Buying a house where a tragedy happened

[Canistayinbed]

Would you?

House near me is up for sale, in the 60’s a father murdered 5 members of his family then killed himself. I couldn’t even bring myself to view the house let alone buy it.

Houses that have had fatal fires, been renovated and ready for occupancy again. Nope.

Id be awake at night ruminating over things and never get any sleep, I know it seems stupid. Anyone else the same? Or do you live in such a place and aren’t bothered by it?

I'd be fine as long as I wasn't the first owner. I'd want some happy memories to soak into the house first.

TW - rape / child abuse / violence

A dream house in my dream area became affordable when I was a early 20s and it was just my eldest dc and I.
I was considering going to view it and i was super excited until I was told (just local gossip) that a local child charity boss had been arrested for holding sex workers captive in a home made dungeon. He was also a prolific paedophile. (He went to prison and immediately reoffended upon release, cunt!)
Anyway, I couldn't have lived there knowing women had been held captive etc, I'd probably be okay with a suicide or fire, as long as I did something that gave me a bit of comfort, (obviously it would be for my piece of mind, not the victims) such as made a donation to a relevant organisation or the planting something in memory of the person or people.

i’d do it. but i’d maybe sage the house / make offerings just incase there were any family members that were killed that hadn’t quite passed over yet.

There was a house came up near my parents in law where a murderer had lived. he didn't kill his victim there, but a lot of the evidence was disposed of there.
We were seriously tempted as houses on this estate, do not come up very often, and this one was a bargain price.
We didn't in the end, but the people who have bought it have completely transformed it and it's lovely.

It would not bother me.

After when you buy period properties it is likely that at some point someone died/was injured/had a very unhappy life or whatever in the house throughout its history.

It is rare to know the full history of old houses so many of us could be living somewhere where something really dodgy happened...you can always do some sort of ritual 'cleansing' of the house if that makes you feel better.

There's a house on our road where the lady died in the kitchen and was undiscovered for 3 or more weeks. Plus she was eaten a bit by her dogs. The people who bought the house knew this for sure. But they've subsequently sold it on and I've no idea if the new owners know its history. And I'm not going to tell them!

None of these things would bother me, unless there was a criminal connection and therefore people could target my home or if I thought it was haunted!

It's a bit ghoulish. I'd like to think any victims would be at peace/happy in heaven. I'd hate to be a loved one thinking that others see their family member's tragedy as somehow being a stain on a property or that they must be in perpetual suffering ready to spook a new homeowner :(

I live at 13 Elm Street which people often say sounds like an unlucky address.

Difficult question... I guess you could try and flip the story, and set out to fill it with happiness instead. But I think you would always have a niggle in your mind about what happened where, and who died where, is it haunted, and so on...

@HelpMeGetThrough is the person in there now not the owner of the property? If so there's no way they cant know. By law it has to be disclosed if a murder or suicide has occurred within a certain time, im not talking victorian times for example as this can have a significant impact on the value and ease of resale of the property.

A house near us had a body buried under the patio! Been sold on a few times since .I think at first it seems to be unpopular ,but as time moves on seems to be forgotten or seems less important

Nope!
I'd constantly think about the murders that took place and the negative energy in the house. If DH went out for the eve, I just know it would overplay in my mind.

I would.
My mum, not. She has powerful memories of a presence in a house she lived in as a child. Has only ever bought brand new houses as an adult!

I think I'd at least view it and see how I feel.

Something awful could have happened in any house really and you could potentially never know about it.

We bought a 1980’s house as a family home,
great house. There was a guest room at the end of a corridor and it was always freezing.
i used to dream a lot of bits of paper and streams of numbers coming from that room into my bedroom, I would wake up completely panicking.
when we sold up (not related to the dreams at all) our neighbour told us that a previous owner had hung himself in our guest room.

My friend bought a house. Really good price for such a lovely area. As the removal men carried their stuff in a neighbour rushed over to tell them thet the son of the family had shot himself in the back bedroom. She had 2 children whilst living there and they have just sold up after 25 happy years. It's just bricks and mortar. You and your family make it a happy / unhappy place.

😂

In the 60's is 80 years ago
**
Now that IS terrifying…

That would make me think far more negatively of my new busybody neighbour than of the person who ended his life.

What kind of thought process would make any normal person think ‘Oh, a removal van next door! I’d better dash over under the guise of welcoming them to the area and tell them all about the suicide in the back bedroom, just so I can see their faces!’?

I grew up in a house with very steep stairs and an old man had fallen down them and died. Made my parents nervous but the kids thought it was exciting - in a macabre way

Hahaha, my thoughts too!

Wouldn't bother me.

Houses can have gruesome histories without it ending in murder. The house I spent my first 7 years of life in was a place where children were routinely abused. One of my earliest memories is the smell of burning when my father burned my brother with the iron (one of his favourite punishments as it's so easily explained at school - you can even get teachers to shake their heads and laugh with you at the silly child...). No-one now would ever know that if they were buying.

If the price reflected the house history, absolutely I would!

I wouldn’t.

I don’t care if it is superstitious or not.

I think sadness lingers so I wouldn’t knowingly live somewhere if I was aware something had happened there.

There is a house near me where the owner hung himself. It has been on sale for three years now. I presumed there was a probate issue until I saw the estate agent selling it has changed three times already.

I’m familiar with a small village where many women (mothers) have passed away from cancer. I wouldn’t live there as I think there are environmental issues causing these deaths rather than it being a coincidence.