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Hardrock69
09-27-2007, 11:12 AM
Haunted Real Estate: A Primer for Real Estate Agents
Tips to Understand, Identify, and Tame those Poltergiests

Written by: Mary Pope-Handy from California
March 9th, 2007 - 7:19 am

Lights and electrical appliances that switch on and off by themselves, doorknobs turning with no visible explanation, moving “cold spots”, an odd sound or smell, and a creepy feeling that you are being watched –- what is going on? Despite what Hollywood portrays about more dramatic events, these are the likely symptoms (or “red flags,” if you are a real estate professional) that you might have a ghost on your property. Rarely do items float across the room. And infrequently does a specter make itself visible (or is it that rarely can a person view a discarnate person?).

Ectoplasm might happen, but only about as often as meteors land intact in the state where you live. No, a haunting is usually fairly subtle, if persistently noticeable, to the inhabitants of a home. People who live in a place with a ghost or two will be quite convinced that they’re sharing space with a not-too-visible resident. But they are unlikely to talk about it unless they believe that you believe. No one wants to be perceived as nuts.

So what causes a home (or condo, building or land) to be haunted?

Sometimes it’s that the deceased don’t know that they are dead. There may have been an unexpected death, such as with a car accident. And telling them -– if you perceive they are there -– may not go over too well. Sometimes they are afraid to go on, either for fear of punishment or fear that whoever was harassing them in this life will be in the next one, ready to bother them there also.

Other times, they are lost or confused –- this can happen with children. Some of them don’t believe in life after death -– they don’t believe in heaven and therefore cling to the one life that’s familiar to them. Occasionally, the ghost is someone who still feels called to duty and won’t leave because the job isn’t done (and it may never be done).

There are accounts of ghosts looking after grandchildren, or even guests (in the case of the ghost of Mary Lake at the Queen Anne Victorian Hotel in San Francisco -– she is noted for tucking in guests while they sleep!). So sometimes, these people-without-bodies are well intentioned do-gooders: Do not presume that all ghosts are bad!

Often, these folks hang around places that were important to them -– a home or school, for instance. Sometimes, though, they cling to a person, not a place. A lost and frightened child may feel safe near a person who exudes a maternal or protective sense, and may choose to reside near this person, who makes him or her feel better.

Someone I know personally told me that after his brother died, his brother’s ghost followed him from house to house (but not throughout his work day) for about a decade before he apparently moved on. My acquaintance wasn’t frightened, he had a strong sense it was his brother, whom he loved. He was fascinated that when they moved, the ghost came with them -– not once, but twice.

What is a Ghost?

What is a ghost? It is a bodiless human being seen here, in our world, after death. Not
every apparition or sign of a deceased person means that the soul is earth-bound. There are really three main kinds of visits* we may have of them (these are not devils or evil spirits, nor are they angels by the way): those who reside here and have not really “crossed over” after death (either in the short time just after they die, which is the first type, or a very long time afterwards, the second type) – and there are those who have crossed over but are popping back in for a fairly quick visit (the third type).

How can you tell them apart? How do you know if it’s a haunting or a visit?

If you experience a ghost in your lifetime, it is most likely to be a simple visit and will happen soon after his or her death (that is, presuming you are not especially gifted in this area and don’t normally “see dead people”). It seems that for a month or two, the spirits of our beloved dead may linger awhile before they move on. I am not sure if it is for closure, or if it is for recreation, or if they want to aid us who are left behind. But messages during this time do not indicate, necessarily, that you will have a haunting or that the deceased is earthbound -– most can, and later will, make the journey to the other side.

With these types of visits, the newly deceased isn’t usually seen, heard, or experienced just in one place. Family members may report things from great distances apart -- something like a rose being left on the hood of a car, or some other loving clue of a visit, a “hello” -– possibly just very odd, but usually wonderfully nice, coincidences to get a message across. It is probably a simple good-bye and a message that the loved one is OK.

Visits can happen later, too. Those who have crossed over and are visiting are just checking in on their families or friends here, or want to convey an important message of some sort (such as support when it’s learned the widow or widower has developed cancer, or a child is going through a rough time).

Someone I’m very close to had his mother die of lung cancer. When his father was dying, the smell of cigarette smoke manifested itself in this man’s home on several occasions -– though neither he nor his wife, nor anyone in the home, smokes. When the trying period in his life came to a conclusion, the mysteriously appearing smell of cigarette smoke ceased to occur. He believed, and I would agree, that his mother was making some sort of visit, a show of support during a difficult time. When these visitors who have crossed over but pop back for a quick visit are seen, they are usually viewed as happy and healthy and whole. These visits, the quick stop “home” to a loved one, are usually to help.

Earthbound Spirits

Earthbound spirits, though, who have not crossed over and who have been here a long time, normally do not exude the same sort of peace and joy, and most of the time, there is not some sort of “purpose to help” happening. (There are some, though, who remain for some sort of duty, whether it is to watch over guests or relatives, or to continue with the duties they had in this life.)

