge details only when asked.

– Mum(my)’s the word: Saying absolutely nothing is the third most popular approach for hypothetical sellers, with 22% preferring to stay quiet. This is a strategy preferred by 25% of those over 35 years old.

– No details please: The least popular selling strategy, at 17%, is to admit that the house was haunted but not provide details.