Just a fun little story for a Monday. It seems that potential home buyers in the United Kingdom are becoming increasingly concerned about the homes being haunted by ghosts. They also have lots of questions about cows. Also, I know the British spelling of certain words is a bit different, but I’m not sure what “estage” is. I’m guessing the author meant “estate.” Both times he used it.
A survey of independent estage agents from Move with Us says that 19% of questions asked by househunters viewing properties are about whether there are any ghosts living there already. Another 12% are animal-related of which a third are about cows. Only 13% asked about what is included in the property purchase and 6% about neighbours.
Among the cases ruled on by the Ombudsman Services in the past year was one in which the buyer argued that he noticed some kind of ghostly presence in the home he had intended to buy but that the estate agent had not mentioned that it was haunted and so wanted his deposit back. The Ombudsman found for the estage agent.
There are actually laws in the United States regarding homes with ghosts in them, and how the buyer is protected if the seller doesn’t disclose the information. The home would be considered a stigmatized property, and the seller is required to inform the buyer of any alleged haunting.