The earthbound spirits who have been here awhile most often give off more of a sense of being lost, or lonely, or incomplete. If someone has the gift of seeing these folks, a hint would be this: deceased people who are seen as sick or sad are probably earthbound. Those who have a look of happiness and strength are probably those who have crossed over and are just visiting. The visitors making a quick stop in are not folks who “haunt” properties. They don’t have unresolved issues, usually. They aren’t messing with your television and trying to be noticed!

Alright, so let’s say you’ve got a ghost situation, a long-term resident, as opposed to a visit. If it’s a problem ghost who is disturbing your peace, stealing things like your car keys or cell phone or making loud noises in the middle of the night, you need to address it. Sometimes these folks want you out of “their” home.

Last year a woman phoned me to see if the place where she lived was on the old graveyard in my town, because things were happening in her home. Most specifically, her boyfriend had a bad experience of a ghost a couple of times -– he awoke to a scary situation of this old woman ghost sitting on his chest. This was an extreme case, very atypical. Needless to say, that was not good for her love life.

I suggested some resources to this woman, but noticed a couple of weeks later a “for rent” sign on the building. So what to do with a problem ghost? Often, talking aloud to that ghost will get him or her to behave. Why? If the spirit is pulling pranks on you, it’s probably to be noticed. Sometimes they are just bored. You may recall the old adage: a child would rather be kicked than ignored. It’s the same idea. If that fails, call in professionals (do I hear you humming the Ghostbusters tune?). I have some resources listed on my web site for this.

More likely, if you have a ghost, it’s not really a problem -– it is something like a cold spot in a certain place, occasional sightings of her or him around the house, or only rarely, the electricity acting up (lights going on by themselves, the television changing volume or stations by itself, or even turning off and on while you’re trying to watch it). It’s not really “that bad” of a situation 99% of the time. That’s right, most ghosts are not really problems, despite what you may have seen in a movie somewhere.

What do you do about a place like that? What about selling a place like that?

Like with the “problem ghost”, sometimes just talking to him or her can help. What do you say to a ghost you don’t see?

“Mrs. Smith, I know you loved this home and lived here for 40 years. But this is my home now. You really should move on –- ask for your friends or family who have died to help you move to the light and cross over. If you stay, you can’t keep hiding my purse, or wrecking my brownies by turning the oven up when I’m not looking. This is my house now, not your house. It would be best for you if you crossed over. You’d be happier. . . .”

Again, there are professionals who can come in to your home, perhaps smudge it, perhaps talk with the ghost (most of us can talk at the ghost, but cannot have a dialogue, but a medium can have a two-way conversation) and hopefully get him or her to leave.

Assuming that you have tried to get an unhappy ghost to move along -– after all, a deceased human being’s spirit is not a pet and is not going to be happiest hanging around as a ghost -– if the discarnate can’t be budged, then you may have a disclosure issue.

So first of all, be proactive and learn the law. In some states, you must disclose things like ghosts. (Yes, really. It’s a material fact because it influences the buyer’s desire to buy and how much to pay in those states where it is required to be disclosed. This is the case in California and Hawaii, and perhaps other states as well.) In some other states, it’s a “don’t ask, don’t tell” situation (because a material fact is viewed to be structural or physical in nature, not psychological or emotional or psychic for that matter). And in some states, it may be forbidden to volunteer the unseen (especially if it’s a matter of stigma). Most agents do not know the law on this point -– so do a little research and don’t just take someone’s word for it that you do not need to disclose this.

Remember, half of the agents don’t believe in ghosts and therefore will blow off the question about disclosing a haunting. Do your homework. Do not rely on the disclosure forms you are asked to fill out: they are guideline questions to assist you, but they are not the sum total of your disclosure requirement in most cases.

If you are required to disclose, be thorough. While some discarnate houseguests make themselves known with pleasant smells of toast and coffee, and that won’t be a problem usually, others may stomp around in the attic at 2 am –- and that may portend a non-disclosure lawsuit for you when the buyer finds no “quiet enjoyment” of the property.

You can be guilty of under-disclosing. If you need to disclose, make sure the buyers understand what is involved with the symptoms of a haunted home –- as always, we list what we see, hear, smell, feel or experience and we don’t diagnose. Do you have one ghost or ten? You probably don’t know. But you can list the things that do happen: windows sometimes open and close by themselves, footsteps heard the third of each month in the kitchen, smells of cigar smoke when no one is smoking, sounds of music coming from an empty room, etc.


Many ghosts are not out to hurt people (they may just be a little annoying at times) and it may not affect your home sale at all to disclose it, especially if you are only stating the occasional creaking sounds on the staircase, for instance. Surprisingly, there are some folks who are wanting to buy a haunted house or property – I know, I have gotten the emails! There’s even a database of people wanting to buy haunted properties and people wanting to sell them.

The topic of ghosts and haunted properties tends to elicit chortles and rolled eyes from the unbelieving. It is, though, a complicated subject. Just as humans in this life are complex and can be difficult to understand (personality, motives, passions), so too are those who visit and especially those who linger after death difficult to understand thoroughly. Sweeping generalizations are often wrong.

