Would a suicide put you off buying?

[Gilesmummy]

We went to view a house yesterday, gorgeous property in the country.. the agent has known the vendor for many years, in fact he sold it to them.
I asked him loads of questions and asked is there anything else we need to know, he replied that “no nothing “ he said he was obliged to tell me if there was..
When we got home I was doing research on the property and found out that one of the owners had committed suicide within the house..
Apart from feeling sad that this had happened here I’m in two minds whether to go ahead and buy..
It made me go cold to think that had happened but I’ve got two ongoing questions... if I came to resell, would you it put you off buying the house? And If so would you pay less for it.. statistics say that suicides can reduce a resale price by up to 40%..

It’s a totally unique house so it’s not like I can go elsewhere and purchase an identical property...
All opinions appreciated
GM

Honestly it would put me off.

I've mostly lived in newish houses and know no one has ever died in them. A peaceful death I could probably cope with knowing about/ living with but not a traumatic death especially relatively recently.

That said, a family member bought a big house back in the 1980s, they spent a great deal of money refurbishing it and it was beautiful. One of the rooms however was rarely used and my relative (who was quite woo) said it had an odd atmosphere, despite being a small room with a huge window it always felt cold and dark. Anyway they did some digging for information and found out someone was killed in the 1940s in the 'parlour' as said room would have been described then. After that my relative said they actually felt better for knowing, redecorated the room, repurposed it and used it regularly until they downsized to a smaller property many years later.

It would put me off. Communities have a long memory about these things and to your neighbours, it will always be "the house / kitchen / bedroom where X died". It's to do with the sadness of a suicide, a troubled soul rather than the death itself; quite different from an elderly person dying quietly in their own bed.
That said, if it was an unusual property and my dream home in every other way, perhaps I would try to be sensible and put mind over matter.

I would be put off buying through that estate agent if you're certain he has to tell you by law and it's not an urban legend. What else is he hiding.

I'm not sure if it would put me off as a suicide alone. Ultimately it depends on the house and how much you love it.

Is it the room you/someone will sleep in?
A guest room isn't so bad.

What about when you're alone?

I wouldn't buy it.

McCorina - I live on the road of a murder suicide around 5 years ago. The people who bought the house have pretty quickly managed to help us all move on from that a bit. Their having two small children and a very lovely spaniel helps a lot. Only every now and then I wonder about how they feel there. It’s such a huge thing to absorb as a street and for them.

Estate agents do have to disclose suicides/murders but only if you ask - and usually that means asking directly. The estate agent didn’t lie, they just didn’t give you all of the information (assuming they knew themselves - you didn’t say whether this was the most recent owner).

Death in a property wouldn’t necessarily bother me - I think you can get a good feel for a house when you walk around it. If nothing felt off I’d go for it.

If the house had something severely wrong with it that was causing so much stress to the owner that they killed themselves I wouldn't buy it, but otherwise it wouldn't be a problem. It's just 4 walls which had nothing to do with the events inside the building.

We are buying a property at the moment where we know the elderly owner died, it doesn’t put us off the property, as it was clearly a well looked after & loved home. It was a natural death, rather than a suicide, but a suicide would put me off a property either, if it was the right property.

It would put me off. Communities have a long memory about these things and to your neighbours, it will always be "the house / kitchen / bedroom where X died

That's true. There is a house in our rural area[you say it is a house in the country]. He was the sort of person that everyone knew. We know how he died, where in the house, why, and even who he last spoke to.

Wouldn't put me off. The woman who lived in my dms house before her was found dead with a broken neck at the bottom of the stairs. The house is lovely. No issues.

I sold my mums house when she died. She died out in the garden. I always wanted to tell the buyers somehow because we had quite a bit to do with each other, liked each other etc and I thought it would make a difference and perhaps reassure them. Everyone told me not to and I wasn’t exactly in my best place. I had told the estate agent.

Bloody hell, they don’t cover these things in the parent/child handbook do they ?!

@lightand

It would put me off. Communities have a long memory about these things and to your neighbours, it will always be "the house / kitchen / bedroom where X died

That's true. There is a house in our rural area[you say it is a house in the country]. He was the sort of person that everyone knew. We know how he died, where in the house, why, and even who he last spoke to.

This is a really good point!

@Shaniac oooo err - not sure Id be totally ok with that!

It would put me off, yes.

I find it incredibly distasteful that you’re thinking about how to leverage this for a price reduction.

Yes, but I can’t articulate why!

Our house was owned by one family since 1908 at least the last owner died in it for sure, I’m more than certain his parents and grandparents probably did too.

We have a very colourful happy home, death is just one tiny fraction of life.

My dd was murdered in a flat we own, although she wasn't found in it.
My nephew, partner and kids now live there.
They are more than happy to live there (rent-free) It's a happy home full of laughter.
I've only been back a couple of times (in 5years)

Yes it would put me off . ☹️

@ParkheadParadise. Im so so sorry for your loss thats a horrific thing to live with.

A man in the house next door to DM hung himself on the stairs. When it was put up for sale there was a photo looking down the stairs (weird angle in itself) and I just knew it was not a house I could live in.

Mind you, that house has had a weird vibe for years - fine for ages then someone moved in who had totem pole type figures in the lounge. DM often heard sounds from next door when she knew they were away, it really creeped her out. Since then there have been numerous change of tenant, two fires and this death by suicide. Not a happy house.

@ParkheadParadise

My dd was murdered in a flat we own, although she wasn't found in it. My nephew, partner and kids now live there. They are more than happy to live there (rent-free) It's a happy home full of laughter. I've only been back a couple of times (in 5years)

I am so sorry this happened to your family

Yes it would put me off I’m afraid. I lived/worked in a building where a teenager had jumped off the balcony. There was an awful vibe about the place. Everyone there felt the same way. I couldn’t wait to leave.

parkhead so sorry to read this. I remember over the years you disclosing this in threads where you’ve been incredibly helpful and strong and also got good support etc. Support always.

It would upset me a little bit but probably wouldn’t put me off buying if everything was otherwise perfect.

It wouldn’t put me off