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

Parkhead that’s awful, so sorry to read.

It did put me off, I saw a beautiful house but the estate agent said the man was selling it because his son hung himself in the lounge and couldn’t be in the house anymore.

I was once asked by an estate agent we'd instructed to sell our property whether we would consider buying a house where a murder had taken place. He wasn't seeing us as prospective buyers for that particular property, as we were moving away from the area, but just wanted our objective opinion as buyers. His company had been instructed to sell the property and he really didn't know how to go about it, as it was the first time he had experienced anything like that!

A suicide in the house or even knowing the details of a natural death inside the house would probably put me off buying- I'm not completely 'woo' but I'd definitely be worried about what the house would feel like and if I'd be comfortable in it. I lived with a friend in her flat for a few days (meant to be months) when I was 17 and I felt so uncomfortable there. Turned out there had been a tragic suicide in the room I had been sleeping in and I've never forgotten the feeling of dread I had whilst staying there. My friend committed suicide a few months after I left and I've always wondered whether it had anything to do with the flat.

Thankfully DH and I live rurally in a noteable farmhouse that's been owned by the same family since it was built and we know that none of them died in the house. Some died in a fire in another building on our land and I don't go near it for fear of getting a bad feeling.

It wouldn't put me off at all.

Suicide, no. If anything I would really want to make the house a happy place again

I did view a house once and not buy it because the owner had murdered his step daughter in the cellar (then texted her Mum, then hung himself in a wood nearby)

I just felt awful in there

This happened in my current home. I just didnt want to know which room. We were gutting it anyway, never think about it. A very high profile murder happened on our road a good few years ago and was sold quickly. They still replay the documentary, now I wouldnt gave bought that. No one could understand why it wasnt flattened

It would only put me off if I thought it would affect resale value.

Personally for myself it wouldn't make any difference in the slightest, but clearly lots of people are superstitious about stuff like this, so it's something to look into.

We knew the husband of the previous owner of our house had killed himself and I did ask where (not in the house) - it was 40 years ago and I think it might still have put me off if it had been in the house. Thankfully the house has a lovely atmosphere but yes I think it would put me off no matter how much I'd like to think it wouldn't.

I think the only problem is if you're told about it then you let your imagination run riot so it's not helpful to burden someone else with what is to us hugely significant but to them irrelevant information. When we sold my mil's house it didn't occur to us to say that my DH's mother, father and sister had died there (all natural causes over a period of 40+ years). We weren't being devious, but ghosts are obviously made up and we don't have to mention births - why deaths?

Yes, it would put me off

Don't fancy this house then OP?

www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/19023815.inside-house-sale-125-000-man-buried-garden/

It would put me off. Only because once you know, you can’t un-know. And it’s different to someone passing away peacefully in old age. It’s quite tragic. Googling the hell out of all properties I view from now on!!

@Gilesmummy

Oh and it wasn’t a “clean “suicide... I think I’m more upset that the agent didn’t tell us which he is obligated to do by law

It’s the deception that would bother me the most. What else are they not being transparent about?

I have said this on similar threads - people do far worse things in their properties than die. I wouldn't be put off at all.

No wouldn't bother me.

A close friend committed suicide and his partner and kids still live in the house and we visit and stay over. I'm surprised if she'd have to declare it on sale, it's not like a murder.

It wouldn’t put me off.

I would move in with the attitude of making in my family home, and all the positive associations of that. Which would cancel out any negativity I think.

Horrible to think of the number of people who must have lost loved ones, tried to move to escape the memory, and then lost out to others making a profit off their loss.

My house was built in 1780 so I'm guessing it's seen all sorts of things go on in it but I got a good vibe from it when I viewed it and still do. I didn't ask the agent anything about deaths I didn't want to know.

If you don't buy the house, someone else will. You just have to decide if it a house that you are happy to buy and if you have a good feeling about. If you are having these doubts now then maybe it's not the right house for you. Go with your gut feeling.

It helps to stop using the phrase ‘committed suicide’.

A person who has died by suicide was someone who was very ill, and sadly did not recover. You might as well ask if you would be uneasy living in a house where someone had died young from cancer, or a heart condition.

I would not buy it, and I think I would say why to the estate agent too.

Yes I would be put off.
Murder or suicide. Probably not if an elderly/ natural death.

Our next door neighbour sadly committed suicide at home 4 years ago. His widow would like to sell & move, waiting for Covid situation to pass. Will see if it affects interest / price.

It’s bricks and mortar ffs. No, it wouldn’t put me off.

It's not the dead you have to be afraid of it's the living OP sadly there will always be history to a house tbh it wouldn't put me off buying I would feel sad that the previous owner felt that there was no way out