It is best to take some time and try to understand what is happening, and possibly why it is happening. If one of your loved ones who has died visits you during a rough patch in your life, it is to reassure or support you; if you shriek with terror at the sight of her or him, of course your loving visitor will disappear and be horrified that a consolation visit has upset you. Remember, these ghosts, or visitors, are simply people without bodies. Most of the time they are not bad souls, just like most people are not bad people. Like people, sometimes they are afraid, or confused, or lost –- or just stuck in a habit and not sure how to move on.

In our real estate careers, many of us strive for “win win” situations. In this case, if we can get some help to enable the ghosts to move on, we can have a “win win” here too: they can be happy and the house can be free of extra residents. And wouldn’t it be nice to have nothing to disclose?

Mary Pope-HandyAuthor’s Notes:

Any discussion of haunted places must begin with the acknowledgement that while approximately half of the American population believes in ghosts, the other half doesn’t. My discussions on the topic are not intended to convince the non-believing half, but rather to share some insights with those who do believe –- or those who may find themselves dealing with the believers on issues related to haunted real property.

A couple of years ago, I began a page on one of my realty web sites dedicated to this subject: HauntedRealEstate.com. I received emails from a gamut of people, from total strangers to people with whom I grew up or attended school who confessed that they had lived with ghosts – but been afraid to tell anyone about it prior to contacting me, now. Some folks e-mailed me from far away places, asking me if I knew if their homes are haunted or not (remotely, certainly I don’t know. I’m fairly intuitive but am not a professional psychic or medium -– on site, I might be able to tell but I wouldn’t hire myself to diagnose the status of a property as haunted or not).

Others thought I had some sort of database about haunted spots around the country (I don’t, sorry). I simply collect the stories, and the links, and the resources, and put them online to share. I have read dozens of books on the subjects relating to ghosts but I am not a specialist in seeing them, or in trying to get rid of them or, even better, to help them to “move on” to a better place. But I can put you in touch with folks with those skills. And from all of my reading on this subject and my touch of intuition, I have a fairly good idea of what is going on, or what could be going on, with most haunted spots.

A note on ghosts and religion: People of faith (I am one of them and have studied theology extensively -– my BA is in Religious Studies and my MA is in Systematic Theology) may wonder about ghosts and their sense of God and the afterlife. A belief in ghosts is not incompatible with most faiths and is referenced in the bible.

My personal belief is that free will is so central to humanity that even in death, we are allowed to make key decisions about the kind of existence we wish to have. I do believe that in death, we are invited to a better life beyond the one we have known here (just as in this life, I would contend that God is constantly inviting us to grow in love and in relationship with God), but also that we aren’t dragged kicking and screaming “into the light”.

Love is an invitation. Some are terrified of it in this life, or simply don’t see it -– and may need a little help to make the right response to it. The absence of love and goodness is a hellish existence. While I find the subject of ghosts to be of great interest, I also pity most of these souls who appear lost and purposeless. They may have made some wrong turns and need a hand to get back on track. I would love to see most of them move on to a better existence – one they may not appreciate is waiting for them whenever they are ready to go.

*Not every paranormal experience indicates a ghost. A discussion of other possibilities exceeds the scope of this article. But a ghost visit is certainly the most common cause.



http://www.realtown.com/articles/haunted-real-estate-a-primer-for-real-estate-agents

BITEYOASS
09-27-2007, 12:09 PM
Haunted Properties? I'll tell the agent if they offer me one: Bitch you got yoself a deal! Preferably a haunted house of a former mob boss.

TAKIN WHISKEY
09-27-2007, 12:31 PM
My family and I lived in a haunted house for 2 years. 100% guarenteed!! At first, for like the 1st 6 months we tried to explain it away. My wife and I, and two daughters started really sharing stories and talking about what was going on and then we knew we were not crazy. Some people I talked to rolled their eyes or tried to explain away the things I would tell them and others would believe me. To be honest, I don't care who believes me/us. We all witnessed it first hand on many many occasions.

TAKIN WHISKEY
09-27-2007, 12:36 PM
I can tell you, when we sold the house, three years ago and moved out of state and built our home we are living in now, what a relief. Not a single thing has happened, and a totally different vibe/feeling in our home. Complete peace. I was afraid it/they would follow.

Nitro Express
09-27-2007, 12:40 PM
My family used to own a building that the tennants were scared to go into the basement for some reason. The basement was an old medical clinic and we couldn't rent the space because it didn't meet firecode but the circuit breaker boxes, the water shut off, and the mechanical heating/cooling was all down there.

They would call us and since I was low on the totem pole I was usually sent to trip the breaker that got tripped or whatever. I never saw what the big deal was. It always amazed me for nobody being down there, how nice things looked actually.

With the old medical offices and examination rooms, it would be a great place for a kinky Halloween party! :D

Nickdfresh
09-27-2007, 02:21 PM
Maybe some hauntings are real to one extent or another. But I think more often than not, when some of these families that have endured serious hauntings with harrowing tales of evil spirits that are forced to move out, skeptics find that they have had money troubles or some legal stuff going on...

TAKIN WHISKEY
09-27-2007, 02:55 PM
The spirits or ghosts in my house were not intolerable. I wouldn't consider them evil. They did scare the shit out of us a few times on different occasions though. With us, it was mostly annoying things that occurred frequently. We didn't have financial or marital problems. I definitely wasn't forced from my home, but looking back on it now, I'm sure glad we moved for more reasons than just that.

