About 29% of Americans believe they’ve lived in a real haunted house—up from 24% in 2022, according to a new study from Real Estate Witch. The report revealed that nearly 2 in 3 homebuyers (63%) would only offer below market value for a haunted home, with 1 in 3 (31%) offering at least $50,000 less and 1 in 9 (11%) offering at least $100,000 less.
Few Americans are wanting to live in a haunted house, but among homeowners who have lived in a bewitched home, some 36% regret it, and 60% wouldn’t recommend it to others. The study shows some 52% of Americans would risk purchasing a haunted house, especially for a lower price. With high home prices and rising interest rates, ghosts are the least of homebuyers’ worries.
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Key Findings:
- About 29% of Americans believe they’ve lived in a real haunted house — up slightly from 24% who said the same in 2022.
Of those who have lived in a haunted house, 27% knew the house was haunted before they moved in and still chose to live there. - A staggering 95% of Americans say it’s important to feel safe in their home, but 57% of those who have lived in a haunted house say it scared them, and 43% say their home caused them stress.
- More than 1 in 3 haunted homeowners (36%) regret living in a haunted house, and 55% would not buy another home they knew was haunted.
- More than 2 in 3 Americans (68%) say the government should require sellers to disclose a haunted home, but only 31% of sellers would willingly tell the buyer if their home was bewitched.
- In 2023, 11% of sellers wouldn’t disclose a haunted house even if it was required by law, compared to 8% in 2022.
- More than half of Americans (52%) would consider purchasing a haunted house in 2023 — down from 58% in 2022.
- Although a majority of buyers would purchase a haunted house, 72% would feel uncomfortable doing so.
71% of Americans could be convinced to buy a haunted house to save money. - Nearly 2 in 3 home buyers (62%) would only offer below market value for a haunted home, with 1 in 3 (31%) offering at least $50,000 less and 1 in 9 (11%) offering at least $100,000 less.
- Americans say the most terrifying aspects of homeownership are all financial in nature: unexpected costs (50%), high interest rates (46%), and an inability to pay their mortgage (42%).
- Ghosts are scary, but 93% of Americans are more afraid of home repair problems, such as mold (60%), termites (57%), and a leaky roof (54%).
- Nearly half of Americans (48%) would rather live with ghosts than purchase a home near a nuclear waste facility.
- More Than 1 in 4 Homeowners Believe They’ve Lived in a Real Haunted House
- Nearly 3 in 4 Americans (71%) believe some properties are inherently more likely to be bewitched. Although hospitals, graveyards, and theaters are prime haunts for ghosts, so are American homes.
More than 1 in 4 respondents (29%) believe they’ve lived in a real haunted house. Of those, 27% knew the house was haunted and still chose to live there—a slight decline from the 31% who said the same in 2022. Americans are more likely to believe they’ve lived in a haunted house if they already believe in the supernatural.
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Millennials are the most likely to believe in the paranormal. Consequently, they are also the most likely to say they’ve roomed with ghosts. About 1 in 3 millennials (35%) claim they’ve lived in a haunted house, making them 2x more likely than boomers (15%) to say so. Haunted houses may scare off some homebuyers, but they can be surprisingly desirable to those who are more terrified of today’s high home prices.
A lower price convinced 40% of those who have lived in a haunted house to knowingly buy one, but that percentage is down from 69% in 2022. It’s possible that after two straight quarters of declining home sale prices, optimistic buyers are prioritizing homes that don’t come with unwanted roommates.
Americans also overlooked a few scary factors in exchange for:
- More square footage (38%)
- A larger yard or more land (38%)
- A better school district (34%)
- A better school district is the only factor that would make home buyers more likely to purchase a haunted house this year (34%) than in the previous year (28%). That’s because savvy home buyers know that houses in a good school district retain their resale value in case of a market crash.
To read the full report, including more data, charts, and methodology, click here [3].