7 Real-life Haunted Houses for Sale Today
Could you stomach living with a spirit? These haunted properties are on the market right in time for Halloween. Paranormal activity is just one of the ways a property can become stigmatized, and 2 in 3 survey respondents wouldn’t be willing to buy a property the previous owner believed was haunted.
Everything from ghost sightings to unnatural deaths and flying objects have been observed in the properties below. Read on and see for yourself if one of these real-life haunted houses could be your next home-sweet-home.
1. LaVeta Place, Nyack, NY
The first and most famous haunted listing is known as LaVeta Place. It’s also the property at the center of the landmark legislation known as “The Ghostbuster Ruling”. In 1991, former owner Helen Ackley listed the property for sale but failed to disclose its haunted past to a prospective buyer — even though she’d published tales of phantom footsteps and shaking beds in Readers Digest.
Once the buyer caught wind of the hauntings he wanted nothing to do with the property and the New York Supreme Court agreed with him. Now, disclosing hauntings and other stigmas is required by law in the state.
The house, listed at $1,850,000, has had some notable owners since the infamous ruling, including Ingrid Michealson and Matisyahu (although they both claim they never saw ghosts in the home).
2. Historic Frankfort house, Frankfort, Illinois
When producers set out to film 2018 horror film “The Girl in the Third Floor Window,” they wanted a real-life haunted house to film at. They settled on the historic Frankfort house, an Illinois property well known for its paranormal activity.
Legend says that two young girl’s died in the third floor bedroom. One was brutally raped and murdered after being mistaken for a prostitute, and the other died at the age of 10 from fever after immigrating to America. Strange activity has been observed in the home ever since, from exploding objects to unexplained temperature drops. One former tenant even claimed to hear the screams of young girls.
3. John Wayne Gacy property, Chicago, Illinois
Another Illinois property used to be the home of serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Also known as the Clown Killer, Gacy murdered at least 33 young men and boys. Twenty six of the bodies would be uncovered in the crawl space of his home.
The house was demolished, but the lot lives on at 8215 W Summerdale Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. You can buy it today for $435,000 if you’re willing to live on land with such a dark past.
4. Loftus Hall, Langford, Ireland
The most haunted house in Ireland is for sale at a cool price of $2,870,000, featuring 22 rooms and 63 acres of property. Satan himself is said to have visited the mansion during the 18th century. The devil arrived disguised as a mysterious sailor in the middle of the night and was given shelter. During his stay, the owner’s daughter spotted his cloven hooves and he erupted through the ceiling — she was traumatized and died shortly thereafter, and now her ghost haunts the halls.
Since then, the property has been used for haunted tours and overnight stays. The current sellers hope the new owner keeps the house’s haunted past alive.
5. Maplecroft, Fall River, MA
The macabre surrounding Lizzie Borden is so well known that she even has her own nursery rhyme. If you haven’t heard it, just know that it starts with “Lizzie Borden bore an ax” and ends with the murder of both her stepmother and father.
Now, you can buy her former home in Fall River, Massachusetts. This property is not the scene of the actual murders, but it is the house she lived in after she was acquitted. Since her passing, paranormal investigators have felt the presence of her ghost.
6. Villa Fortuna, Reidsville, NC
If you’re looking for a haunted fixer-upper, cruise over to North Carolina. While Villa Fortuna isn’t currently liveable, the Victorian home is selling for $99,900 and new owners will have a chance to restore it to its former glory.
Beware that uninvited guests may come along with the property. The current owner acknowledges that a ghost calls it home as well, and has made its presence known by moving objects such as shoes across the floor and filling the patio with the lingering smell of cigar smoke.
7. The Sound Rock Castle, Key Largo, FL
You can gain waterfront access to the Florida Keys if you’re willing to live with the spirit of this castle’s former owner. “The Haunted House on Largo Sound” is well known in the area for its paranormal activity and unique architecture. The castle walls are made of coral rock, which made it impenetrable to the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 (other homes and families in the area weren’t so lucky).
Itching for more unexplained mysteries? Check out our real-life Halloween horror stories.
Source: Karlyn is a writer who specializes in the real estate and home insurance spaces. She believes the best ingredients for success are passion and purpose.