NATEDOG001976
09-29-2007, 08:43 PM
Good reading all around...

jharp84
10-01-2007, 11:48 PM
Moved out of state, bought a home where the wife died! No one told us until after the closing, neighbor thinks husband killed her, needless to say, we are getting divorced after 3 years in home! Some bad vibes! No one(realtors, attorney's, etc.) will ever disclose shit about that up front!!

SparkieD
10-02-2007, 12:12 AM
This falls under the "psychological stigma" category. I'm a real estate agent, and we aren't allowed to discuss this kind of shit in my state, believe it or not, at least not when I first started. I always found that kind of odd.

jharp84
10-02-2007, 12:14 AM
Originally posted by SparkieD
This falls under the "psychological stigma" category. I'm a real estate agent, and we aren't allowed to discuss this kind of shit in my state, believe it or not, at least not when I first started. I always found that kind of odd.

I'm a real estate appraiser! I think I get the category, much longer marketing times if disclosed!! :rolleyes:

jharp84
10-02-2007, 12:16 AM
I'm guessing your talking about the technicalities of the category! No liability for the agents!!

jharp84
10-02-2007, 12:17 AM
But thanks for the input!!

TAKIN WHISKEY
10-02-2007, 11:09 AM
I thought about bringing in some ghost hunters or specialists, if you will, but did not want to draw attention because I thought I might have to disclose that when I sold my home. At closing, a single, older lady who was a bit grumpy, asked us if there were any quorks about our home that she should know about. My wife and I looked at each other and smiled and both said no not anything we can think of. LOL!!

TAKIN WHISKEY
10-02-2007, 11:22 AM
Shortly after we moved out, my wife and I were talking about the house and she asked me how long do you think it will take for the lady to know the house is haunted. I said within a week she will start to realize things are fucked up but she might not admit the place is haunted for a few months. I said that she will think she is going crazy first. Noises, smells, objects out of place, electical problems, water running, interior doors being locked etc etc. Man I have a hundred stories or more of stuff going on. The water would be running out of a fawcet sometimes when we would come home. One day I was home watching football and I went to use the bathroom and the door was locked. I think, this shit again. Then I here the shower running so I think it is probably just my daughter taking a shower, but I didn't here her go in there. I knock, knock again louder and now I am concerned because I am not getting a response and I am thinking maybe she slipped and fell and hit her head or something. i pick the lock and pull the shower curtain and there is no one there. Freaky.

SparkieD
10-02-2007, 12:36 PM
Originally posted by jharp84
I'm a real estate appraiser! I think I get the category, much longer marketing times if disclosed!! :rolleyes:


Personally, I won't take listings that I know have problems that I cannot discuss. My time is worth more than that, and I haven't yet encountered a seller who will pay my commission up front. Plus, I'm an honest Realtor. I'd like to make sure I don't get sued. Most things we have to disclose. But the psychological stigma thing is a LAW, not something the local board of Realtors put together to make sure agents could unload properties. Real Estate law here is not pro-agent, it is for the protection of the public.

Nickdfresh
10-02-2007, 12:44 PM
Originally posted by jharp84
Moved out of state, bought a home where the wife died! No one told us until after the closing, neighbor thinks husband killed her, needless to say, we are getting divorced after 3 years in home! Some bad vibes! No one(realtors, attorney's, etc.) will ever disclose shit about that up front!!

The man that had built and owned my brother's first house previously, had gone out into the woods and shot himself not far from where they had lived. His widow never mentioned how her husband died and my brother only learned this after they'd been there a while. I don't recall any stories though...

Hummarstra
10-02-2007, 04:13 PM
Originally posted by TAKIN WHISKEY
i pick the lock and pull the shower curtain and there is no one there. Freaky. Dude, that story gives me the fucking creeps! :eek:BTW, ever heard of the show "The Paracast"? Its a podcast show about paranormal stuff, mostly UFO but also a lot of ghost stuff. Great show. Check it out at theparacast.com.

TAKIN WHISKEY
10-02-2007, 04:47 PM
Originally posted by Hummarstra
Dude, that story gives me the fucking creeps! :eek:BTW, ever heard of the show "The Paracast"? Its a podcast show about paranormal stuff, mostly UFO but also a lot of ghost stuff. Great show. Check it out at theparacast.com.

