How would you feel if you found out a previous owner of your house was murdered in it?

[justfliptheswitch]

Would it creep you out? I just read an old article about a murder in 1906 where two people were murdered in their house and it actually listed the address.

And likely the people that own it now over 100 years later might have no clue what happened. So it made me wonder whether it would change my mind if I found out something like that about my own home.

Pissed off, aren't murder houses supposed to be cheap?! That's what all the horror movies say.

Who mentioned magic?

Well the only people who worry about things like that are the people who believe in supernatural forces and woo, aren't they?

Yep, it took a while and sold for a significant amount under its value - I think something like $150,000 less.

Personally, a murder or a dark history wouldn’t bother me at all. But I used to work in a slightly gruesome career and grew up in a ‘haunted’ house.

It wouldn't bother me at all to buy a home where someone was murdered. But I wouldn't want to buy a house that was the scene of of a 'notorious' murder and that has become a source of 'curiosity' or 'pilgrimage' for looky-loos or true crime 'fans'. A few years ago friends of DS1 bought a beautiful Victorian that was the site of multiple murders by a notorious serial killer in the '80s. Every now and again (when it's been back in the news or on a true crime show) they have people stopping to stare at the house or take pictures. They've also had to put up a wrought iron fence & gate to stop people walking up on the porch to have their pictures taken or do selfies. I think that's really creepy and I wouldn't want to have to deal with that.

It wouldnt bother me at all.
But, like @AcrossthePond55 said, I probably wouldnt want a notorious murder site as my home, because of the potential for people to come have a nosy

It would put me right off.
In saying that when I bought my house (only a year ago) we had access to information on anyone who had died in the house. Is that not the case for all of the UK?

I’ve never heard of that before and would be interested to know as my DGM died (peacefully) in my parents home.

To answer the OP, knowing someone had died in the home would play on my mind, so I definitely would have difficulty knowing someone had been murdered there.

A lot of the houses where infamous murders took place are demolished ie Fred West aka Cromwell St Myra Hindleys grannys house the house where April Jones probably was killed etc

Yes, that would put me off.

No if I definitely never consider a house where a recent murder took place.

If I found out after I’d bought it, I guess I’d just have to learn to live with it, but if I knew in advance it would put me right off. Irrational probably, but it would. There was a well known murder in a village near me and It pops into my head every time I pass the road sign to the village!

It wouldn’t bother me in the slightest. It’s not like being murdered is catching.

Oh how horrible. I'm so sorry you lost your dad in such a terrible way.

Hugs to all those on this thread who have suffered loss.

This happened near us - an absolutely notorious case in the 1990s where a man killed his family and set the house on fire. Current owners had no clue and only found out when journalists came knocking on the 25th anniversary of the crime. I wonder if they regret buying it knowing they will likely have journalists beating a path to their door on every significant anniversary for years to come.

It genuinely wouldn’t bother me in general. If it was recent, and part of some sort of gang crime where the house may still be on a target list, possibly different. But the death in and of itself wouldn’t worry me.

UK culture is so weird and uncomfortable about death, especially death that doesn't occur in a hospital or hospice -- assuming your house is not very new, someone is almost bound to have died in it! The housing stats say that 65% of all UK housing stocks dates from pre-1980 (20% pre-1919, 15% dates from 1919-1944), so chances are very high.

Three people have died in the house I grew up in during my lifetime (I'm 50).

Sorry for your loss RaggedSofa

Me too. But I have. Twice.
First time it was the first house we bought together once married (back in 1997)
House was 50m away from old area. It was sold by the bank as a repossession.
In Scotland so Missives move fast & legally locked in quite quickly. After that point I asked to go back to measure up for curtains etc (1st house, all excited...). Youngish lass from agency showed us in but wouldn't come in. As we left she was upset & said: 'someone should have told you'. It transpired it was sold as the man person in the family had murdered the female person & then killed himself. (it had been thought she'd died tragically but later transpired it was murder)

It was really upsetting. I'd not had the choice to 'know' before purchase (we looked into backing out legally but we were not able to do so). It was on a small estate & everyone knew & everyone wanted to have a nose & many thought it funny we didn't know ('outsiders'...). The teenage child of the two unfortunate people turned up a couple of times, very upset that we were living in her Mum & Dads house. That was really hard. I invited her in for a cuppa & let her talk.
My (now ex) H was furious. He thought 'she was a nutter' (nice man he turned out to be) but she just needed to process what had happened, poor lass.

We sold it 2 years later. Not because of the history but because of the established drug dealer neighbours. We'd done a lot of work in the house & it looked 'loved' by then. We had no trouble selling it perhaps because it had been a 'sad' crime rather than an especially horrific one.

Next house was 130 years old. Again, 50m away (!) Moved in. Went to village Playgroup. 'Oh, you've not bought that house'. Fabulous. Turns out it is even mentioned in 'haunted' research. There is one area of the basement I won't go near & whole house defo has an atmosphere. Hope my next move is quieter...

it wouldn’t bother me one bit 😄