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St Louis Home Buyers:How to Find if Someone Died in a House

RIPRest in Peace or Real Estate in Peace:Things You May or May Not Want to Know about a Home for Sale

It seems that every Halloween is accompanied by news stories about haunted houses, graveyards, etc. and this year is no exception. Let’s take a look at a couple of news items that have been trending lately:

How to Find Out if Someone Died in a Home for Sale

In most states (including Missouri) sellers are not required to disclose if anyone ever died in their home. DiedInHouse.com  is a new site that wants to give home buyers the tool to find out for themselves. For $11.99, you can search the site to see if any death notices exist that are connected to a specific address. They sort through a database of death records pulled from multiple sources that document deaths in or on residential properties.

Do You Really Want to Know if Someone Died in a Home?

That’s really the question.  Some of us would feel more at peace if we had this information.

On the other hand, we all gotta go sometime, so what better place than at home?  For some individuals, however, knowing this kind of information can be a bit disturbing. It’s kind of like my adult children saying to me, “Dad you wouldn’t believe some of the things we used to do.” Well, I might believe it … but I’d rather not know about it!

Haunted Houses and Homes Near Graveyards

Another bit of news trending: Would you feel weird living in a “haunted” house or near a cemetery?  The 2013 Haunted House Report (not a joke) found that more than half of the 1,400 people polled said they’d be fine buying a “Haunted” house.  However, these respondents said they would expect a discount.  34% said they would buy a haunted home if it were discounted 1 to 30 percent, and 22 percent said they would buy the place if it was discounted 31 to 50 percent.

The Warning Signs that a Home Could be Haunted

The people being surveyed believed the following are signs that the place could be haunted:

  1. 61 percent say a cemetery on the property
  2. 50 percent say a home that is over 100 years old
  3. 45 percent considered quick transitions in owners could be an indicator
  4. 45 percent say an unexplainable low price on the home
  5. 43 percent say a home’s close proximity to a battlefield could be another sign

Homes Close to Cemeteries Sell for MoreHomes Near Cemeteries Sell for More

Some in the real estate community were dying to know: do homes near a cemetery sell for more or less than a home farther away from the cemetery?  Redfin, a national real estate franchise, put their geeks on the project comparing the price of houses 50 feet from the cemetery with homes 100-1000 yards away.

The Results

The numbers showed that on average, houses nearest the cemetery sell for more per square foot.  The ones closest to the graveyard sold for $162 per square foot compared to $145 per square foot for homes  that were more than 500 yards away.  If you think about it the closer you live to the cemetery the quieter the neighborhood and the less chance of that property ever being developed for the newest Wal-Mart. Now on a lighter note …

Cheetos Project TPCheeto’s Project TP Lets You Digitally Paper the World

We almost forgot to tell you:  Cheetos (one of the 4 basic snack foods) has now made it possible for you to actually TP your friends and neighbors homes this year without having to leave your home!  It’s called the TP project and it lets you virtually TP almost any address you type in.  Click here to try it out and start digitally TPing today!

If you find yourself in a cemetery this Halloween season, or just out trick or treating, and want to know if there are any homes for sale nearby; take our mobile app with you on your smartphone. You can get it here

 

 

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