I had never heard of that before but will be sure to check it out. That story is one of many many things that happened in that house. Here is another one. The house was a cape cod with two bedrooms upstairs and two bedrooms downstairs. My wifes and my bedroom was on the 1st floor and our two girls bedrooms were upstairs. Within six months, both girls slept together across the hall from us on the 1st floor. They kept there stuff upstairs including clothes and they looked like normal bedrooms but they wouldn't go up there that much except to get ready for school in the morning and to get things as they needed them. One morning on a weekday my wife and girls are up and getting ready and I am still in bed half asleep and I here my oldest daughter let out a piercing scream that awakes me instantly. I jump out of bed and run into the kitchen where she is now standing and ask here what the heck is going on. She says go upstairs and look in my room. She had gone up to get ready for school and went down stairs to eat a bowl of cereal and when she went back upstairs, to finish getting ready, everyone of her dresser drawers was pulled half way out/open. Her closet door was open her doors on a computer cabinet were wide open and her cubby hole door on her wall was open. I went up and saw it and she said she was there 5 minutes earlier and not a single one of these doors/drawers including her closet door were open. There was a lot of activity upstairs, especially at night, but there was a shitload on the 1st floor where we all slept too. My wife awoke one night because she heard a loud banging noise across the hall where both our girls were sharing a bed together. She told me that she tried to wake me up but couldn't, no matter how hard she tried. She got out of bed and went into their room and turned on the light. She swears that the bed was shaking violently and the girls were being shook on the bed, but were still sleeping. She says as soon as she went to wake them up it stopped abruptly. I know stories like this sound like bullshit, but we are a happy normal family. We each have experienced a lot of different things together and seperatly.

Hummarstra
10-03-2007, 06:34 AM
TW, thanks for those stories. Man, that is wild. Did you ever at any point fear for your life? And is the haunting part and parcel why you moved out?

TAKIN WHISKEY
10-03-2007, 02:04 PM
Originally posted by Hummarstra
TW, thanks for those stories. Man, that is wild. Did you ever at any point fear for your life? And is the haunting part and parcel why you moved out?

I never feared for my life or the lives of my family. If that was the case, I would have moved out immediately. Heres the deal with the property. My wife and I had been looking for a home in 2002 and bought this home in August. I bid against 4 other people and actually payed $3000 more than the asking price to get it. We remodeled the house for 2 years while we lived there. Meanwhile, realestate pricing in Bethlehem Pennsylvania was going through the roof, so when my wife started in on me to move to Indianapolis, because her family lived there, I realised how much money we could make on the home. I originally scoffed at the idea of moving to Indiana. Turns out we made double what we paid for it, and moved to Indy where housing is much less expensive and built our dream home. We both got higher paying jobs, so the move turned out to be a great decision.

Mezro
10-03-2007, 02:36 PM
Originally posted by TAKIN WHISKEY
Bethlehem Pennsylvania

Mezro...nice job escaping that pit...Bethlehem is no picnic...

TAKIN WHISKEY
10-03-2007, 02:45 PM
I usually don't talk about this, but this thread kinda opened a can of worms and a lot of memories of those two years. The stuff that went on DID influence my decision to move somewhat. Most of the stuff that went on was annoying little things. I give a few more instances. The winter that we moved in, after we had really started to notice things happening, I was outside shoveling snow and asked my neighbor if anyone had died in our house. He laughed and asked me if it was haunted. I said, seriously, did anyone die inside. We had bought the home from a daughter, who was selling the house for her mom, who had just entered a nursing home. My next door said that the husband had just died inside the house of some sickness and his wife had just entered a nursing home. He said, come to think of it, their son died of some sickness, in the home about a year earlier. The son was about my age, late 30's. The house was built in 1964, but they had only owned it since 1978. I don't know about the 14 years prior to 78. Anyway, here's some shit that went on. The day we were moving in, my wife was in the basement and yelled upstairs for one of us to bring her the broom and dustpan. When nobody responded, she went upstairs and we had all left earlier to go pick up another load of furniture. She said she heard us walking around, so she thought we were all still there. A couple of months after we moved in, my wife and I were sleeping in bed. It was 2am and directly above our bed, in the room upstairs, we her this thunderous boom that made both of us jump out of our skin and awaken at the exact same time. Their were hardwood floors throughout the entire house, and the best way I could desribe the sound is if someone picked up a bowling ball above their head and slammed it down on the floor. About a month later, same exact time kinda the same scenario, except this time the whole house shook on its frame. It sounded like someone took a heavy heavy door on the extirior of the home and slammed it as hard as they could. Both times I checked the house for intruders, all lights on of course. Another time while we were sleeping I kept hearing footsteps walking around above our bedroom for some time. Not just creeking hardwood floors, but footsteps over and over again like someone pacing. This time I get up and even take a flashlight with me to check the cubby holes in both upstairs bedrooms to make sure that someone hadn't broken in through the garage and been sleeping or living in those spaces. No joke, I really thought I would see a homeless guy or something sleeping in cubby hole, because someone was fuckin walking around. This was before we fianlly understood what was going on. I did spend a little time, when the rest of my family wasn't their, going into each room and saying prayers. Let me just say, when you find yourself in a empty room talking to imaginary entities, it is a reality check. Now that line right their should go in someones signature. LOL my daughter was watching tv one day when the tv turned off by itself. When she turned it back on, it had switched from the channel it was on to crossing over with John Edwards. She called me at work when that happened. We would get these smells periodically that smelled like the worst fart you ever smelled. It would linger for about 30 seconds and disapeer. This would happen when you were by yourself or when people were in the other room. You could call someone in and they would smell the same thing. No we weren't playing the fat game. An outlet would work one day and the next day, no dice. Every electrician who checked the place out said every thing was 100%. We had a few different guests stay over night. Why not, the two bedrooms upstairs wee not being used. Always, the next morning we would ask them how they slept. Same response mostly. I had a heard time sleeping, it sounded like. That was how the senteces always started. People talking, people walking, doors closing etc etc. We never really said, yea, our place is haunted. There are a bunch of other things, but Iv'e already said more than enough for everyone to understand what was happening.

