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When buying a home, the common considerations are its location and physical attributes, and issues of a paranormal nature often an afterthought
You move into your new home, but as you settle in, a number of seemingly unexplainable occurrences continue to happen. Creaking footsteps are heard upstairs yet no one is there, doors slam unexplainably, lights flicker at random times, and common household items tend to be displaced from where they belong.
While you chalk it all up to coincidence, you eventually hear from your neighbors about some chilling story that has been retold and altered so many times that has made it difficult to separate fact from fiction, and is the reason for your home or community being believed to be haunted.
Before giving in to the rumors and selling your stigmatized property, there are steps that can possibly be taken in the event that the home you purchased indeed turns out to be haunted.
Q: What if I ended up purchasing a haunted house?
A: While the most ethical thing for all sellers and brokers to do is disclose any and all issues a property has, there are currently no existing laws in the Philippines that deems it illegal to not uphold the principle of caveat emptor, or “let the buyer beware,” with regard to the possible paranormal nature of a stigmatized home or property.
While finding out that your home may be haunted may have you considering obtaining a refund or nullifying your purchase, this, unfortunately, is not possible, not necessarily because of the supposed stigma associated with the property, but simply because the deed of sale has already been signed.
You can, however, attempt to refer to Article II, Section 2c of the Real Estate Service Act of the Philippines. This law states that a real estate broker must “endeavor to present the full disclosure of pertinent and material facts on the subject property in advertisements.”
In the event that among inquiries you made regarding the property were occupant history and you were not duly informed that a murder or other crime occurred on the property, that the previous resident committed suicide, or that the land was once a grave of some sort, then you may be able to make a case for your broker neglecting to follow the aforementioned law.
Understandably, this course of action is still highly dependent on a number of factors and the exact circumstances of the stigma surrounding your home, and hardly guarantees a resolution that leads to a nullified transaction or refund. In these cases, it is best to see a preferred legal expert to determine the most viable course of action.
So what else can I do about my haunted home?
Owning a stigmatized property poses a very unique challenge, particularly because even if the space has no major structural issues, it can still be valued lower than similar properties, due to the perceived psychological and emotional stress it may bring upon the occupant.
The thought of being “stuck” with a suddenly unwanted space should not deter you from making the most out of your home. After all, stigmatized does not equal unlivable, and some real world solutions may be what can best get your house disassociated with the paranormal one:
1. Repair, Renovate, and Redecorate
Ever consider the possibility that your house is not really haunted but just kind of looks like it? By updating its overall design, or at least fixing everything that what to be fixed, your home will become more contemporary, and any ghosts of the past will leave along with its old look.
After the work is done, your floors and ceilings will stop creaking, doors and windows will cease to swing loosely, creepy crawling pests will be kept at a minimum, and a more modern finish will help the home lose any eerie feeling it used to permeate. If plates, cups, and other objects inexplicably fall of tables or shelves, well, that brings us to what you can do next.
2. Seek the Assistance of a Paranormal Expert
Granted, the idea of paying for the services of a paranormal “expert” may seem like an absurd solution for skeptical owners, but it can prove helpful when trying to sell the property or returning it to normalcy in terms of its value. By having the immediate neighborhood witness the steps being taken to eliminate the supposed stigma on your home, it will help them believe a little less in the myths surrounding it.
Even some big name developers have worked with organizations specializing in the paranormal to cure or cleanse the properties they use for projects of any lingering bad spirits or energies, particularly when the location is one where a number of people have passed away. Indeed, the start to garnering positive vibes or energy is to make space for it by “eliminating” negative ones.
3. Make a Business out of Your Stigmatized Home
If all else fails and you cannot seem to shake the haunting that surrounds your home, or at least the perception of others that it is haunted, you might as well profit from it by offering it up as a tourist spot of sorts. You can work with the local tourism authority to have your home incorporated into the places marketed as a must-see in your area, or even set it up as a bed and breakfast with a spooky theme.
Follow the cue of places like The Villisca Axe Murder House in the United States. It is said that this Iowa home was the setting of a 1912 murder perpetrated by an unknown killer, who slaughtered six people while they slept in their beds. While a history that is truly unsettling, it may be a little embellished given the home is now a tourist attraction where guests can even stay the night, and is proof that stigmas shouldn’t really affect value or occupancy.
Main image via Shutterstock
