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Haunted Houses Halloween treat for first time buyers

23/10/07

'HAUNTED' HOUSES COULD BE A HALLOWEEN TREAT FOR FIRST TIME BUYERS
  •  Over half of first time buyers would be willing to put in an offer on a 'haunted' house
  • 30% of curious first time buyers even keener to view a property with a 'spooky secret'
  • Over two fifths would try to negotiate a less scary price for their haunted house.

Over half of first time buyers would not be put off by the prospect of sharing their home with a ghostly tenant.

According to a Halloween property survey by Yorkshire Bank Mortgages, over half of first time buyers (54%) would not be put off buying their dream house even if it was haunted. Just 19% of those saving for their first home said spooky stories of supernatural sightings in a property would make them reconsider an offer. And over a quarter even said they would be more inclined to view a 'haunted' property out of sheer curiosity.

Despite their apparent disregard of things that go 'bump in the night', 44% first time buyers admitted it wouldn't stop them using a resident ghost as a bargaining tool.

Gary Lumby, Yorkshire Bank's head of retail, said: "We all know to look out for damp patches and cracks in the walls when viewing a home, but it could prove a little trickier to spot a supernatural problem with your potential property! Doing your research in the local can really pay off when it comes to negotiating a sale price.

Yorkshire Bank's research found that currently 10% of homeowners think their home is haunted. Interestingly, 79% of people didn't view sharing their home with a ghostly presence as a reason to sell up. 

Not so superstitious in the South

  • Just 7% of Londoners believe that their house may be haunted, compared to 15% of residents in the North East
  •  Buyers in the North West are the most likely to pull out of a 'spooked' sale, with 43 % saying they would consider withdrawing their offer (national average - 30%)
  • More than twice as many North East residents (43%) would consider selling their 'haunted' house than those in the South West (14%), who are the least likely to sell up and leave their ghostly resident behind
  • 59% of people in the North West would be too scared to put in an offer on a 'haunted' property, 11% more than the national average of 48% and 20% more than those in the South East (39%)
  •  39% of East Midlands residents would be more inclined to view a 'haunted' property, the highest proportion of 'ghost house hunters' in the UK
  •  Only 1% of those in the South East would be put off making an offer on a property if they thought a black cat had brought them bad luck by crossing their path on a viewing

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