TAKIN WHISKEY
10-03-2007, 02:48 PM
Originally posted by Mezro
Mezro...nice job escaping that pit...Bethlehem is no picnic...

We lived in Bethlehem township which is a pretty nice area. Not compared to where we live now though. Yes, Im glad I moved though.

Susie Q
10-03-2007, 07:11 PM
I have been in three haunted houses so far. The first one I was only a few years old. My mother decided to have a seance because the lights went out during a storm and she had to entertain four kids. She put a flashlight in the center of us, did whatever, and one thing led to another. We had a fireplace mantel in the livingroom. It had these cone shaped horn things at each end, and candles in the center. While our eyes were shut we heard music from the 1700's, harpsichord piano type music, people talking, the dog started to howl (we had a beagle named snoopy), we opened up our eyes and we saw the curtains swaying, and then all of the sudden my sister let out this scream that sounded like a older woman. She was maybe...all of 7 years old or so. My mother freaked and stopped doing the seance. That's the first house experience. I will have to do separate postings for all three houses.

TAKIN WHISKEY
10-03-2007, 08:23 PM
Originally posted by Susie Q
I have been in three haunted houses so far. The first one I was only a few years old. My mother decided to have a seance because the lights went out during a storm and she had to entertain four kids. She put a flashlight in the center of us, did whatever, and one thing led to another. We had a fireplace mantel in the livingroom. It had these cone shaped horn things at each end, and candles in the center. While our eyes were shut we heard music from the 1700's, harpsichord piano type music, people talking, the dog started to howl (we had a beagle named snoopy), we opened up our eyes and we saw the curtains swaying, and then all of the sudden my sister let out this scream that sounded like a older woman. She was maybe...all of 7 years old or so. My mother freaked and stopped doing the seance. That's the first house experience. I will have to do separate postings for all three houses.

Waiting for the next two Susie Q

blonddgirl777
10-03-2007, 10:57 PM
Originally posted by SparkieD
This falls under the "psychological stigma" category....

As I walk into a house, I can totally feel if it's a happy home or not. There is this "aura" that surrounds you, when there is something wrong...

I would never buy a house, knowing that someone has been misstreated, beaten off or killed in it! :eek:
It's just bad vibes...:(

Nitro Express
10-04-2007, 04:24 AM
Originally posted by blonddgirl777

I would never buy a house, knowing that someone has been misstreated, beaten off or killed in it! :eek:
It's just bad vibes...:(

You would have to buy new then. It's impossible to buy a used home that someone hasen't "beaten off" in it because everyone masturbates whether they want to admit it or not. :D

Susie Q
10-04-2007, 11:48 AM
Part two: Second House

We moved into this house when I was in first grade. It was a two family house that my parents were going to do over and make into a one family. My parents started to take down the old plaster walls upstairs while we lived downstairs in a three bedroom apartment. I'll never forget the layout of the house. When you look at it from the street, on the left was a single door that led into the downstairs apartment. On the right there was a set of double doors that led to another door that led into our apartment, and a staircase that led to the upstairs. All of our bedrooms were off of the livingroom. The two of us girls shared one room, the two boys shared a room, and then my parents had a room. Past the livingroom was the kitchen, small room off of the kitchen, the cellar doorway, and then the bathroom. There was a back porch that led to the back yard. Things started to happen just after the parents started to renovate the upstairs. (most noted spook people will tell you shit starts when you begin to renovate a place.) The energy was so charged into that place. Every picture we took back then had what some call " (It is also noted that if you live on a fault line, have limestone foundations, that seems to have some significance to have a higher paranormal activity). The first thing that happened was when I was asleep in my room I thought I seen my mother in the rocker recliner in the living room holding a baby. She had long dark hair just like my mother at the time. I asked her if I could hold and feed the baby. She didn't speak, but it was almost that I heard her in my mind say, "It's ok, go to bed." I turned to go back to bed, I looked back and she was gone. I woke up early that morning and asked my mother how come she didn't let me feed the baby. She said, "Susie, what are you talking about?" I said, "last night when I woke up." She said, "Susie, you must have been dreaming, go back to bed." The next thing that happened was when my mother and I were laying in my brothers bed on a sunday afternoon reading the newspaper and talking. My father was on the couch watching a ball game. The boys were outside playing. I have no idea where my sister was. At any rate, something told my mother to put the paper down and look up in the ceiling. She said to me, "Susie....do you see anything up on the ceiling that looks like numbers or pictures?" I looked up and said, "Yes Mommy! I see dates like 1874, a picture of a house with a picket fence, all which appeared to be 'water stains'. Just then she was told to look to her left, and we saw a woman on the wall holding a baby and crying. My brother Chuck came flying in to get a drink or something and my mother called out to him and said, "Chuckie, go get me a pencil and bring it in here would you please?" He came back in, threw it to her and went back outside. My mother traced the picture and sure enough it was as we had saw. We couldn't believe our eyes! A friend of my mothers called who happened to live across the street. Mom was freakin' out and told her to come over to check this thing out. We went back in the room, and ALL OF THE PENCIL MARKINGS AND THE PICTURE WAS GONE! It disappeared!! While living there we heard someone in a rocking chair upstairs rocking back and forth (the place was empty and gutted). ALL of us heard it, even my father who don't believe in all this stuff. My father got one of the boys baseball bats and opened up the one door and went to the bottom of the stairs. My mother, and all of us kids in tow. We kept hearing it as my father was screaming up the stairs that whoever it was better get the hell out of there. We get to the top of the stairs, dad uses the flashlight and shines it just above the last stair and all of the sudden the 'rocking noise' stopped. One of the last episodes and the clincher of us moving out of the house was this last episode. My mother loves to play the piano, but at this point only had one of those small table top organ things. This woman calls my mother (who she is friends with) and said look, I know of a hightop piano that is being given away. There are a few keys that don't work, but..what the hell, it's free. Do you want it? Mom said YAH! Well, it took like 3 men to move the piano in the house through the one door. It could get in the hallway, but not through the door. So they had to bring it in the other door. Mom gets it, plays it, it's fine. As days go by, Mom is drawn to the piano and plays a song that she has no idea what it was. She was almost in a trance like state. ALL OF THE KEYS WORKED! Her friend from across the street came over, she had no clue she was there. She startled my mother and said, "I never heard of such a beautiful piece, what was that?" Mom looked at her and said, "I have no clue!" She was actually scared, shut the shelf down over the keys and they went to work.
The next morning my mother thought there was something wrong, and said to herself that she was going to get rid of the piano. She called the friend who called her about taking the piano and told her what was going on. The friend said to her, "I have no clue what you are talking about, I never called you about some piano?!" She said, "Louise, yes you did! How else would I have known about the piano?!" She called the movers that moved the piano to our house. They have no record of ever picking up a piano and bringing anything to our address at the time. My mother was upset enough that she took the piano (It was on rollers), and what took 3 men to move in, and took my mother to push out into the hallway. Now remember....it couldn't GET through the door. Well, this time....it did.

