Unexplained bumps in the night, cold spots in the house and even a ghostly apparition are all telltale signs of a haunting you may see in a horror movie. Or they could be from a friend recounting an experience in their childhood home.
They could even be what you’re experiencing in your own home now.
Whether you consider yourself a skeptic, are a reluctant believer, or feel spirits and energies are drawn to you to communicate, there’s no denying that plenty of people fall under each of these three categories.
“Among homeowners who have lived in a haunted house, they said they knew their home was haunted because of strange noises, feeling like they were being touched or watched, strange shadows around the home, and having a haunted feeling in certain rooms,” says Jaime Seale, spokesperson for real estate education platform Clever. Others say they’ve actually seen a ghost in their home, reports Seale.
Either way, once a person has determined a house is haunted, what’s the next step? Some choose to steer clear of buying a home with paranormal tenants, some are drawn to the space, and others simply don’t care.
Wherever you are in the process, we’re breaking down the possible signs your house is haunted, whether you should buy a haunted house, and the potentially non-paranormal causes of the common symptoms associated with haunted houses.
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Signs That May Make You Believe Your House Is Haunted
There are plenty of little events that can make you wonder if there’s a spirit or energy with you at home. It may feel sinister, but a haunting can be friendly, says Sterling Moon, a psychic medium and tarot card reader, whose book “Talking to Spirits” published in February 2023.
In a cozy haunting, as Moon calls it, “it’s like I have good roommates who pay their rent on time and do the dishes, but we never see each other.”
Positive, negative or relatively benign, here are some signs that Moon says could mean your house is haunted:
— Recurring electrical and power problems. Flickering lights are a classic horror movie trope, but they can often be logically explained as an electrical issue. However, Moon points to consistent and ongoing electrical, appliance and power-draining issues as a potential sign that there are energies in the house playing around. Electrical problems, even after having an electrician address issues, phone batteries that won’t stay charged at home but are fine elsewhere, and appliances randomly turning on and off are all things to look for.
— Unexplained noises at the same time of day or night. A creaky house is common, especially if the place is old — the foundation settles, loose plaster falls between walls or a shift in bed can make a floorboard creak. But if you’re hearing consistent noises that you can’t quite explain at similar times of day or night, Moon says this could be something else. “Sometimes the noises will happen at very specific times. They will feel like they’re almost in response to something else,” she says.
— Strange smells. Smells that don’t appear tied to anyone or anything around could be from other energies in the home. Think the smell of cigar smoke even though you’re a lifelong nonsmoker or the smell of coffee even though no one’s drinking or making any.
— Feeling of being watched. That eerie feeling you’re being watched could be because you’re not quite alone in the room. However, not all hauntings are a deceased person or energy tied to the house — Moon says there are times when a deceased friend or relative is checking in during moments of particular happiness, sadness or stress. “There are just those moments when you feel that they are close,” she says.
— Dreams. It’s hard to distinguish whether a dream is tied to what’s happening in your home, and can easily be dismissed as “just a dream,” but if you’re dreaming about a person you’ve never met, it may be tied to other goings on in your house. “Dream visitations are very common,” Moon says.
— Shadows, visions and apparitions. Plenty of people will swear they witnessed a haunting when they saw an apparition of a person before them when they were wide awake, and others will recollect shadows that can’t be attributed to people or objects. These are hard to both prove and disprove, so it’s up to the individuals believing what they saw and the individuals being told about it to believe what they hear. “A lot of times it’s out of the corner of your eye,” Moon says.
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Can You Sell a Haunted House?
A house with a reputation for ghostly apparitions or violent spirits may be harder to sell, but it’s still possible to sell your home. Especially if you’ve kept the property up to date, you’re likely to find a fair share of buyers who won’t care about a few spooky experiences.
“Different buyers will probably have different opinions on whether a haunted house is a deal-breaker,” says Seale. “For some buyers, a haunting can definitely add to the character of a home and it may actually be a selling point, especially among those who are really interested in the supernatural. These buyers are probably in the minority, though, with most people wanting a home that’s not already inhabited. That said, it may be more difficult to find a buyer when it’s time to sell.”
If you’ve kept your house’s haunted status to yourself, in most cases you may prefer not to say anything about it in seller disclosures or to your real estate agent. However, there are at least four states that specifically mention paranormal activity in their laws about required seller disclosures — Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey and New York. However, many more states require reporting a known murder, death or violent crime if it occurred on the property.
Disclosing a death on the property could turn some buyers off, but others won’t be bothered by it. Work with your real estate agent to frame any stigmatizing disclosures in the best light possible, and whether it may lead to your home being valued lower than other similar properties.
[Read: How Does Selling a House As-Is Work?]
Other Explanations for Hauntings
Although it can be spooky fun to tell stories about haunted houses, home professionals caution that it’s unlikely to be the case. Instead, the culprit is generally deferred maintenance or imperfect repairs that have been made over the years.
“Unexplained noises in older homes often come from natural wear and tear over time,” says Javier Toro, owner and home inspector with Orlando Inspex in Orlando, Florida. “Creaking floors, knocking pipes and rattling windows are all common due to settling foundations, aging plumbing or temperature fluctuations causing expansion and contraction. Flickering lights are usually caused by electrical issues such as loose wiring, outdated fixtures or fluctuations in the power supply.”
Toro cautions that signs of hauntings need to be checked out by a building professional before you call in a paranormal investigator, since they can be signs of hidden problems.
“Keep in mind that we are a DIY nation, and the older the home, the more time there has been for someone to make improper repairs or modifications,” says Toro. “This is why having a professional inspector is so important.”
Just because a house has problems, though, doesn’t mean they’re incurable. You can often fix the symptoms of a haunting with some simple repairs to your current or future home.
“I tell buyers that regardless of the stigma behind a house and or rumors, they should first and foremost be comfortable living in the property,” says Nicole Brown, global real estate advisor at Corcoran Icon and home flipper in the San Francisco Bay area.
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Brown says that most of the symptoms of hauntings can be cured, depending on what’s going on:
— Opening doors and cool spots. “Buyers may look at replacing windows and exterior doors, possibly replacing interior doors and even molding and hardware around the doors to ensure that they shut properly and stay shut,” says Brown. “Windows may need replacement or possibly may need to have caulking around them to ensure that no air or water intrusion is possible.”
— Noisy floors. “Creaking floors may need to be replaced or refinished or, quite possibly, their underlayment checked to make sure that they sit flush,” says Brown. “In some older homes it’s just part of the charm if you’d like to keep the vintage vibe.”
— Flickering lights. “In cases of flickering lights, you may have to update the wiring, update the panel and make sure that the correct wattage is used in light fixtures to ensure that lights don’t continue to flicker,” says Brown.
If you’re dead set on buying a home that’s rumored to be haunted, or you have one to sell, all is not lost. Your first call should be to a home inspector, though, and not the local priest.
“My advice would be to approach the purchase as you would any other home,” says Toro. “Focus on the property’s condition rather than its rumored history. Addressing maintenance problems or updating old systems can go a long way toward making the house feel more welcoming. And remember, the feeling of a haunted home can often be mitigated by improvements that increase comfort, safety and peace of mind.”
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Is Your House Haunted? originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 10/30/24: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
