The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

Vol. 13 No. 3 - October 31, 2012

REAL ESTATE

A haunted house can be a dud or a deal

 

It’s Halloween, the night when ghosts, goblins and paranormal activity is at its ultimate. But if your house is haunted, this particular holiday may not be much fun, since selling a stigmatized home is just one more challenge to overcome right up there with 20-year-old air conditioners and neighbors’ barking dogs.

A property can be stigmatized if it is associated with an event or situation that could negatively affect its chance of selling. Houses that are thought to be haunted or that were the sites of murders or suicides are often considered stigmatized.

In some states, sellers and their agents are required to disclose any information regarding a haunting to potential buyers. However, Florida does not have any statutory obligation written into its laws and, therefore, has a caveat emptor or buyer beware attitude regarding stigmatized properties.

There can be a couple of upsides to owning a house that has been stigmatized with the primary one being price. It’s not unusual for properties where murders have occurred, especially ones that attracted a lot of media attention, to sell below market value.

The townhouse in California where Nicole Brown Simpson was murdered in 1994 sat on the market for two years and was ultimately sold for $590,000, $200,000 below the asking price. The property was remodeled and the address changed before it resold in 2006 for $1.7 million, turning out to be a great deal for the owner.

Then, of course, there are people who are looking for homes with an interesting history they feel would add to the character of the property. A savvy homeowner can tap into a specialty niche of buyers who actually are looking for haunted houses to use as hotels or inns or just because they are either into the paranormal or just want to promote interesting dinner conversations.

Some haunted houses never sell, like the house where members of the Heaven’s Gate community in California committed mass suicide. It was eventually taken back by the bank and sold at a very deep discount. The Petit house in Cheshire, Conn. where a mother and her two daughters were murdered and the house burned five years ago has been turned into a park and place of remembrance.

Others are sold as unique and interesting properties with a fascinating history by people who do not mind living with the stigma and the possibility of ghosts or just don’t believe in them and see a good buying opportunity.

If you do, however, believe in ghosts you’ll be happy to know that most ghost busters maintain that ghosts generally haunt the houses they lived in and are not hostile. They can even be Casper like and befriend you and your family, making it possible to live happily and comfortably with them. That is until the For Sale sign gets planted on the front lawn when your friendly little mascot may not seem so cute.

Just like disclosing the age of your cooling system and roof, disclosing anything that may be a considered a stigma or a material fact about your home is an absolute. If you don’t want your real estate transaction to be haunted, the best thing is to be honest about any real or perceived defects in your home.

Hope your Halloween is booootiful, the ghosts friendly and the buyers qualified.

Real Estate Transactions
Real Estate Transfers from June 1 to June 30, 2012
Sponsored by Alan Galletto Island Real Estate

Sold Date | List Price | Sold Price | Address | Provision | Property Style

Anna Maria

08/31/2012 379,900 348,500 211 Elm Ave # B 749 2 Br/1 Ba Condo
08/03/2012 599,000 548,000 807 Jacaranda Road 2832 62.0x100.0 2 Be/2 Ba SFR
08/10/2012 400,000 380,000 317 Magnolia Ave. 1064 52.0x120.0 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
08/15/2012 800,000 800,000 108 Beach Ave. 2722 150.0x106.04 Br/3.5 Ba SFR
08/15/2012 589,000 565,000 311 Tarpon St. 1022 75.0x110.0 2 Br/2 Ba SFR
08/27/2012 600,000 649,000 212 Palmetto Ave. 1819 52.0x110.0 3 Br/2.5 Ba SFR
08/17/2012 415,000 375,000 300 N Shore Drive 1680 78x100 2Br/2.5Ba Inc, bank owned
08/06/2012 317,000 300,000 812 Jacaranda Road 61.0x108.0 Vac.
08/29/2012 975,000 875,000 749 North Shore Drive 60x125 + Vac.

Bradenton Beach

08/10/2012 115,000 115,000 1603 Gulf N Drive # 25 380 1 Br/1 Ba Condo, bank owned 08/22/2012 125,000 125,000 1603 Gulf N Drive # 28 380 1 Br/1 Ba Condo
08/10/2012 215,000 240,000 2306 Avenue C 1674 50.0x100.0 2 Br/2 Ba Inc., bank owned
08/01/2012 169,900 150,000 2508 Avenue C 50.0x100.0 Vac.
08/01/2012 169,900 150,000 2510 Avenue C 50.0x100.0 Vac.Cortez
08/31/2012 285,000 260,000 9604 Cortez Road # 234 1800 3 Br/ Ba Condo
08/07/2012 295,000 282,000 12416 Baypointe Terr. 139x98 Vac.

Holmes Beach

08/06/2012 349,000 310,000 6400 Flotilla Drive # 46 985 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
08/13/2012 435,000 392,500 7000 Gulf Drive # 206 1259 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
08/13/2012 1,625,000 1,460,000 3302 Gulf Drive # 201 2108 3 Br/2.5 Ba Condo
08/17/2012 425,000 410,000 5200 Gulf Drive # 501 1169 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
08/17/2012 349,900 329,000 3803 E Bay Drive # 9a 1949 3 Br/3 Ba Condo
08/20/2012 279,000 265,000 741 Manatee Ave. # 31 1179 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
08/31/2012 399,900 355,000 100 73rd St. # 101a 660 1 Br/1 Ba Condo
08/01/2012 299,000 280,000 7002 Marina Drive 905 11456 Units 2 Br/1 Ba SFR
08/03/2012 700,000 695,000 513 83rd St. 2519 90.0x103.0 4 Br/3.5Ba SFR
08/13/2012 899,000 885,000 238 S Harbor Drive 1959 2 Br/2 Ba SFR
08/17/2012 269,900 269,900 2711 Gulf Drive 1350 50.0x100.0 2 Br/2 Ba SFR, bank owned
08/21/2012 1,499,000 1,365,000 8401 Marina Drive 3311 94.0x100.0 4 Br/3.5 Ba SFR
08/22/2012 489,000 460,000 504 58th St. 1540 78.0x108.0 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
08/22/2012 427,900 427,900 7001 Holmes Blvd. 1324 88x112 2Br/2Ba SFR
08/23/2012 399,000 386,000 306 72nd St. # A 2616 4 Br/4 Ba SFR, Short Sale
08/24/2012 317,000 290,000 7201 Palm Drive 1134 103x85 2 Br/2 Ba SFR
08/24/2012 498,750 400,000 517 75th St. 1806 90.0x121.0 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
08/24/2012 389,000 382,000 231 S Harbor Drive 1441 2Br/2 Ba SFR
08/29/2012 499,000 475,000 605 Baronet Lane 2000 100x117 4Br/3 Ba SFR, Short Sale
08/31/2012 399,900 315,000 402 73rd St. 1744 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
08/31/2012 389,000 369,000 3009 Avenue E # 2 751 100.0x105.0 2 Br/1 Ba Villa
08/10/2012 559,000 515,000 200 S Harbor Dr # All 2722 94.0x106.0 5 Br/4.5 Ba Inc.

Source: Manatee County Property Appraiser’s Office


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