That was the end of us living there. The lady that bought the house after we lived in it said she had weird shit going on there and had the house blessed, and has had nothing more go on.

The third house I'll talk about at the next posting. I am sure I will get the "Sarge, hey I wasn't listening" post right about now as this has become a novel. LOL!!

Sarge's Little Helper
10-04-2007, 11:48 AM
Part two: Second House

We moved into this house when I was in first grade. It was a two family house that my parents were going to do over and make into a one family. My parents started to take down the old plaster walls upstairs while we lived downstairs in a three bedroom apartment. I'll never forget the layout of the house. When you look at it from the street, on the left was a single door that led into the downstairs apartment. On the right there was a set of double doors that led to another door that led into our apartment, and a staircase that led to the upstairs. All of our bedrooms were off of the livingroom. The two of us girls shared one room, the two boys shared a room, and then my parents had a room. Past the livingroom was the kitchen, small room off of the kitchen, the cellar doorway, and then the bathroom. There was a back porch that led to the back yard. Things started to happen just after the parents started to renovate the upstairs. (most noted spook people will tell you shit starts when you begin to renovate a place.) The energy was so charged into that place. Every picture we took back then had what some call " (It is also noted that if you live on a fault line, have limestone foundations, that seems to have some significance to have a higher paranormal activity). The first thing that happened was when I was asleep in my room I thought I seen my mother in the rocker recliner in the living room holding a baby. She had long dark hair just like my mother at the time. I asked her if I could hold and feed the baby. She didn't speak, but it was almost that I heard her in my mind say, "It's ok, go to bed." I turned to go back to bed, I looked back and she was gone. I woke up early that morning and asked my mother how come she didn't let me feed the baby. She said, "Susie, what are you talking about?" I said, "last night when I woke up." She said, "Susie, you must have been dreaming, go back to bed." The next thing that happened was when my mother and I were laying in my brothers bed on a sunday afternoon reading the newspaper and talking. My father was on the couch watching a ball game. The boys were outside playing. I have no idea where my sister was. At any rate, something told my mother to put the paper down and look up in the ceiling. She said to me, "Susie....do you see anything up on the ceiling that looks like numbers or pictures?" I looked up and said, "Yes Mommy! I see dates like 1874, a picture of a house with a picket fence, all which appeared to be 'water stains'. Just then she was told to look to her left, and we saw a woman on the wall holding a baby and crying. My brother Chuck came flying in to get a drink or something and my mother called out to him and said, "Chuckie, go get me a pencil and bring it in here would you please?" He came back in, threw it to her and went back outside. My mother traced the picture and sure enough it was as we had saw. We couldn't believe our eyes! A friend of my mothers called who happened to live across the street. Mom was freakin' out and told her to come over to check this thing out. We went back in the room, and ALL OF THE PENCIL MARKINGS AND THE PICTURE WAS GONE! It disappeared!! While living there we heard someone in a rocking chair upstairs rocking back and forth (the place was empty and gutted). ALL of us heard it, even my father who don't believe in all this stuff. My father got one of the boys baseball bats and opened up the one door and went to the bottom of the stairs. My mother, and all of us kids in tow. We kept hearing it as my father was screaming up the stairs that whoever it was better get the hell out of there. We get to the top of the stairs, dad uses the flashlight and shines it just above the last stair and all of the sudden the 'rocking noise' stopped. One of the last episodes and the clincher of us moving out of the house was this last episode. My mother loves to play the piano, but at this point only had one of those small table top organ things. This woman calls my mother (who she is friends with) and said look, I know of a hightop piano that is being given away. There are a few keys that don't work, but..what the hell, it's free. Do you want it? Mom said YAH! Well, it took like 3 men to move the piano in the house through the one door. It could get in the hallway, but not through the door. So they had to bring it in the other door. Mom gets it, plays it, it's fine. As days go by, Mom is drawn to the piano and plays a song that she has no idea what it was. She was almost in a trance like state. ALL OF THE KEYS WORKED! Her friend from across the street came over, she had no clue she was there. She startled my mother and said, "I never heard of such a beautiful piece, what was that?" Mom looked at her and said, "I have no clue!" She was actually scared, shut the shelf down over the keys and they went to work.
The next morning my mother thought there was something wrong, and said to herself that she was going to get rid of the piano. She called the friend who called her about taking the piano and told her what was going on. The friend said to her, "I have no clue what you are talking about, I never called you about some piano?!" She said, "Louise, yes you did! How else would I have known about the piano?!" She called the movers that moved the piano to our house. They have no record of ever picking up a piano and bringing anything to our address at the time. My mother was upset enough that she took the piano (It was on rollers), and what took 3 men to move in, and took my mother to push out into the hallway. Now remember....it couldn't GET through the door. Well, this time....it did.

