Ghosts and ghouls might attract more buyers but they’ll pay less for a haunted house, survey shows

Some 57% of people would be put off a house by the prospect of sharing it with a ghostly tenant and 51% would actually back out of a purchase if they discovered that the house came complete with an ethereal lodger during the process, the survey from Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks shows.
 
However, having a ghostly presence might actually increase the number of viewers a property gets. Almost half of those surveyed, 46%, confessed to having a sense of curiosity which would make them likely to view a property if they heard it was haunted.
 
Indeed, one in every two people questioned, 51%, admitted to being tempted to use the presence of a ghost as a bargaining tool to reduce the asking price with men more likely to try and haggle than women.
 
Homeowners are also wary of ghostly spectres and apparitions with two fifths, 40%, saying they would actually sell their property because of supernatural occurrences.
 
The survey also found that women would be less content about sharing their home with a ghoul compared to men. Over half of the women surveyed, 47%, said that they would not be happy to stay put if they heard bumps in the night, while only a third of men, 31%, would be bothered.
 
The survey also revealed that more than one in ten UK homeowners, some 13%, actually believes their house is haunted.   
 
As Halloween approaches the survey also found that 44% of house hunters would be put off if they saw crowds of children trick or treating nearby. And a further 12% of those surveyed admitted to being so superstitious that they’d be put off buying a home if a black cat crossed their path whilst viewing the property.  
 
‘It appears that the idea of a house being haunted is a double edged sword as it may attract more viewers but they are less likely to buy it or may try to push the price down,’ said Steve Reid, retail director for Clydesdale Bank.
 
‘In reality, 99% of noises and seemingly strange occurrences have perfectly reasonable explanations such as loose floorboards, birds nesting in the loft or a dodgy boiler. The best thing any homebuyer can do is get a good survey and read it thoroughly, rather than worry about ghosts and goblins,’ he added.