That was the end of us living there. The lady that bought the house after we lived in it said she had weird shit going on there and had the house blessed, and has had nothing more go on.

The third house I'll talk about at the next posting. I am sure I will get the "Sarge, hey I wasn't listening" post right about now as this has become a novel. LOL!!

Oops. I wasn't paying attention. Tell me again what is going on.

TVGUY
10-04-2007, 11:26 PM
Great thread... This shit is FREAKY!!!

Hummarstra
10-05-2007, 04:13 AM
TakinWhiskey and Susi Q, thanks for the great stories.

TAKIN WHISKEY
10-05-2007, 09:43 AM
You're welcome. I don't talk about it much. Most people kind of act strange when you talk about it. Either, like they don't believe you or they don't really have to much to say about the subject, so it kind of leaves you hanging out there on a limb a bit. Thanks for sharing Susie Q, I'm waiting for the story or house number 3.

blonddgirl777
10-05-2007, 09:58 AM
Originally posted by Nitro Express
You would have to buy new then. It's impossible to buy a used home that someone hasen't "beaten off" in it because everyone masturbates whether they want to admit it or not. :D

:lol:

Reading your first sentence, I thought "yes, my parent's house"...
Then OUPS!
I realize that in deed... there has been some "beating off" (in any shape or form) in EVERY house! :D

Mezro
10-06-2007, 11:45 AM
Originally posted by TAKIN WHISKEY
We lived in Bethlehem township which is a pretty nice area. Not compared to where we live now though. Yes, Im glad I moved though.

I grew up in Lansdale and then lived in Chalfont, Doylestown and New Hope for awhile. I used to drive up 309 to Bethlehem and Allentown all the time.

Mezro...would even go to the Q Mart in Quakertown to make fun of hicks...ahhh....those lost days of youth...

TAKIN WHISKEY
10-07-2007, 09:50 AM
Originally posted by Mezro
I grew up in Lansdale and then lived in Chalfont, Doylestown and New Hope for awhile. I used to drive up 309 to Bethlehem and Allentown all the time.

Mezro...would even go to the Q Mart in Quakertown to make fun of hicks...ahhh....those lost days of youth...

I am very familiar with that entire area. I lived in Bethlehem for 30 years. I also delivered furniture for Furniture Unlimited in the early 90's. I was all over Bucks and Montgomery county. Chalfont was on 202 wasn't it? I know Doylstown 313. Anyway, San Fran must be a very nice upgrade.

Susie Q
10-08-2007, 11:54 PM
Takin' Whiskey, I know what you mean when you feel a bit scared to talk about experiences that you have had. It never goes over well with 'non believers'. That is why I rarely talk about it publicly. I found a picture of that piano I was talking about today when I was going through some of my old pictures. I tried to post it on here but the thing wouldn't go through for some reason.

I'll tell you about house #3 tomorrow or something. I am still scanning photos. I checked EVERY photo we ever took in that house #2 and EVERY SINGLE ONE is blurred and didn't come out too good. I wish I could get them to post on here. Some weird shit I tell ya....You can see the piano real good with me in front of it, and then the door I was talking about that my mother just 'pushed it with one hand'.

jharp84
10-11-2007, 01:03 AM
Originally posted by Sarge's Little Helper
Oops. I wasn't paying attention. Tell me again what is going on.

No DISRESPECT TO ANYONE ON THIS THREAD! I BELIEVE! BUT I GOTTA GIVE KUDOS FOR A LAUGH FOR SARGE"S HELPER- YA FUCK! :D